iPASS Teams With Boeing To Serve 500,000 Customers
Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of Boeing and iPass say
they've formed an agreement to deliver iPass enterprise customers
secure in-flight Wi-Fi Internet connectivity. Through the agreement
iPass users will have access to the Connexion mobile Internet
service through the iPass Global Broadband Roaming network. Now,
enterprise IT managers and CIOs can provide their mobile workers
with a near-seamless, high-speed wireless experience to manage
their time at hotels, airports and now on airplanes – more
productively. This agreement marks Connexion by Boeing’s
first contracted Wi-Fi enterprise access provider.
Connexion by Boeing, the only real-time, high-speed connectivity
service available to commercial airline passengers and iPass, which
operates the world’s largest Wi-Fi roaming network with over
11,000 active hotspots in 33 countries, complement each other
perfectly. Through the iPass Global Broadband Roaming (GBR) network
and the Connexion by Boeing service, the more than 528,000 distinct
monthly iPass users will be able to connect to their corporate
networks, send and receive emails with attachments, access files
and business applications and surf the entire Internet while in the
air. This partnership combines two great services to benefit the
enterprise and the corporate ‘road warrior,’ changing
the way business is conducted on the road and, now, in the air.
"Wi-Fi, for business travelers, will rival extra legroom as a
‘must-have’ airline amenity," said John Yunker, an
analyst with Byte Level Research. "iPass and Connexion by Boeing
make a good fit. Connexion by Boeing provides Wi-Fi in the sky
while iPass provides start-to-finish connectivity for the business
traveler across thousands of locations."
Connexion by Boeing has agreements with major air carriers that
operate at airports serviced by iPass including Copenhagen Airport,
Narita/New Tokyo Airport and Changi Airport. In total, iPass offers
broadband access at 89 airports in 19 countries – including
49 of the world’s busiest as measured by passenger volume,
making the Connexion by Boeing service an important link in a
continually growing chain of broadband connectivity designed for
mobile enterprise users.
"Having a proven and secure method for enterprise travelers to
connect to real-time high-speed Internet-based services is critical
for doing business in a global environment," said Connexion by
Boeing Vice President of Marketing and Direct Sales David Friedman.
"Our agreement with iPass addresses that need and provides us with
a proven market partner that will help ensure the Connexion by
Boeing service is readily available in key markets and airports
served by our airline customers. As Wi-Fi providers in the
transportation and travel sectors have found, there are tremendous
numbers of business travelers who rely on their corporate IT
organization to equip them with advanced connectivity capabilities
and we want to be a part of that solution."
The Connexion by Boeing network will now enter the iPass
Enterprise Ready certification program, where it will be certified
by iPass as Enterprise Ready by passing a rigorous testing regimen
to ensure service availability, as well as interoperability with
policy and security tools, such as virtual private networks,
personal firewalls and virus protection.
"As a frequent long-haul flier myself, no one will be more
thrilled to see the Connexion by Boeing service integrated with the
iPass GBR network," said Anurag Lal, vice president of business
development at iPass. "Some of the flights I’ve taken last
well over 12 hours, so increased productivity in the air is greatly
needed. Users of this service will no longer have to wait the
length of their flight – a full business day – for the
vital business information that can help win that important deal or
address a critical business issue. The iPass and Connexion
relationship brings the industry closer to ultimate goal of
anywhere, anytime secure connectivity."