iPass aggregates Swisscom hotspots

Busily testing access points

By Tony Smith • Get more from this author

Posted in Wireless, 3rd December 2003 14:21 GMT

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European Wi-Fi network Swisscom Eurospot will add its 1500 hotspots to remote access provider iPass' aggregated network, the duo announced today.

So far only 200 or so Swisscom sites have received the iPass stamp of approval, following testing with a range of VPN clients and connectivity quality checks.

Swisscom operates in ten European countries. In the UK, the company maintains 46 hotspots, mainly in members of the Moat House hotel chain.

Unlike many hotspot aggregators, iPass comes to Wi-Fi from the corporate remote network access market. It provides remote access software and services to corporates, offering not only Wi-Fi connection sites, but local dial-up lines and Ethernet points too. All told, it offers customers some 2800 Wi-Fi and 1200 Ethernet access locations, plus over 20,000 dial-up numbers, around the world. iPass sells direct to corporates, and via resellers to individuals and smaller organisations.

iPass' Wi-Fi sites are almost all owned and maintained by partners like Swisscom. Its arch-rival, Gric, recently added European Wi-Fi networks The Cloud, Monzoon and PicoPoint to its aggregated collection of over 3000 hotspots. ®