041906: GlobeQuest expands Wi-Fi reach

i.t. matters
Wednesday April 19, 2006 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES

News

GlobeQuest expands Wi-Fi reach

GlobeQUEST, the corporate business group of Innove Communications, has clinched four new domestic and international roaming partnership deals, aimed to further widen the reach of its wireless internet offer.

For the domestic market, Globe QUEST partnered with internet service provider (ISP) Pacific Internet. Postpaid subscribers of Pacific Internet will now have access to WiFi in all of GlobeQUEST's WiZ hotspots in the country using the same username and password.

For the international market, GlobeQUEST has signed up with three Wi-Fi network aggregators, namely BOINGO Wireless, Inc. iPass and Deutsche Telekom (DT).

As a result, GlobeQUEST will now have access to the markets being covered by the three aggregators. Subscribers of all foreign networks under the three aggregators can now tap the GlobeQUEST Wi-Fi service while they are here in the country and so as GlobeQUEST subscribers whenever they are abroad.

Jesus C. Romero, GlobeQUEST head, said the company expects to feel the take up in foreign subscribers in the next two to three months.

"We don't have a breakdown yet of domestic and foreign subscribers. But anecdotal evidence shows that a lot of foreigners in hotels and restaurants are using our service," he said.

iPass has integrated over 300 network providers covering over 60,000 access points worldwide including more than 35,000 Wi-Fi hotspot and ethernet hotel broad-band locations in about 60 countries.

US-based BOINGO has over 20,000 hotspots and provides high-speed internet service to individual end-users and wireless access service providers who intend to resell their Wi-Fi services.

DT, Europe's largest telecommunications company, connects Wi-Fi providers and hotspot operators from over 20 countries. Mr. Romero said these roaming agreements make the company the "most convenient Wi-Fi service provider" in the country. -- M. E. Estavillo