For enterprises that don’t want employees to roam using cellular networks, Telefonica has launched Universal Wi-Fi, which offers coverage in 110 countries.
Wi-Fi is becoming an increasingly important access technology to operators, either to offload their cellular networks or, as in this case, to offer subscribers data access when traveling. Universal Wi-Fi is specifically aimed at multinational enterprises.
The service uses more than 1.3 million hotspots at locations such as airports and hotel chains, including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and Sheraton. To get that many hotspots, Telefonica is collaborating with iPass and Swisscom, for example.
What is Universal WiFi?
Multinational and Enterprise customers will benefit and be able to:
- Reduce costs; Data represents a large mobile cost for multinational corporations
- Freedom to work anytime and any place; hotels, airports lounges, restaurants, on the move
- Achieve enhanced control; achieve a fixed cost per account with multiple devices.
- Experience simplicity; single sign on, no hassle
- In flight Internet at no extra cost.
It has also partnered with Gogo to offer in-flight coverage. Gogo has put Wi-Fi on 6,000 planes from Air Canada, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin America.
News provided by Computer World