« Proxim Targets Smaller Businesses | Main | NYTimes Enters Philly Debate »

September 27, 2004

IPass Closes Gap in Roaming Service

By Nancy Gohring

IPass said it formed a relationship with Cibernet: IPass already offers a roaming service for Wi-Fi operators that includes handling authentication, security, and fee settlement tracking. With the Cibernet deal, the iPass offering will also include financial settlement. It also appears that iPass hopes to leverage Cibernet’s existing business as a roaming settlement service for cellular operators. That business could be helpful as cellular operators hope to begin offering services that enable roaming between cellular networks and Wi-Fi hotspots.

In April, a company called RoamPoint launched with much fanfare around the world. Its mission was to help facilitate roaming in the Wi-Fi hotspot market but it doesn’t handle billing or settlement. When RoamPoint launched, it was majority owned by The Cloud, an ownership interest that some observers worried might discourage some of The Cloud’s competitors from wanting to be RoamPoint customers. Since its launch, at least nine hotspot operators have become RoamPoint customers.

Posted by nancyg at September 27, 2004 6:32 AM

Categories: Roaming

Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://db.isbn.nu/mt3/mt-tb.pl/2447

Comments