Wi-Fi providers streamline roaming services

OTTAWA, (March 2, 2004) — Canada’s national wireless companies today announced they have signed an inter-carrier agreement that establishes common standards for roaming and interoperability of the public Wi-Fi hotspots they operate.

Wi-Fi hotspots communicate with a wireless device over a wireless LAN (local area network), enabling business travelers and truckers to access the Internet from public locations in Canada, such as truck rest stops, hotels and other commercial properties. Users within a 50 to 200-metre radius of a Wi-Fi hotspot can take advantage of the services.

The carriers — Bell Mobility, Microcell Solutions (Fido), Rogers AT&T Wireless, and TELUS Mobility — have created a common brand identifier for Wi-Fi hotspots. Under the terms of the agreement, all public commercial hotspots operated by the carriers, and any other Canadian operator or hotspot owner who meets the minimum requirements and chooses to join the roaming alliance, will be branded consistently with the common hotspot identifier. Those locations will present an identical, browser-based login area and connection methods, ensuring a consistent experience in all locations.

This agreement will also simplify payment options for customers who use Wi-Fi access at one of the branded hotpots. Currently customers must use a credit card and pay in advance for high-speed wireless Internet access. Once fully operational, customers of Canada’s national wireless carriers will be able to charge their Wi-Fi usage to their existing bills from their wireless provider, as per the methods of payment offered by each of the carriers.

In an effort to spur the availability of public commercial hotspots, the four carriers have committed to build more than 500 hotspot locations over the next year — more than doubling the current number of locations in Canada.