iPass Keeps Business Travelers Connected

Data can be expensive, and its limited. When given the option, people would prefer to use Wi-Fi services first. However, mobile users who prefer “Wi-Fi first” must wrestle with their desire to not use data against the challenge of finding a good Wi-Fi hotspot. In their own homes, and surrounding areas, it may not be a challenge, as they can learn just where the hotspots are, but for those who are traveling it can be quite an adventure trying to find one. Within hotels and airports, the Wi-Fi often requires a log in and comes with advertisements. In many cases, the user must also pay to access Wi-Fi for a period of time.

For those who need Wi-Fi to conduct business while traveling, these restrictions can be extremely frustrating, especially when the Wi-Fi is also limited in bandwidth. Many businesses use cloud-based bandwidth heavy software. Bandwidth restrictions can be a major damper on a business when their employees are traveling.

iPass Inc., a provider of services for enterprises and telecom service providers, has released a new service that will help the traveling business person connect without any difficulties. On May 21, iPass released the Business Traveler Service 2.0, a service meant to address the concerns of business travelers who want to use Wi-Fi first.

iPass has set up 2.7 million hotspots spread throughout airports, airplanes, hotels and public places throughout the world. Their hotspots are located in over 3,000 airports, including over 88 percent of the top 100 airports in the world. Approximately 2,150 airplanes have iPass hotspots on them, while they can also be found in over 72,000 hotels and convention centers.

To gain access to the Business Traveler 2.0 service, enterprises need only subscribe, and then provide a list of the users who should be granted access to the service. iPass will then send a message to the users about the service. They can then activate the accounts, and will be able to connect automatically to iPass hotspots. The service uses an app to keep them connected, which is available on IOS, Android and Microsoft devices.

iPass has reported that businesses that have signed up for iPass are saving at least 50 percent on connectivity bills, making the service both cost-effective and efficient at keeping business travelers working.

To help show an interest in such a service, iPass also released their Business Traveler Connectivity Report on the same day as the Business Traveler 2.0 service release. The report showed that business travelers do indeed prefer Wi-Fi, with 80 percent having a Wi-Fi first mentality. 3 out of 4 respondents said that the current Wi-Fi barriers serve as a major deterrent to work when traveling. 53 percent said that the Wi-Fi offered at airports is dissatisfying, while 43 percent were unhappy with what is provided at airports.

The report also showed that many respondents use bandwidth heavy applications for business; 45 percent use unified communications tools, while 43 percent used cloud-based applications.

Between this heavy bandwidth and the poor quality of Wi-Fi when traveling, iPass has seen an excellent opportunity to release their new service.