Two providers of access to WiFi hotspots have joined forces, giving iPass users access to a potential 50 million public access WiFi hotspots across the world. The companies say that equates to two thirds of the world’s public access WiFi points, citing numbers from Rethink Research.
The deal will give iPass exlusive access to Devicescape’s network of 20 million access points for a limited period, and the integration is expected to be complete by the end of Q3 2015. iPass users will be able to access Devicescape’s portfolio of access points by entering existing login/identity details.
iPass provides access, for a fee, to a network of WiFi access points. Clients are often large enterprises and corporate users, with a mix of telco operator partners as well.
Devicescape manages a database of public access (or amenity) WiFi hotspots, adding analytics and quality control to deliver what it terms its Curated Virtual Network. It manages access to this network for mobile and WiFi operator, delivering a single or automatic sign-on for those operators’ customers to its WiFi network.
iPass said that it has further access point partnerships to announce on an earnings call later this week. Earlier this year CEO Gary Griffiths promised to double the company’s WiFi footprint by the end of 2015. With roughly 30 million access points before the Devicescape deal, that would leave it looking for partners with roughly 10 million hotspots between them.
