DALLAS, Feb. 20, 2019 — AT&T* has expanded its roaming agreement with Boingo Wireless (NASDAQ: WIFI) to offer subscribers next generation Wi-Fi connectivity at more than 80 venues including major airports, military bases and other venues that feature Boingo’s Passpoint-certified networks. Passpoint is a standardized hotspot technology that automates secure roaming between AT&T cellular and Boingo Wi-Fi networks for an improved connected experience.
“Boingo’s Passpoint footprint allows us to connect millions in more locations than ever, making it easier for travelers and troops to talk, text and stream over Wi-Fi,” said JR Wilson, vice president of tower strategy and roaming, AT&T. “The move is part of AT&T’s strategic network management initiatives that help accommodate rising mobile data traffic.”
Data traffic on our mobile network has grown more than 470,000% since 2007 with video making up half of our mobile data traffic. By 2022, we estimate video could make up more than 75% of AT&T’s mobile traffic driven by growth in 4K video, autonomous cars, drones, VR/AR and mobile gaming.
Wi-Fi roaming on Boingo’s Passpoint-certified networks is available to AT&T subscribers at no additional charge and offers fast speeds and public Wi-Fi encryption with secure two-way authentication.
“AT&T customers can now enjoy automatic Wi-Fi connectivity at nearly all of our venues where Boingo Passpoint is available,” said David Hagan, chairman and CEO at Boingo. “Roaming onto secure Wi-Fi with interoperable technologies like Passpoint improves in building capacity at a venue, while removing friction for end users.”
Passpoint was developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance with support from the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA). AT&T and Boingo serve on the WBA board of directors, helping lead ongoing research, trials and deployments for Passpoint and other wireless technologies that drive coexistence between licensed and unlicensed networks to meet growing mobile data demands and connectivity in the 5G era.
*About AT&T Communications
We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video streaming, we innovate to improve lives. We have the best network according to America’s biggest test.** We’re building FirstNet just for first responders and creating next-generation mobile 5G. With DIRECTV and DIRECTV NOW, we deliver entertainment people love to talk about. Our smart, highly secure solutions serve over 3 million global businesses – nearly all of the Fortune 1000. And worldwide, our spirit of service drives employees to give back to their communities.
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**Based on GWS OneScore Sept. 2018. Excludes crowd sourced studies.