Boingo Offers Free Wi-Fi at Dubai Airports
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
We noticed last week that the more than 66 million leisure and business travelers that pass through Dubai Airports will now have access to complimentary Wi-Fi access from Boingo Wireless, allowing them quick and easy access to their email, social networks and favorite entertainment content for a defined timeframe.
Boingo Media, Boingo’s advertising and sponsorship services group, will manage Wi-Fi advertising sales and support for the airports.
Boingo will also offer premium Wi-Fi service options for travelers engaging in data intensive activities such as streaming video or uploading large files. The premium service fees will help the airport optimize the user experience as passenger traffic and data usage continue to grow.
Boingo and the Dubai Airports are partnering with Du, the fastest growing telecommunications company in the Middle East, on the Wi-Fi deployments. Du will provide high-speed bandwidth for both airport networks.
“Dubai Airports recognizes the importance of providing secure and speedy Wi-Fi services across the airport,” says Eugene Barry, senior vice-president, commercial, at Dubai Airports. “Our partnership with Boingo and Du will allow Dubai Airports to provide complementary services for defined periods, while also facilitating premium solutions for business and personal users. We are currently in the process of completing a large-scale network upgrade in parallel with the launch of this new service, with the primary aim of providing the fastest and most secure connectivity for all of our customers.”
“Our partnership with Dubai Airports marks a major milestone for Boingo,” says Bjorn Thorngren, vice-president of international markets for Boingo Wireless. “The airports will be the centerpiece of Boingo’s international airport portfolio, and are key gateways for international travelers.”
In conjunction with the contract award, Boingo will open an office in Dubai to service the airports and be better attuned to local customers’ needs.
The Dubai airports will be accessible to Boingo’s wholesale and platform service partners, including AT&T, Skype, Verizon, Korea Telecom, LGU+, NTT DOCOMO, Orange France, Telefonica and TeliaSonera, which wholesale Wi-Fi access from Boingo and provide self-branded Wi-Fi to their customers as part of their existing services.
Dubai International is connected to 280 destinations in 6 continents via some 125 airlines. Al Maktoum International at Dubai World Central recently opened for passenger traffic with capacity for up to 7 million travelers, with expansion plans in progress that will make the airport the largest in the world with capacity to serve more than 160 million passengers annually.
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