Boingo Corporate
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Boingo Debuts Carrier-Grade Server For OTA Handset Provisioning
Boingo® Configuration Server Provisions Wi-Fi Service on Handsets with No User Intervention; Becomes ‘Backbone’ of Retail Wi-Fi Offerings for MNOs, MVNOs and VoIP Service Providers
3GSM World Congress, Barcelona, Spain – February 12th, 2007 – Boingo Wireless Inc., the world’s leading wholesale network aggregator and operator of neutral-host Wi-Fi networks, today announced public availability of its Boingo® Configuration Server. Company executives will demonstrate the server’s capabilities to partners and prospects during the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, starting today.
The Boingo Configuration Server works in conjunction with a wireless carrier’s existing Operational Support System (OSS) to provision Wi-Fi handset service over the air with no user intervention. It can be integrated into existing OSS systems via a SOAP API that controls the configuration server’s full capabilities.
Carriers can change the Wi-Fi service configuration on a per-customer basis to define service offerings by geography, customer type, usage levels, service branding and other parameters using their existing tools and support functions. Carriers can opt to use the configuration server’s Web-based interface to perform the same functions.
Once a user or customer service agent enters relevant account information into the carrier’s OSS or via a Web-based interface, an XML file is sent to the handset to automatically set the phone’s Wi-Fi user parameters based on the service level they have selected. Within minutes, a user can turn on their handset and enjoy a broadband Wi-Fi connection when in range of any of tens of thousands of Boingo Hot Spots in venues such as hotels, airports, convention centers, restaurants and retail stores around the world.
“The Boingo Configuration Server offers a powerful and simple-to-use configuration management and update capability that serves as the backbone of any retail Wi-Fi service offering that is serious about roaming,” said Tim Farrell, Boingo vice president for product management & professional services. “It really gives carriers a lot of flexibility to create great services for any kind of device that might benefit from a broadband wireless connection.”
The Configuration Server is targeted at mobile network operators and mobile virtual network operators who would like to augment their cellular services with a Wi-Fi option. Additionally, VoIP service providers can license the server to offer a mobile service for their customers.
The provisioning process uses SMS by default and can be configured to support any industry standard wireless OTA protocol. The configuration server can update handsets in the field with new network and configuration information or de-provision the handsets if their service lapses.
The Configuration Server offers flexible integration with carrier backend billing and operating system support using existing RADIUS systems for both provisioning and authentication and industry standard APIs for communicating to these systems.
The configuration server works with handsets that have installed the Boingo Embedded Wi-Fi Toolkit, the company’s open source device software platform for enabling handsets to easily and transparently authenticate to Boingo’s commercial Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide. It is available to developers of BREW, Linux, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5 handsets, and has been licensed by several handset manufacturers. The embedded toolkit is the foundation of the Boingo Mobile software available for download by consumers with Windows Mobile 5 devices (http://mobile.boingo.com).
About Boingo Embedded
The Boingo Embedded Wi-Fi Toolkit is an open source solution that runs on BREW, Linux, Symbian OS, Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 5. It is designed for service providers, OEMs, ODMs, and chipset manufacturers that develop Wi-Fi equipped devices and want to enable global roaming on commercial hotspot networks. It is also available as licensed software. More information is available at www.boingo.com/embedded.
The Boingo Mobile service provides unlimited Internet access to users of Wi-Fi enabled devices that run the Boingo Embedded Wi-Fi Toolkit. Users of those devices can access the Internet in tens of thousands of hotspots in 77 countries around the world. More information about the service is available at http://mobile.boingo.com.
About Boingo Wireless
Boingo Wireless, Inc. provides global Wi-Fi Internet access through the Boingo® Roaming System, which comprises 60,000 hotspots in airports, hotels, cafes and other public places, including metropolitan hot zones. Business travelers can use a single Boingo account to log in at Wi-Fi networks around the world using one username and password. Boingo Roaming System services can also be private labeled by telcos, wireless operators, Internet service providers (ISP) and managed service providers (MSP) as part of their own branded services for laptops, handsets and mobile devices. Through its Concourse Communications Group LLC subsidiary, Boingo operates neutral host wireless access systems that provide wireless voice and data services supporting public and commercial interests. More information about Boingo and Concourse is available at http://www.boingo.com and http://www.concoursecommunications.com.
Boingo, Boingo Wireless, and the Boingo Wireless Logo are registered trademarks of Boingo Wireless, Inc.
