Joins iPass Global Broadband Roaming network; provides secure, easy-to-use, high-speed Internet access for business travellers
UK Explorer and iPass Inc today announced that more than 50 of UK Explorer’s wired and wireless access points have been certified as Enterprise Ready by iPass and become part of the iPass Global Broadband Roaming network. The Enterprise Ready certification from iPass means that business travellers using UK Explorer’s access points can be confident that they now have the most simple and secure connectivity via the Internet to their corporate network-based data and applications.
UK Explorer access points include wireless hotspots and laptop docking terminals at some of the UK and Ireland’s primary locations for business travellers including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham, Shannon and Edinburgh Airports. They also include Express by Holiday Inn hotels in regional business centres like Belfast, Birmingham (NEC), Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Southampton and London. UK Explorer expects to increase the number of hotspots in the iPass network to more than 100 within the next three months, and continue adding to that number moving forward.
“We’re very excited in the growth curve of wireless adopters that we’re seeing at the moment,” said Richard Stubbs, managing director, UK Explorer. “By joining the iPass Global Broadband Roaming Network, we are making both our wired and wireless access points visible to millions of potential customers from around the world. Because of this, it’s a very important relationship for us as it means that we can compete for customers with the major telecommunications and service providers.”
UK Explorer’s network of access points features both wireless hotspots, which cover large public areas such as airport lounges, hotel foyers or conference rooms, and laptop docking stations that provide wired broadband Internet access. By joining the iPass Global Network, UK Explorer is making these access points accessible to the more than half-million individual enterprise employees who use the iPass service every month.
The iPass Enterprise Ready certification means that IT managers can confidently, easily and securely provision access to corporate networks from nearly 10,000 access points around the world. This ensures not only Internet service availability, but also interoperability with policy-based security systems such as virtual private networks, personal firewalls and anti-virus protection systems, ensuring users remain compliant with all corporate security and Internet usage policies.
“UK Explorer has a very powerful footprint in both the wired and wireless access point market in the UK and Ireland. Their focus on delivering access to users in ‘business’ venues is an extremely close fit with our vision of making access available to our business customers, regardless of where they are,” said Doug Loewe, managing director for EMEA at iPass. “UK Explorer’s access points, coupled with our service, mean that businesses have complete peace of mind that their remote workers can maximise productivity, without compromising security. That we also provide them with the best available service, at the most cost effective rate and a single point for billing is an even more compelling benefit.”