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European Wi-Fi Usage Shows Rapid Growth - iPass WiFi Hotspot Index shows 74% increase in European usage from H1 to H2 2006

by Staff Writer | posted on 06 March 2007


London, UK – 6th March, 2007 – iPass Inc. (NASDAQ: IPAS), a global provider of services that unify management of enterprise mobility, today issued findings from its new Wi-Fi Hotspot Index, which show a 74% increase in the number of European Wi-Fi access sessions* initiated by its global enterprise users between H1 2006 and H2 2006. Globally, Wi-Fi usage has also increased by 44%, showing that Wi-Fi technology continues to appeal to business travellers as a reliable and useful connectivity method.

The iPass Wi-Fi Hotspot Index is a report that summarises session* data collected by iPass across its base of approximately 1,000,000 quarterly users, and is designed as a tool for those interested in Wi-Fi connectivity trends, including reporters, analysts and researchers. With a network consisting of more than 76,000 hotspots in 68 countries, and over 3,000 business customers, including more than 350 companies in the Forbes Global 2000, iPass offers a unique global perspective into the use of Wi-Fi hotspots by enterprise mobile workers.

Following initial research into WiFi usage published by iPass in August 2006 (“iPass Witnesses Wi-Fi Momentum in Europe”) the iPass Wi-Fi Hotspot Index shows that airports continued to be the most popular type of location for Wi-Fi connections, accounting for 49% of total sessions. Chicago O’Hare airport retained its position as the most popular global Wi-Fi hotspot location, with an average of 266 iPass sessions per day.

Those looking for a place to sleep where they could stay connected chose the large international hotel chains Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt. Hotels belonging to these chains were visited by over 75,000 active iPass users from July to December.

London was the world capital of WiFi for the period, as the most popular city for usage of WiFi hotspots at non-business travel locations such as cafés, bookstores, and other retail locations with over 11,000 sessions. In fact, it had nearly double the usage of the second most popular city, Singapore.

Worldwide, cafés such as Starbuck’s and Caffè Nero were the most popular type of retail venue for iPass users, who spent over 180,000 hours drinking coffee and checking emails in H2 2006. Restaurants were the next most popular venue and saw over 4,000 sessions per month.

“2006 was a fantastic year for WiFi hotspots with strong worldwide and European growth. User education has been a driving factor as people began to see the benefits of getting connected wherever they go. Advances in wireless technology and IT security have also enabled IT departments to roll out wireless initiatives with confidence,” commented Doug Loewe, Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA. “It’s gotten to the point where people often choose where to stay or meet based on whether they can get reliable WiFi access. Branded venues such as Marriott hotels and Starbucks cafés are proving popular with iPass customers because they know they can get connected there.”

In the UK, WiFi growth was particularly strong, with a 75% increase in access sessions from H1 to H2 2006. Heathrow airport was the most popular Wi-Fi venue, closely followed by the Gatwick, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports. Top hotel venues included the Radisson Hotel at Manchester Airport, the Hilton London Heathrow and the Hilton Paddington.

The USA saw the most iPass WiFi sessions in the second half of 2006. It was followed by the UK, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

More about the iPass WiFi Hotspot Index

The inaugural index is available today at www.ipass.com/wifihotspotindex. The report summarises session* data collected between 1st July and 31st December, 2006. The iPass WiFi Hotspot Index tracks usage data from hotspots within iPass’ virtual global network, segmenting the data by global region, country, city, location type and reporting on usage at the world’s top 20 airports. The report data currently includes a count of Wi-Fi sessions over the six months, average session durations, and percentage growth from the first half to the second half of 2006. iPass plans to update the index every six months to allow the public to monitor the development of global WiFi usage trends over time.

“Wi-Fi is evolving from an ad-hoc usage method to a standard connectivity option for mobile workers. These valuable employees need to be productive when travelling either globally between cities or locally between customer appointments," said Joel Wachtler, Vice-President of Marketing and Strategy, iPass. "We have seen the popularity of Wi-Fi hotspots grow strongly across various venue types and geographies, indicating that it is being embraced by more companies as a strategic measure to improve their agility and competitiveness."

* The term “session” refers to one user logging into a given location one or more times during a single day. The average "session length" is calculated by dividing the total number of minutes spent connected by the total number of day sessions.

About iPass Inc

iPass Inc. (NASDAQ: IPAS) helps enterprises unify the management of remote and mobile connectivity and devices. With iPass software and services, customers can create easy-to-use broadband solutions for their mobile workers, home offices, and branch and retail locations, complete with device management, security validation, and unified billing. iPass offerings are powered by its leading global virtual network, on-demand management platform, and award-winning client software. The iPass global virtual network unifies hundreds of wireless, broadband and dial-up providers in over 160 countries. Hundreds of Global 2000 companies rely on iPass services, including General Motors, Nokia, and Reuters. Founded in 1996, iPass is headquartered in Redwood Shores, Calif., with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

iPass® is a registered trademark of iPass Inc.


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