April 21st, 2005
Sure, Boingo knows Wi-Fi, but can they compete in VoIP?
If you Wi-Fi, you probably know Boingo Wireless. They offer high-speed wireless Internet services in thousands of locations.
Now, Boingo Wireless is making some noises about getting into the VoIP business. Not right away, but not far down the line either.
In fact, Boingo Wireless president Dave Hagan told a wireless LAN industry conference in London yesterday that the company plans to market its own VoIP phone through a partnership with SK Telecom.
Boingo’s choice of partners is interesting. South Korea-based SK (SK= South Korea, got it?) Telecom is a major player on the international world stage. It has wireless Internet partnerships with Alcatel, and co-owns EarthLink Wireless with (you guessed it) EarthLink.
I’d guess that SK Telecom will help Boingo Wireless find a VoIP handset manufacturer that meets Boingo’s technical and QoS requirements.
Let’s here from Boingo Wireless subscribers. Would you buy VoIP services from these folks? Post a TalkBack and speak your mind.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
