May have jumped the gun on T-Mobile and Boingo: Its just software for now

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Robert J. Berger" <rberger () ibd com>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 16:49:08 +0900
To: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>, Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: May have jumped the gun on T-Mobile and Boingo: Its just software
for now

> From Glenn Fleishman¹s excellent 802.11 BLOG:

T-Mobile Adopts Boingo Software
http://80211b.weblogger.com/2003/03/18

Boingo, T-Mobile partner on software, not networks: Sky Dayton of Boingo and
John Stanton of T-Mobile used the bully pulpit of the cell-industry trade
group CTIA's New Orleans convention to announce a partnership in which
T-Mobile would adopt Boingo's technology platform. On originally reading the
press release, I thought this was a network deal, too, but it's clear that
T-Mobile just wants (at this juncture) Boingo's authentication and roaming
platform and client software.

The press release points out that T-Mobile will continue to allow Web-based
gateway access to their network, but that the Boingo software would allow
superior single-account integration, along with sniffing and access for
T-Mobile GPRS 2.5G network as the technology becomes available. (PCTEL is
licensing the 2.5G integration software for laptops and PocketPC's to
Boingo.)

Boingo has an investment from Sprint PCS, so T-Mobile's partnership marks
the first intersection of any cell operators' interests.

Update: It turns out a lot of reporters got the story wrong or incomplete,
as I did on first glance. I spoke in the afternoon to Christian Gunning,
marketing director of Boingo, to confirm that the T-Mobile deal is platform
(back-end and client software), not roaming. He also agreed with my
statement that this agreement doesn't indicate the presence of nor does it
preclude any future agreements with T-Mobile.

A story from Reuters says the two companies will develop software and
services to make it easier for T-Mobile customers to access Boingo's
wireless broadband and data networks which is confusing enough on its own. A
Dow Jones Newswires story was vague about implications, but mentioned the
size of Boingo's network.

CRN reported as if the software deal was a new network: Dayton didn't
specify when the service would be available, how billing would work and how
much the service would cost. Actually, it will overlay onto T-Mobile's
current HotSpot network. It's about the customer-facing software, really,
not about a different network.

T-Mobile wants to make it easier for customers to sign on and manage their
access. A single button sign-on is pretty slick, no matter how you cut it.
Also, adopting the VPN software that Boingo offers allows T-Mobile to fix
that last pesky security issue by giving its customers an entirely secure
method.


-- 
Robert J. Berger - Internet Bandwidth Development, LLC.
In Tokyo as Glocom visiting research fellow through April 2003
Cell: +81 80-3121-6128 Work: +81 3-5411-6613 http://www.glocom.ac.jp
eFax: +1-408-490-2868 rberger () glocom ac jp rberger () ibd com



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