iPass, Yahoo BB Mobile expand roaming deal

iPass and Yahoo BB Mobile announced Wednesday that they have expanded their roaming agreement to make more than 600 hot spots in Japan available to iPass customers. Last year, network operator iPass and wireless LAN (local area network) service provider Yahoo BB Mobile signed a deal allowing Yahoo BB Mobile customers to connect to iPass' network worldwide. Starting in July, iPass customers will have access to Yahoo BB Mobile's network using iPass software and without using a Yahoo BB Mobile user ID or password. The Yahoo BB Mobile service is a joint effort of Softbank BB and Yahoo Japan.

Both companies offer a wireless networking service, referred to as hot spots, that use 802.11 technologies, allowing subscribers to connect to the Internet. iPass also allows its customers, mostly traveling business people, to remotely access corporate networks via dial-up and Ethernet connections.