iPass builds roaming alliances in Europe

iPass on Wednesday announced that it has signed new deals to let its customers roam into hundreds of hot spots across Europe, in addition to new locations in the United States.

The agreements with European providers Swisscom Eurospot and ADP Telecom will let customers access Wi-Fi spots at large hotels, train stations and airports across Europe.

Swisscom offers broadband services in Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy, and has about 1500 hot spots. France's ADP offers Wi-Fi at locations such as Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris.

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Hot spots are public areas where Internet access is available via a Wi-Fi connection; roaming enables individuals to get access from one hot spot to another through a single account. iPass said its broadband roaming network spans 24 countries with over 2,800 Wi-Fi hot spots.

Those hot spots are a composite of Wi-Fi service products from more than 20 providers. Last month, McDonald's said it expects its hot-spot suppliers to support iPass' specification for business-class service, which targets the enterprise market.

Redwood Shores, Calif.-based iPass said it has also expanded its presence in the U.S. market, a result of a new deal with NetNearU, a maker of tools for wireless systems management. NetNearU, headquartered in College Station, Texas, operates 500 hot spots worldwide.