AT&T Expands WiFi Access in Europe

By Johanne Torres

TMCnet Contributing Editor

 

AT&T announced on Monday that it is currently working with WeRoam, an aggregator of mobility management systems for wireless telecoms, in order to expand its WiFi (News - Alert) access footprint in new regions throughout Europe.

 

The new partnership enabled AT&T (News - Alert) to have more than 18,000 total hot spots in Europe, including points of access in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, France and Israel. Additionally, AT&T now has a WiFi footprint through WeRoam in Brazil, Japan and Taiwan.

 

With the help of Swiss-based WeRoam, AT&T will be able to work with multiple wireless Internet service provider (WISP) networks to keep expanding the telecom giant's global WiFi and wired Ethernet footprint. "Working with AT&T, we are able to offer additional WiFi capabilities that extend AT&T's global footprint through our partner networks," stated WeRoam's CEO Toni Stadelmann. "WeRoam brings a neutral roaming platform supporting open standards and its WLAN expertise to the service of AT&T."  

 

These new WiFi hot spots are the latest enhancements to AT&T's Enterprise Mobility Portfolio. "The addition of these new WiFi hot spots throughout Europe and Asia provides our customers with the ability to work anywhere, at anytime with full access to the Internet," said AT&T's chief marketing officer-Business Mark Keiffer in a statement. "AT&T's enterprise mobility offerings provide global customers connectivity options to securely, effectively and seamlessly integrate and access their enterprise."

 

AT&T's total WiFi hot spot count available to AT&T Remote Access business customers now exceeds more than 33,000 points of access worldwide. The telecom giant plans to continue to expand the footprint as part of its previously announced $8 billion to $8.5 billion expected capital investment this year. As part of this, AT&T operates nearly 11,000 hot spot locations throughout the U.S., including airports, Barnes & Noble bookstores and select McDonald's restaurants.

 

Today's news follows AT&T's announcement on Friday in which it inked a new optical services contract with Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD), a California school district with 34 schools located in Orange County.

 

The new contract called for AT&T to deploy its OPT-E-MAN switched Ethernet service to all PYLUSD locations, allowing communications between the schools and the district office through pure Ethernet connectivity. The service will enable the schools to provide access to information resources and communication for all parents, students, and staff through a single integrated portal available anywhere, anytime.

 

WeRoam

AT&T Inc.

 

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Johanne Torres is contributing editor for TMCnet and Internet Telephony magazine. To see more articles by Johanne Torres, please visit Johanne Torres' columnist page.