Syniverse forms roaming agreement with PicoPoint’s GBIA Roaming network to expand the Wi-Fi network in Europe, Middle East and Africa with nearly 10.000 hotspots.
PicoPoint, a world leader in facilitating wireless Internet service providers (WISPs), and Syniverse Technologies, a leading global communications company, today announced a bi-lateral Wi-Fi roaming agreement. The agreement expands PicoPoint’s coverage area in North America and significantly expands Syniverse’s Wi-Fi coverage area in Europe, Middle East and Africa for its Wi-Fi customers. PicoPoint’s current Wi-Fi network, GBIA, consists of nearly 10.000 hotspots throughout the world.
Adding Syniverse to the GBIA-network further diversifies and expands the locations where Wi-Fi service is available to Syniverse Mobile Data Roaming Services customers, primarily wireless operators representing millions of subscribers. Syniverse’s suite of Mobile Data Services includes AAA broker service, wholesale data billing and reporting, a real-time online customer care and roaming agreement management tool. This suite of services simplifies the business and technical relationships among operators and venues offering Wi-Fi to their own and visiting subscribers. Syniverse’s current Wi-Fi customers and roaming partners include Sprint, SBC Communications, the city of Atlanta, Pronto Networks, Remote Pipes, and Truckstop.net.
PicoPoint is founder of the Global Broadband Internet Access (GBIA), a global network of independent wireless Internet service providers (WISPs) that offer public access. In 2002 PicoPoint launched its unique ASP based back-office solution ‘GateKeeper’ an online application that runs in the PicoPoint Network Operations Centre (NOC). With Gatekeeper PicoPoint provides critical user login in authentication, charging authentication and session usage accounting functionality, as well as multiple payment options and billing and settlement (calculation of the revenue generated at the end of each month and distribution of credit or debit notes to WISPs, payment partners, and roaming partners). The company’s current Wi-Fi customers and roaming partners include, amongst others, KPN Mobile, Vodafone and E-Plus.
“Global roaming is critical to the widespread adoption of Wi-Fi. Our roaming agreement with PicoPoint brings global connectivity to a robust collection of thousands of European, African and Mid-Eastern hotspots into our portfolio,” said Michael O’Brien, Syniverse vice president - marketing. “As Wi-Fi usage increases, the expectations of subscribers increase. Wireless operators must be in a position to offer ubiquitous Wi-Fi access and service for their customers, similar to the ability to use a mobile phone almost anywhere in the world.”
“Syniverse’s extensive relationships with wireless operators and the corresponding subscriber base in North America are very attractive to us,” said, Ben van Dongen, chief executive officer at PicoPoint. “This roaming agreement between PicoPoint and Syniverse will enable roaming Wi-Fi users to access their data services almost everywhere in the world. It brings together two key elements that will drive global Wi-Fi roaming - Syniverse’s expansive North American footprint and PicoPoint’s long list of GBIA hotspots.”
