EarthLink puts Boingo in software

Earthlink will add Boingo Wireless’ Wi-Fi connection management software to future versions of the ISP’s popular TotalAccess Internet software, and has renewed its agreement to use the Boingo Roaming System for its Wi-Fi service under a new multi-year platform services agreement that expands on the existing relationship between the two companies.

In the former agreement, Earthlink used Boingo for Wi-Fi, but didn’t offer Wi-Fi as an offering integrated with other kinds of Internet connectivity plans. With the integration, users of its Wi-Fi service will benefit from features of the TotalAccess offering, including software that blocks spam, spyware and pop-up ads.

EarthLink has licensed the Boingo software development kit for Windows and Mac OS X, and will use it to build Wi-Fi access and connection management capabilities into TotalAccess, allowing subscribers to more easily use Wi-Fi, at home, at the office, and at thousands of Wi-Fi hot spots around the world.

"Our customers are increasingly mobile and to meet their needs we plan to be very aggressive in offering wireless services, and Wi-Fi is an important element of this," said Brent Cobb, vice president of EarthLink Wireless.

"What’s exciting about this agreement is that EarthLink brings a lot of Wi-Fi market experience and has realized that closer integration of Wi-Fi into its core service is what its customers want," said Dave Hagan, president and COO of Boingo.