MCI Inc. will expand Wi-Fi coverage for users of its advanced global Remote Access suite, almost doubling its footprint in the United States, Europe and Asia, and adding coffee shops, major bookstores and retail shipping, postal and business service centers.
The expansion, made possible through agreements with hotspot operators like Boingo Wireless and Wayport Inc., complements MCI’s existing 6,200 global hotspots, bringing the grand total to nearly 11,000 locations in 36 countries. Businesses will have immediate access to more than 1,300 European and Asia-Pacific hotspots with an additional 3,400 U.S. Wi-Fi locations coming online in May.
The company also is targeting users beyond the international businessperson with the service expansion, by offering connectivity at locations more useful to “windshield warriors” – those workers in the field, such as insurance claim adjusters, technicians, consultants and regional salespeople. By providing access in coffee shops or bookstores, not just airports and hotel rooms, MCI hopes to widen the addressable market for the Remote Access portfolio.
“Network access is a key component for any company to effectively conduct business whether its employees are located in an office or working on the road,” says Nancy Gofus, MCI’s senior vice president of product management. “Our far-reaching access capabilities will address growing business demand for simple and ubiquitous Internet connectivity.”
MCI's Remote Access suite offers enterprise customers secure connectivity to the corporate network or the Internet via dial-up, wireless, DSL, ISDN or Ethernet connections, in 150 countries around the globe. To access the service, users bring up the MCI Access Manager software client on their laptops, and it automatically provides a directory of MCI-enabled wired or wireless access points in the area, showing users what is available. The user then connects using the access method he or she prefers.
MCI sells the Remote Access services direct to enterprises, with two pricing plans for the hotspot component. A usage-based plan, ideal for the occasional traveler, has a set price for the first hour with per-minute charges after that, with a daily cap on total charges. A flat-rate plan layers an additional sum on the dial-up service plan for unlimited use. Beginning in the June timeframe, companies will have the option to mix and match the plans their employees are on; for now, enterprises choose one or the other for all users.
“The idea behind expanding wireless coverage is to provide more flexibility for our customers while solidifying our value proposition,” says Kevin Gatesman, senior manager of emerging technologies at MCI. “MCI sees this as another way to maintain our leadership in the IP space, and this expansion is a strategic move by the company.”
Besides basic connectivity, MCI’s Remote Access suite offers built-in network security and desktop policy enforcement, and can integrate with MCI’s managed VPN offer for additional protection. It also provides a single-point-of-entry for company IT administrators to easily create and modify user groups, configure multiple products sets, and set user passwords via the administrator platform, Enterprise Services Management.
