Friday, June 22nd, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
Recently, CNN posted a controversial story about paying for Wi-Fi at hotels.
The problem: no one wants to pay for it, yet everyone wants it. Travelers argue it’s not a luxury; it’s a necessity and should be included with the price of the hotel. While it may only stir up emotions in customers now, sooner or later it’s evident that the hotels will lose business. With websites like HotelChatter, business travelers have been communicating and their anger only grows larger.
What makes the hotel Wi-Fi costs so confusing is the inconsistency. Do you pay per device? Can you get a deal if it’s for three days? Is it cheaper if I’m a loyalty member? It’s confusing, and even hotels within the same chain have different regulations regarding Wi-Fi.
Read the complete CNN article to learn more.
And comment here to voice your opinion!
Why are we still paying for hotel Wi-Fi? – CNN.com >>
Thursday, June 21st, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
Who do you spend most of your time with? Who do you always turn to when you need something? Who sleeps at your side every night?
If you answered “my phone” to any of these questions, the truth comes out: you’re dating your smartphone.
Now don’t take offense to this accusation; you’re not alone. In fact, most of the working world is in agreement. With the exponential growth in smartphone technology, people today often use their phones more than their computers. Employees are able to send emails, edit documents, and access important files all while watching Netflix, or streaming music on Pandora.
However, it’s not just your phone that you’re addicted to, is it? It’s the connectivity that you crave. In fact, 88% of working individuals said wireless access comes second only to running water and electricity. Scary, huh? What’s even more frightening is the monthly bill, whether it be overshooting your data plan at home, or worse, the data roaming bills.
I know, it’s hard when you’re trying to work productively overseas. You tell yourself that you’re only going to send out one email, but it quickly turns to two, three, four—sooner or later, you’re chatting with friends on Facebook and checking the score of your favorite sports team. It’s inevitable; the internet is addicting, and people are willing to pay the extreme to stay connected.
To quote some statistics from our recent Mobile Workforce Report , 54% of mobile workers responding to the iPass Mobile Workforce survey have confessed to paying outrageous fees and 42% use data roaming when traveling internationally.
Frustrated much? Statistics show that frustrated employees are often less productive. No one wants to pay high prices, but everyone wants to be connected. Is there a solution for this?
Answer: YES! iPass Open Mobile for smartphones allows you to connect to the internet globally, with significant savings over 3G and 4G usage. Easy to use, Open Mobile has over 780,000 Wi-Fi hotspots globally, connecting with 140 Wi-Fi network operators. Using the iPass Hotspot Finder, consumers are able to locate hotspots in certain destinations, whether looking for one locally or planning a business trip.
In short, society today has gone electronic, more specifically data oriented—we all know that. Now, what are you going to do about it?
Visit our smartphone page for more information.
We want to know about your experiences as a mobile worker. Make sure to participate in our Mobile Workforce Survey >>
Are you Dating your Smartphone? >>
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
It’s time again! Take the iPass Mobile Workforce Survey and let us know about your life as a mobile worker. Our quarterly survey is an important one to participate in. Giving the industry a better idea of mobile workforce trends and how to ensure your mobile employees are optimally productive, your answers help to ensure the accuracy of our Mobile Workforce Report.
Answer questions about:
- Your favorite times and places to work
- Working during vacation
- Your data roaming bills
- Your mobile device
- Wi-Fi availability and usage
And MORE!
Enter the chance to win an iPad by taking the survey!
Sign up to receive the report as soon as it’s released at the end of the quarter, and learn what other mobile workers had to say. To view past reports, please visit our Mobile Workforce Report website.
Take our Mobile Workforce Survey – Enter to win an iPad! >>
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Annie Livingston, Marketing
On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, Steve Livingston, SVP Carrier Development, iPass, spoke at the Mobile Data Offloading conference in London. The conference was designed to address the exponential growth of data usage, and how enterprises and consumers are dealing with this quick advancement in technology. The conference also discussed the prerequisites as well as challenges people are dealing with in regards to the data offloading technology.
Livingston began his presentation introducing iPass, and explained that although the company has over 1.8 million individual users and 140 Wi-Fi networks all over the world, the number of partners iPass has is growing rapidly.
Continuing with his presentation, Livingston discussed Wi-Fi, and how it is impossible to avoid. Listing various statistics, Livingston claimed that 70% of smartphone data is originated in Wi-Fi, and 65% of tablet users are connecting to mobile networks via Wi-Fi exclusively. Livingston discussed the exponential growth rate of Wi-Fi hotspots, and predicted that in 2015, there will be 5.8 million public hotspots worldwide.
With the fast expansion of Wi-Fi came the fast expansion of iPass, and the company’s network growth has more than tripled in the past year. Because International Wi-Fi roaming is inevitable for the business traveler, Livingston explained the opportunities iPass provides for the consumer. iPass caters international Wi-Fi for a significantly lower cost, and allows the consumer to act as they do at home.
In his closing remarks, Livingston explained the benefits of iPass, and its goals for the future, including the expansion of customers, both individuals as well as enterprises.
Mobile Data Offloading Conference >>
