HAUTE OC TRAVELE l OC Air Community Focus l John Wayne Airport Introduces Free Wi-Fi Service

John Wayne Airport (JWA) is pleased to be partnering with FreeFi Networks to provide free wireless internet access to passengers throughout the concourses, lounges and concession areas of JWA Thomas F. Riley Terminal.

FreeFi Networks is a premier provider of content and advertiser-supported internet access for the traveling public. Included among the large-scale installations currently powered by FreeFi Networks are Denver International Airport and Oakland International Airport.

“We are able to deliver a quality internet experience to business and leisure travelers while generating revenue for the airport,” said Richard Bogen, FreeFi, managing director. “It’s a win-win proposition for all involved.”

FreeFi Networks provides toll-free 24/7 technical support.

FreeFi Networks is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. FreeFi Networks is a premier provider of content and advertiser-supported Wi-Fi networks in large venues such as airports, convention centers, and college campuses.  Included among the companies that have advertised on FreeFi Networks are Charles Schwab, FedEx, Ford Motor Company, Holiday Inn, MasterCard Company, Microsoft, Nokia, Sprint, Toshiba and Verizon. FreeFi Networks has also partnered with the Disney-ABC Domestic Television to provide popular video on demand rentals from the Walt Disney Studios.  To learn more about FreeFi Networks, visit www.freefi.com.  For further inquiries about FreeFi Networks, contact us at info@freefi.com.

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FreeFi Networks l Wire-cutting at Oakland International Airport



 

TMCNet.com l Free Wi-Fi Access at Honolulu International Airport

ShakaNet, Inc., the largest provider of wireless Internet services in Hawaii, entered into a partnership relation with FreeFi Networks, Inc., to provide free wireless Internet access to passengers throughout the concourses, lounges and concession areas of Honolulu International Airport.

Free Wi-Fi access at Denver International Airport, Oakland International Airport and John Wayne Airport in Orange (News - Alert) County, Calif., is currently powered by FreeFi Networks.

"We are very excited to work with the FreeFi team leveraging their experience in providing free WiFi with our long-term commitment to proving quality service. Our goal is to deliver a free quality Internet experience to business and leisure travelers while generating revenue for the venue," Vu said in a statement.

"ShakaNet offers an outstanding wireless experience for its customers in multiple venues across Hawaii," said Richard Bogen, Chief Executive Officer of FreeFi Networks, in a press release. "We are proud to be able to partner with them to provide fast, reliable and free wireless connectivity for the thousands of people using their systems daily."

ShakaNet users will find their free WiFi experience to be particularly enhanced through advertising and content from Zinio, the exclusive provider of video advertising on the free Hawaiian network connection, Bogen said, in a press release. Zinio, the world's largest newsstand and bookstore, is revolutionizing reading by offering a vast selection of digital content and services.

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TMCNet.com l FreeFi Announces Figures for Wi-Fi Connections at Denver Airport

FreeFi Networks has announced figures surrounding the number of average daily Wi-Fi connections at Denver International Airport (DIA).

The Los Angeles-based company offering content and advertiser-supported Internet access, worked with their technical partners Front Porch andMeru Networks ( News - Alert), as well as the telecommunications staff at DIA, and successfully managed a record peak of almost 7,000 connections on Monday, August 25, 2008.

FreeFi Networks attributes this peak to the heavy traffic generated by the Democratic National Convention, held in Denver from August 25-28. According to company officials, passengers were logging on at a rate of about six hundred connections per day before FreeFi Networks became the official Wi-Fi provider for DIA in November 2007.

DIA experienced over a six-fold growth in connections, since the successful launch of FreeFi Networks' ad-supported Wi-Fi system and averaged nearly 3,500 connections per day. The daily connection rates through FreeFi Networks continues to grow offering quick download times, and user-friendly formatting. The company has reported an average of 6,326 daily connections during the month of July.

Richard Bogen, managing director of FreeFi Networks, explained that Denver International passengers are logging on to the system at an incredible rate and the system they have designed with their partners is handling it extremely well. Bogen said that they maintain a 24/7 helpline for users and there has been a minimal increase in the call volume compared to the comparative traffic growth thanks to the pro-active efforts of their collective teams.

FreeFi Networks intends to expand into additional airports and large public venues around the country. With offices in Los Angeles and Fort Lee, New Jersey, FreeFi provides free Wi-Fi access services while driving revenue to host venues, which include airports, hotels, convention facilities, college campuses, chain restaurants, shopping centers and cafes.

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THE NEW YORK TIMES l Free Wi-Fi, but Not for All

Denver airport works with FreeFi Networks to offer ad-supported Internet access, and also plans to subsidize its technology costs with movie downloads.

FreeFi Networks has a deal with the Walt Disney Company to offer passengers downloadable movie rentals, but is waiting for a network upgrade before introducing that service in Denver. Richard Bogen, FreeFi’s president, said he expected the cost would be as much as $7.99 for a 48-hour movie rental.

“We want this to be a 15- to 20-minute download,” Mr. Bogen said, adding that he believed movie or game rentals would be crucial to make free Wi-Fi profitable for airports.

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MARKET WATCH l FreeFi Networks Expands Free Wi-Fi Service to Oakland International Airport

Content- and Advertiser-Supported Wi-Fi Replaces Paid Service at Bay Area's Second Busiest Airport

OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FreeFi Networks (www.freefinet.com), a Los Angeles-based company offering content and advertiser-supported Public Internet Wi-Fi access, today launched its free Wi-Fi Internet service at Oakland International Airport (OAK).

The launch marks FreeFi’s second deployment at a major U.S. airport in 2008. In January, FreeFi partnered with Denver International Airport to replace daily-fee Internet service with free Wi-Fi access. The Port of Oakland, owner and operator of Oakland International, awarded FreeFi a multi-year contract with the airport which commenced Oct. 1.

“Because Oakland International is the preferred airport for many business travelers in the Bay Area, it was the perfect location for our next major airport launch,” said Richard Bogen, FreeFi’s managing director. “After working with us for less than a year, Denver International Airport has become the world’s largest free Wi-Fi airport and is exceeding the revenue it made in previous years with its paid Wi-Fi service. We anticipate that Oakland will experience the same level of success.”

“The Port of Oakland selected FreeFi to provide this new service for Oakland International Airport because of the company’s reliability, service and proven revenue model,” said Steve Grossman, Director of Aviation for the Port. “We are pleased to offer this free service to our travelers, allowing them to keep in touch with business and personal
contacts between flights.”

Bogen said FreeFi’s unique ad-based revenue model provides a win-win for its airport partners and travelers using the service. FreeFi sponsors include Microsoft, Toyota, Verizon, American Express, Charles Schwab, Holiday Inn, Zappos.com, Ford and Toshiba.

Airport environments are perfect for advertiser-supported Internet access, said Lawrence Laffer, FreeFi’s director of sales and marketing.

“Air travelers like Wi-Fi, but don’t like paying for it,” he said. “Our sponsors take care of that, but with a much higher ROI than signage and other forms of airport advertising. FreeFi provides marketers with significantly longer exposure time to their target audience through an unobtrusive marketing presence, far beyond what’s available through traditional modes of advertising.”

Working in conjunction with equity and technical partner Front Porch and utilizing the unique Ultramercial platform, FreeFi creates custom and venue specific environments that deliver value to both the customer and venue. FreeFi has developed a custom information and entertainment platform that is poised to expand beyond free Internet access, Bogen said. The company soon will offer other free and paid content to its users, such as games from Real Networks and Disney Video on Demand movies as well, he said. FreeFi Networks plans continued expansion into additional airports and large public venues around the country.

Contact:

MWW Group
Angelica Quinonez, 415-395-5916
 

FORBES l Wired Airports

"There is [consumer] pressure for airports that charge to go free," says Rich Bogen, managing director of FreeFi Networks, a Los Angeles-based company that offers ad- and content-supported wi-fi networks. "We've even heard travelers say that they book tickets so they'll have layovers where there is free wi-fi." Bogen, who works with Denver on its ad-supported network, says he's in talks with a number of other U.S. airports to make the same changes.

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TMCNet.com l Enterprise Mobility Featured Article l TMCnet's Wireless News Week-in-Review

If you’re a frequent flier and plan to be at the Denver International Airport in Colorado anytime soon, be sure to try out the free WiFi service now being offered there, through a deal with FreeFi Networks.
 

TMCNet.com l WiFi Service from FreeFi Networks Now Available at Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport (DIA) is now offering free WiFi Internet access through its partnership with FreeFi Networks.

FreeFi Networks has also partnered with Disney-ABC Domestic Television to provide popular video on demand rentals as they become available from The Walt Disney Studios. These include new and classic titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone (News - Alert) Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films.

Through the new service at DIA, customers can now rent Disney hits such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," Disney-Pixar's "Ratatouille" and Hollywood Pictures' "The Invisible".

Denver International Airport has been able to eliminate a $7.95 daily charge for Internet access by switching to FreeFi Networks. DIA has now become the largest airport in North America that offers free wireless Internet access terminal wide. While the previous paid Wi-Fi service at DIA averaged about 600 daily connections, the new service is currently averaging between 4,000 and 5,000 daily connections to DIA travelers.

Jim Winston, director of Telecommunications at DIA said in a statement that the usage increased by a factor of 10 times during the first four weeks this service was available. He indicated that their motivation for moving to the FreeFi Networks approach is to deliver a high quality Internet experience to their airport customers, as they continue to provide necessary revenue to the city to satisfy the bondholders that financed the building.

A frequent business traveler, Dan Cohen, executive vice president of pay television and interactive media for Disney-ABC Domestic Television is excited at the ability to quickly download and rent a movie on his laptop before he gets on the plane.

He said that their partnership with FreeFi Networks also allows them to tap into a previously untouched video on demand distribution channel.

Richard Bogen, managing director of FreeFi Networks explained that in just minutes, they can deliver DVD-quality video on demand, downloaded directly into the user's laptop. Several other U.S. airports have expressed interest in FreeFi Networks’ service and they expect to make several announcements in the first half of 2008 regarding new airport locations.

Users who log on to the network will be able to view a brief series of advertisements and banner ads while they surf the Web.

According to Lawrence Laffer, director of Sales and Marketing for the company, travelers have come to expect Wi-Fi access in places like airports and hotels.

There are now several new Wi-Fi enabled devices on the market and Laffer believes demand will only increase for network access.

“Clearly, free access is preferred by the traveling public,” he added.

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The Wireless Blog l FreeFi Networks: Free Wi-Fi at Denver International with Quick VOD

FreeFi Networks today announced a partnership with Disney-ABC Domestic Television to provide video-on-demand (VOD) rentals to users of FreeFi's free Wi-Fi network at Denver International Airport (DIA).

The rentals are cached locally, making it possible for users to download them quickly to their laptops, iPhones, etc. before boarding a flight.

Wi-Fi Net News' Glenn Fleishman is enthusiastic. "I have been writing for years about the power of the edge network, where instead of providing an Internet feed, media resides locally and can be moved at many times the potential Internet rate," he writes. "This is the first substantial deployment in any form that I'm aware of."

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PC WORLD l Denver Airport Offers Free Wi-Fi

Ease of management is important for the network because it still needs to make a return on its wireless offering even though travelers aren't paying for it directly, Winston said. DIA has construction bonds to pay off. So FreeFi Networks, a Wi-Fi advertising company, sells video ads that appear right before the user starts using the Internet and a persistent ad bar at the top of the computer screen, he said.

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS l Wireless now free at DIA

The airport purchased servers to ensure it had enough bandwidth to meet increased usage. FreeFi Networks out of Woodland Hills, Calif., is providing the service, replacing AT&T, Green said.

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