Edison, N.J. — VoIP service provider Vonage and Wi-Fi provider Boingo announced a partnership this week to test voice-over Wi-Fi services using Vonage’s softphone program and Boingo’s network of Wi-Fi hotspots.
The first phase of their partnership will be a co-marketed service bundle combining Vonage’s softphone program XPRO (provided by XTEN) with access to Boingo’s Wi-Fi network. Vonage’s softphone lets users place VoIP calls directly from a computer for $9.99 a month. It requires a USB handset or headphone — provided separately.
Users with notebooks running XPRO can place wireless VoIP calls across Vonage’s network from Boingo’s network of 11,000 airports, cafes and hotels.
The companies will conduct a trial of the service before the end of the year.
“Our next step is to work with the manufacturers to integrate our device software into Wi-Fi-ready phones,” said Sky Dayton, Boingo’s founder and CEO.
“VoIP will be a key driver in spreading Wi-Fi to non-PC devices,” Dayton added.
According to a company statement, Boingo aims to integrate a new class of device software into non-PC devices like mobile phones to login and authenticate onto any of the thousands of hot spots in the Boingo Roaming System. The device software would provide Wi-Fi services including signal sniffing, authentication, network selection and profile management that can also be private labeled for service providers.
Vonage also added the e-commerce outlet Buy.com to its roster of distributors. The e-tailer will offer two Linksys starter kits: the RT31P2 router for $79.99 and the PAP2 adapter for $48.99.
