Technical roaming trial now extended to March 2004
Singapore, 4 December 2003 - StarHub, Singapore's innovative info-communications provider, today announced that the current international technical roaming trial between Telstra (Australia), China Netcom, Maxis (Malaysia) and StarHub (Singapore) for the group's wireless broadband subscribers has been extended to 15 March 2004.
The technical roaming trial was initiated to test out the infrastructure compatibility and cross-border roaming functionalities between member operators. It was launched in July 2003 by the Wireless Broadband Alliance ('Alliance') and was originally targeted to end in December 2003. However, with two major operators participating in this programme, the Alliance decided to extend the technical roaming trial to March 2004.
With this extension, StarHub's wireless broadband roamers will also be able to test out their roaming capabilities in the wireless broadband hotspots in Korea (via Korea Telecom's NESPOT) and UK (via BT Openzone). Collectively, StarHub subscribers will have access at to over 10,000 hotspots worldwide at no additional charge.
PDA-friendly WiFi Surfing
In a continuing effort to improve user experience for wireless broadband, StarHub has made its wireless broadband login screen PDA-friendly for those connecting to StarHub's wireless hubs and hotspots today. The enhanced login screen improves overall usability for StarHub wireless broadband customers.
New Members
In other announcements, the Alliance continues to extend its presence in Asia and Europe, by expanding its membership from the current ten members to 18. The new members are as follows (in alphabetical order) -
TelecomAsia Corporation (Thailand)
Together with the current ten members - BT (UK), China Netcom (China), IBM, KT (Korea), Maxis (Malaysia), NTT Com (Japan), StarHub (Singapore), Telstra (Australia), T-Mobile (UK & US) - the Alliance now operates over 13,000 hotspots worldwide.
Launch of Technology Affiliate Partner (TAP) & Marketing Affiliate Partner (MAP) programmes
The Alliance today also introduced two new programmes to encourage infrastructure, equipment and application, and location service providers to join the Alliance.
"The TAP and MAP programmes are aimed at driving the development of new services for the Alliance's customer base of over 100 million mobile customers and around 10 million broadband customers," said Mr Kyong Yu, Chairman of the Alliance. “With the increase in Alliance members to 18, and these new initiatives, the Wireless Broadband Alliance is well-positioned to drive the development and adoption of WiFi Services in many parts of the world.”
The TAP programme is designed for infrastructure providers, equipment providers, industry standards bodies, software vendors, application developers and IT systems integrators, content aggregators and distributors. Upon joining the TAP programme, members will be able to leverage on the marketing reach of all member operators for any new services and technologies they would like to test or implement.
IBM - the largest information technology company in the world - is currently the first TAP member in the programme.
Similarly, the MAP programme is designed for premium-selected location-based partners such as hotels, airports, cafe owners and airlines. With a MAP membership, corporations with wireless broadband services will be able to leverage the marketing reach of the Alliance for greater international visibility and in turn greater traffic at their locations.
For any interested parties in the Alliance, please contact Mr Shrikant Shenwai, Alliance Secretariat at sshenwai@starhub.com.
For information on StarHub wireless broadband locations and services, please go to www.starhub.com/wirelesshub.
For information on the Alliance, please go to www.wirelessbroadbandalliance.com.
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About Wireless Broadband Alliance
Formed in March 2003, the Wireless Broadband Alliance was created to drive the adoption of wireless broadband technologies and services around the world by developing a common commercial, technical and marketing framework for wireless network interoperability. Its goal is to develop a global Alliance of wireless providers that can truly deliver services that users can trust. It aims to provide a good customer experience and reliability for wireless broadband users worldwide.
The Wireless Broadband Alliance is formed by pioneers in the wireless broadband field, encompassing major players in the telecommunications industry as well as world-class equipment and service providers. These include BT (UK), China Netcom (China), CSL (Hong Kong), IBM, KT (Korea), Maxis (Malaysia), NTT Com (Japan), PLDT/Smart (Philippines), StarHub (Singapore), TA Orange (Thailand), Telecom Italia (Italy), Telstra (Australia) and T-Mobile International. Collectively, the Wireless Broadband Alliance operates over 13,000 wireless hotspots around the world.
