FatPort offers wireless access payment system

VANCOUVER, Canada -- A new combination of technologies holds the promise of rapidly increasing the number wireless Internet users at airports, hotels and other public places. FatPort has teamed with Excilan and a global consortium of Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISPs) and mobile phone carriers to build a new authentication and payment platform that gives any mobile phone user access to any high-speed wireless Internet hotspot. 

“What is particularly innovative about the Excilan FUSE system is its absolute simplicity,” said Sean O'Mahony, CEO of FatPort. “After entering one of our locations, a potential customer just plugs their mobile phone number into the FatPort login screen, the FUSE system calls them back in their native language, gives them the price of accessing the FatPort network in their home currency, then lets them connect. Nothing new to learn. No passwords to remember.”

O'Mahony said the system requires no extra hardware, software or configuration, and customers need only have a working mobile phone to use the service.

Canada's largest provider

FatPort is Canada's largest wireless Internet service provider, offering the widest coverage of access sites. Based in Vancouver, FatPort uses custom-built FatPoint wireless access points that enable location owners to quickly establish a commercial FatZone. In each FatZone, FatPort allows anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA to access the Internet at speeds many times faster than cellular networks.

“Fatport has been the first WISP to join the pilot phase and with the forward thinking of its team, it has been able to add some substantial features to the platform," said Lodewijk Cornelius, CEO of Excilan. "We will ensure that Excilan can add genuine revenue streams to this new wholesale business. The diversity of its network and the solid business thinking of Fatport makes it for Excilan an excellent entry to the North American market."

Excilan’s authentication and payment platform consists of a multilateral agreement that allows any participating WISP or mobile phone carrier to sign just one roaming agreement with Excilan, putting an end to the negotiation of separate bilateral roaming agreements, Cornelius said. To the end user, the net result is easy, transparent roaming on a world-wide network of hotspots using their mobile phones to gain access.

Global authentication

“We are excited to be able to send subscribers from European mobile operators to the Canadian network of Fatport, showing that it is a truly global authentication and payment system," Cornelius said.

FatPort is scheduled to bring the FUSE system online at all its current and future locations during February and March, 2003. To use the system, potential customers must have an account with a mobile phone carrier that is an Excilan FUSE partner. Excilan expects a number of Canadian and US mobile phone carriers to join the system in the coming months.

FatPort joins other Excilan partners in the launch phase, including four mobile phone carriers (Bouygues Telecom, Orange Switzerland, Siminn Iceland and another pan-European GSM operator), and four other wireless ISPs (Attingo, Megabeam, TLC Mobile, and WLAN AG) who have hotspots in 8 countries in North America and Europe.

FatPort is Canada's first and largest national wireless Internet service provider (WISP). Based in Vancouver, FatPort uses their custom-built FatPoint wireless access point that enables location owners to quickly establish a commercial FatZone. In each FatZone, FatPort allows anyone with a wireless-enabled laptop or PDA to access the Internet at speeds many times faster than cellular networks. FatPort is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ignition Point Technologies Corporation.

Established in Luxembourg, Excilan is a company held by BrainHeart Capital AB (Sweden), a company focusing on wireless LAN with a marketing approach that services should be developed from the end user perspective.

Two Canadian airports

Two weeks ago, FatPort announced Wi-Fi service at two Canadian airports, Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) in British Columbia and Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport (YKZ) in Ontario. These are among the first airport installations of a publicly accessible high-speed wireless network in any airport by a Canadian provider.

"Airports are a classic location where FatPort customers can fill in downtime by using our wireless Internet service" said Michael Kuhlmann, FatPort VP of Business Development. "By adding the Abbotsford International and Toronto Buttonville Municipal airports to our network, we're now available at every step with coverage at airport, hotel, cafe, and business service center locations."

Access will be provided in several zones throughout both airports and the 802.11b Wi-Fi compliant service will be accessible by anyone with a wirelessly-enabled laptop. FatPort customers need to open their web browser in a FatPort location and login. No specialized software or setup is required and users of all operating systems are supported, according to FatPort.