Hotspot network launched

31.05.2005
Von Theo Boshoff

The Airports Company of SA (Acsa), Internet Solutions (IS) and M-Web last week launched their Wi-Fi hotspots initiative.

The companies jointly announced that wireless hotspots are now available at the country"s major airports in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, aiming to allow local and international travellers to log on to their e-mail and the Internet, and business travellers to gain access to their corporate networks.

Richard Vester, GM for Mobility at IS, says: "What corporate SA is looking for is fast access to e-mail and the Internet, economical access, using the latest technology, and access from anywhere in the world, which is what we are supplying now with our hotspot installations."

"If you are flying from any of these airports, and have either an IS or M-Web account and a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or PDA, you will be able to connect from anywhere inside the airport," says Hillel Shrock, director: new business, at IS.

The solution, according to Vester, runs over IS" national backbone, which allows for a single point of management and reporting, with accurate and seamless communication between the hotspots and the back-end at IS. Users log in via a gateway, which, he says, regulates exactly what users can and cannot access, and which is specific to each hotspot.

On the issue of security, Vester says: "We have put authentication measures in place on the back-end, but most important is that the architecture provides a single point of access through which we can remotely monitor usage and who does what. Additionally, the data between users" devices and the access point is encrypted."

"It is easy to use," says Nico Pretorius of Acsa. "Once supplied with a username and password, users can connect to the Internet, and, through a VPN client, to their corporate networks, using the landing page."

"We have put a number of options in place for airport connectivity," says Pretorius. "International travellers with existing accounts in their home countries can log in directly through various hotspot roaming agreements, such as WeRoam, IPASS or Quiconnect. Credit card users are provided with a username and password that can be used at any Acsa, IS and M-Web Wi-Fi hotspot facility. Unused time can be utilized at a later stage or any of the other Wi-Fi hotspot locations - of which there are now nearly 50 throughout the country."

All current IS users will be billed on their corporate monthly invoice. Individual users will need to register with M-Web to use their e-mail account on this service. A help desk has also been set up.

According to Vester, numerous international service providers are contacting IS to connect to its network, because they see SA as an untapped market, which, he adds, is not only good for the company, but also for all the business travellers who need to connect any time anywhere.

Hotspots are also currently being rolled out to City Lodge hotels and Mugg and Bean outlets countrywide.