Launching Passpoint Connectivity Deep in the Heart of Texas

This is a customer perspective guest blog contributed by Dr. Derek Peterson, Boingo Wireless Chief Technology Officer.

In early 2014, Boingo made the bold move of launching Passpoint-enabled Wi-Fi at 26 airports throughout the U.S. and Brazil, bringing seamless, secure and instant Wi-Fi access to travelers with Passpoint-ready devices.

In partnership with Cisco, the Boingo team worked to launch Passpoint first in high-traffic locations serving tech savvy audiences hungry for a better way to connect. We found an ideal Passpoint pioneer deep in the heart of Texas: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), a long-time Boingo network partner.

The Austin airport has always been a technology trailblazer, focused on improving the customer experience by leveraging the best in new technologies and services. The airport was the first to offer Wi-Fi to passengers in 2000, and has since worked with Boingo to upgrade the network to meet today’s traveler connectivity needs.

ABIA is also serving an increasingly tech-savvy community. Austin is the gateway to one of the fastest growing culture and technology hubs in the United States, and has become a go-to spot for start-ups and tech companies. The city becomes the heart of the tech world every year for the South by Southwest festival, and the airport serves more passengers than ever before year-round, marking their first 1 million passenger month in July 2014.

In collaboration with Cisco, Boingo upgraded the existing WLAN deployment utilizing Cisco access points with a snap-in 802.11AC module upgrade path at ABIA to ensure Passpoint readiness. We also added additional bandwidth at the airport, providing Gigabit Internet access links, to enable the network to scale to manage both the influx of seamless Passpoint traffic and future additional services and capabilities via the Wi-Fi network.

Today, the public spaces at ABIA, from iconic restaurants like Salt Lick BBQ and Amy’s Ice Cream to the airport’s six live music stages, feature instantly accessible, secure Passpoint connectivity via the Boingo Passpoint Secure network. With no need for webpage redirects, login screens or apps for users on Passpoint-capable devices with a Passpoint profile installed, travelers can share their uniquely Austin experience with their friends and family in real time.

Soon, Austinites will enjoy this seamless Passpoint experience at even more locations around town. Boingo has partnered with Time Warner Cable on the first bilateral Passpoint roaming agreement, which will allow customers of both companies to roam onto the other’s Passpoint networks. Austin subscribers to TWC will be able to seamlessly connect at locations in town, and stay connected as they enter the airport, with no user action needed.

We’re so proud of our Passpoint Secure network deployment at ABIA that we partnered with Cisco to film a case study video at the one-of-a-kind airport. We hope that you’ll learn more about Passpoint’s benefits for Austin travelers, and Wi-Fi users worldwide.

Tweet us @CiscoSPMobility if you’re interested in knowing more about the technology to make this happen.