Boingo Offers Flat-rate, Worldwide Wi-Fi

Wireless hotspot operator Boingo has announced a new flat-rate plan which lets users tap into more than 100,000 hotspots around the world for $39 a month.

Wireless hotspot operator Boingo has introduced Boingo Global, a new flatrate pricing plan which gives users access to more than 100,000 Wi-Fi hotspots around the world for $39 a month.

“The days of per-minute charges and incremental roaming fees for Wi-Fi Internet access are over,” said Dave Hagan, Boingo’s president and CEO, in a release. “Traveling for business is hard enough without having to watch the clock while you’re trying to be productive.”

The worldwide, flat-rate plan may go a long way towards increasing Boingo’s appeal to U.S. and Canadian users who travel abroad: Boingo has long offered a $22/month flat rate plan within the U.S. and Canada, but international service was often metered, sometimes at unpredictable rates.

Boingo will continue to offer the previous Boingo Unlimited plan, but will supplement it through its own Web site and two airport network operators (France’s Hub Télécom and Norway’s Tele & Data), who will supplement Boingo’s own airport-based service operating under the name Concourse. Boingo will enable signups at additional European locations later this year, including hotspots in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

As the first truly worldwide flat-rate Wi-Fi service, Boingo Global may spur a widespread revision of European Wi-Fi pricing as travelers increasingly sign up for Boingo (at €29/month) rather than paying €20 per day (or more!) for hotel-based Wi-Fi connectivity. Boingo contracts renew automatically every month until cancelled, but carry no cancellation penalty.

Boingo recently expanded its international roaming capability via a partnership with Fon; Fon claims to operate more than 130,000 hotspots in 140 countries.