Innove Communications’ GlobeQUEST has announced it is expanding its Wireless Internet Zone (WiZ) service across the Philippines and abroad through domestic and international roaming partnerships.
With the roaming agreements, the company can now provide a wider Wi-Fi access service to prepaid, postpaid and “wiz on” subscribers whether they’re in the country or traveling overseas. The “wiz on” service allows Globe HandyPhone postpaid subscribers to download a username and password by texting a message request. The service will then be billed to the subscriber’s account.
For domestic roaming, the company has tie-ups with Globe HandyPhone, World Pass, and Pacific Internet. On the other hand, the company has agreements with iPass, Boingo Wireless Inc. and Deutsche Telecom for global roaming.
“Innove’s vision is to bring the Filipinos to the broadband age. To support this, GlobeQUEST provides broadband facilities like Wi-Fi to major key establishments where people converge for business, as well as promote Wi-Fi as a strategic tool for education, local government projects, product advertisements, and foreign ventures, among others,” said Jesus C. Romero, GlobeQUEST head.
With the beachfront area of Boracay as its initial market for WiZ, GlobeQUEST aims to increase wireless Internet connectivity and mobility for business travelers.
“We don’t just put up a WiZ hotspot anywhere. We make sure that all our hotspots are in strategic areas, in a sense that they must be establishments where businessmen and transient Internet users normally converge such as airports, coffee shops, convention centers, golf clubs, resorts and restaurants. We want to be where it matters to our customers,” Romero said. Hotspots
GlobeQUEST WiZ is currently competing with Airborne to provide all Starbucks shops with in-store Wi-Fi hotspots. It is already in 32 out of Starbucks’ 92 shops and has recently reached an agreement with Starbucks to expand its coverage.
Beyond Manila, WiZ hotspots are now in 13 provinces in the country, namely Cebu, Davao, Bohol, Bacolod, Tacloban, Pampanga, General Santos, Baguio, Olongapo, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, and Ormoc.
Abroad, iPass is available in 160 countries and DT has coverage in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and North and South America. GlobeQUEST acts as an aggregator that charges the user when a WiZ subscriber uses iPass, Boingo, and DT services or hotspots in the countries where they are available.
With the local and international roaming agreements, GlobeQUEST now has more than 80,000 hotspots worldwide.