Shaw to trial WiFi hotSpot

Shaw Communications Inc. is launching a new trial WiFi hotspot for its broadband customers. The new “HotSpot 2.0” will allow the company’s broadband customers to switch between wireless and WiFi networks without having to go through multiple authentication processes, Shaw announced Thursday. “With HotSpot 2.0 Shaw's broadband Wi-Fi-enabled customers will automatically connect and authenticate to the best Wi-Fi network without having to manage complex configuration settings on their devices,” the company said in a release. The service will utilize data encryption services to ensure security of data, the company said. The trial will be available to Shaw customers “in several Shaw locations,” the company said, without offering any further details. It did not specify when the trial will begin, but indicated the results will be presented at the 2012 Mobile World Congress scheduled for Feb. 27 to Mar. 1 in Barcelona, Spain. Shaw announced in September that it had abandoned prior plans to build a mobile network, opting for a cheaper WiFi network instead. Cisco Systems Inc., the company’s technology partner for the network, confirmed that the network will initially target shopping malls, sports arenas and transit systems in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. "This is another important step in the development of our Wi-Fi strategy,” Peter Bissonnette, Shaw’s president, said in Thursday’s release. “HotSpot 2.0 brings together a common set of standards that deliver a 4G-like end-user experience to Wi-Fi authentication, security, and roaming and is further confirmation of the significance of Wi-Fi in the broadband wireless ecosystem."

Shaw to trial WiFi hotSpot

Briefs | 10/28/2011 8:51 pm EDT

To keep reading, get a free trial.

Already a Subscriber?

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us