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of Broadband Wireless Service - Wireless User Take Rates Now Match Wired in Hospitality Setting |
Atlanta, GA � April 5,
2004 -- StayOnline, the leader in 100% property coverage wireless High
Speed Internet access solutions for the hospitality industry, reports that
usage rates at its customer properties nationwide jumped 400% from January
to December of 2003, and continue to show exponential growth during the
first quarter of 2004.
�We attribute this phenomenal growth to a number of factors,� said Antonio DiMilia, President and CEO of StayOnline. �In 2003 we more than doubled our number of installed hotels. There has also been a nationwide boom in wireless, and a hospitality industry shift to making Internet services free to guests.� StayOnline�s usage statistics for unique users increased four-fold during 2003, with the number of installed properties doubling. Each month, StayOnline�s customer hotel cumulative usage totals rose steadily, with the biggest jumps occurring from April to May and from October to November. Total unique users logging on to the Internet from StayOnline�s HSIA network at its 200+ installed hotels as of the first quarter of 2004 exceeded 200,000. There�s no question that the needle on 802.11 wireless technology has moved way forward, as millions of consumers have come to expect a wireless connection wherever they go. The anticipated convergence of cellular with other technologies has happened; it�s no longer on its way, it is here. Meaning consumers can access their PDAs, cellular phones and laptops, anytime, anywhere. Usage rates at StayOnline�s wireless properties have equaled the rates at competing wired properties. While the adoption of wireless cards and imbedded chipsets has definitely helped these rates, the StayOnline EZAirsm wireless Ethernet Bridge has enabled thousands without their own 802.11 equipment to experience the freedom of wireless. �By 2007, Wi-Fi will become the dominant technology for road warriors who wish to access the Internet or check email�, said John Yunker, analyst for Pyramid Research and author of the report, The New Wireless Road Warrior. �The hotel service providers market is booming. Regardless of what Wi-Fi business model evolves, those providers installing Wi-Fi into hotels are enjoying a lucrative market, set to triple in size over the next four years.� There�s sweet irony in all this for StayOnline, the original all-wireless HSIA supplier for the hospitality industry. Formed in 1999 specifically to supply what its founders recognized as a coming boom, StayOnline has experienced tremendous growth as business travelers and consumers have caught onto the ease, speed and security of wireless. The company has also prioritized establishing partnerships and seeking vendor verification status with key players in the wireless industry, such as Boingo, iPass, and Intel. �High speed access has grown from an amenity to a core requirement, and in doing so, has become a key factor in customer relationships,� said Al Zaccario, Director of IT for New Castle Hotels. �Meetings are now judged on how successful and convenient the Internet access was, and whether a VPN connection made it �just like being in the office.� Eventually, when most of the properties have deployed high speed access, the market differentiation will ultimately be in how reliable and easy to use the service is for the guest.� �It will be a matter of engineering,� adds DiMilia. �Our RF engineers go beyond the standard �hook up,� designing systems that fit the unique needs of every property while providing the security and ease of use both hotel and hotel guest require. And we�re prepared to continue advancing our products to meet the changes of both technology and marketplace.� About
StayOnline, Inc.
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StayOnline
Sharon Kraun
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