Google brings free Wi-Fi to laptops and Android with 4,000 new hotspots

Earlier this year, Google (GOOG) partnered with Boingo Wireless(WIFI) to bring a number of free Wi-Fi hotspots to New York City. The program, which was sponsored by Google Offers, quickly expanded to eight different malls across the country. Boingo on Tuesday announced that it will bring an additional 4,000 Google-sponsored hotspots to dozens of cities nationwide. This latest campaign is sponsored by Google Play, however unlike the previous program, it is only available to users of Android devices and Windows and Mac OS X laptops.

“Google Play is the first to take part in our newly expanded Wi-Fi sponsorship network, which reaches millions of consumers each month with place-based brand engagements,” said Dawn Callahan, VP of consumer marketing for Boingo. “Sponsorships like this give users the free Wi-Fi they crave, advertisers the consumer interaction they need, and venues the revenue to offset the costs associated with providing a high-bandwidth Wi-Fi experience.”

Boingo’s press release follows below.

Boingo Wireless Inc : Free Boingo Wi-Fi at Locations Across the Country Sponsored by Google Play
Sponsored Wi-Fi Available Starting This Week at More Than 4,000 Hotspots

Boingo Wireless (NASDAQ:WIFI), the Wi-Fi industry’s leading provider of software and services worldwide, announced today that millions of people will have access to free Wi-Fi at more than 4,000 hotspots thanks to Google Play. The Wi-Fi hotspots are part of Boingo’s Cloud Nine Media platform, a global advertising network that enables brand advertisers to reach a captive audience through Wi-Fi sponsorships.

Starting this week, Wi-Fi users with Android phones and tablets, as well as Windows and Macintosh laptops, will be offered complimentary Wi-Fi at thousands of high-traffic locations in dozens of cities nationwide, courtesy of cloud-based digital entertainment destination, Google Play.

Sponsored Wi-Fi locations include 15 airports, such as New York’s John F. Kennedy, Chicago O’Hare and Seattle-Tacoma, Boingo-enabled Manhattan subway stations, and thousands of hotels, shopping malls, cafés and recreational areas.

Consumers taking advantage of the free Boingo Wi-Fi sponsored by Google Play can get free content, check out the latest releases and stay entertained with instant access to their favorite music, movies, books, apps and more.

“Google Play is the first to take part in our newly expanded Wi-Fi sponsorship network, which reaches millions of consumers each month with place-based brand engagements,” said Dawn Callahan, vice president of consumer marketing for Boingo Wireless. “Sponsorships like this give users the free Wi-Fi they crave, advertisers the consumer interaction they need, and venues the revenue to offset the costs associated with providing a high-bandwidth Wi-Fi experience.”

The free Boingo Wi-Fi lasts through the end of September. With the recent acquisition of Cloud Nine Media, Boingo Wireless now offers brands a global advertising network that includes more than 70 leading airports, the New York City subway, shopping centers, stadiums and thousands of hotels, restaurants and recreational areas, reaching more than 1.5 billion people annually.

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