Location-based advertising company JiWire and Wi-Fi service provider Advanced Wireless Group (AWG) announced an extension of their partnership to deliver free ad-supported Wi-Fi to major U.S. airports.
The partnership provides advertisers with access to more than 293 million airport travelers, said JiWire and AWG. "This exclusive agreement is a key pillar in JiWire's mobile audience and location data platform that combines both Wi-Fi and mobile media," said the companies.
Though AWG has experience in all three Wi-Fi access models common in airport venues--complimentary, paid and hybrid, which includes both complimentary and paid options--AWG claims consumer demand for complimentary Wi-Fi is growing exponentially in its airport venues. "Our customers are happy to engage with the sponsor for a brief period as an alternative to paying for fast Internet access, which makes this a win-win for all involved," said Scott Phillips, AWG president and CEO.
AWG's customers are typically allowed to connect to an airport Wi-Fi network for 45 minutes after each engagement with an advertiser, with an unlimited number of connections available to them.
"As mobile advertising evolves, solutions need to go beyond the standard ad banner to drive consumer engagement," said David Staas, president of JiWire. "By offering mobile consumers a value exchange, brands can make mobile advertising more effective, which creates a win-win for both consumer and brand."
The companies claim the brand-sponsored Wi-Fi access program delivers an average mobile engagement rate of more than 40 percent, a 60-fold lift in performance over standard mobile banners.
AWG currently operates public Wi-Fi services in 15 U.S. airports, including Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco as well as a mixed use office and mall facility in downtown Boston.
Internet access via public Wi-Fi networks has become widely available and largely free of charge in the United States, where more than 81 percent of all public Wi-Fi hotspots offer free connections as an alternative to paid, according to JiWire's recent Mobile Insights report.
AWG and JiWire said a typical free Wi-Fi network has, on average, more than 10 times the number of users consuming over 20 times the bandwidth than a Wi-Fi network users have to pay to access.
For more:
- see this AWG and JiWire release
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