Boingo Wireless and Google Play are dramatically escalating their existing free Wi-Fi partnership with the expansion of Google Play's sponsorship to 4,000 hotspots in dozens of U.S. cities. The Wi-Fi hotspots are part of Boingo's Cloud Nine Media global advertising network. Starting this week and lasting through the end of September, Wi-Fi users with Android phones and tablets as well as Windows and Macintosh laptops will be offered gratis Wi-Fi in high-traffic locations thanks to an ad sponsorship from Google Play. Apple iPhone users are out of luck when it comes to getting the free service.
"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." For more on the partnership, see this release.