Trustive’s extended WiFi coverage in the UK brings huge benefits to frequent travellers!

Trustive, Europe’s No 1 WiFi Internet access provider, recently announced a significant extension to its UK WiFi coverage thanks to a partnership with BT Openzone, one of the UK’s leading WiFi access providers. The addition of BT Openzone’s 3,600 premium hotspots in the UK and Ireland brings Trustive’s overall UK WiFi hotspot count to 8,000+ premium locations; part of a seamless, global network of 90,000 WiFi hotspots in 65+ countries worldwide!

In the UK, Trustive is proud to operate a network now comprising 22 key UK airports (London Heathrow [LHR], Gatwick[LGW], Luton [LTN] and Stansted [STN], Manchester [MAN],  Glasgow [GLA], Edinburgh [EDI], Aberdeen [ABZ], Southampton [SOU], Sheffield [SZD], Robin Hood [DSA] and John Lennon [LPL] among others), 750+ hotels belonging to major chains such as Hilton, Thistle, Swallow, Ramada Jarvis, Innkeepers Lodge, Express by Holiday  Inn and Radisson SAS, 37 convention centres and 47 key travel hubs (bus & train stations). Trustive’s UK coverage also includes 4500+ bars and restaurants, including popular brands such as Starbucks (500+), Caffe Nero (350+), McDonalds (1100+) and Prêt à manger (130+).

Trustive gives travellers a viable alternative to  slow and expensive 3G roaming services by combining the hotspot locations of more than 70 leading WiFi operators (e.g. BT Openzone, FreeHotspot, Swisscom and Telefonica) into one unified, global network of WiFi hotspots and allowing Trustive customers access to these locations through a single click (single username and password plus a WiFi client that automates the log in process).  Once connected, Trustive customers are then free to make calls (VoIP), use IM services, e-mail, surf, watch videos and TV replays and share multimedia information as much as they want thanks to Trustive’s transparent pricing policy; no download quotas and absolutely no hidden costs!

Trustive customers get access to 3,600 BT Openzone hotspots in the UK & Ireland

Trustive is proud to announce a new roaming agreement with BT Openzone, which provides Trustive customers with WiFi access to BT Openzone’s network of more than 3,600 premium hotspots across the UK and Ireland.

This partnership boosts Trustive’s existing coverage at key UK airports such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted as well as at important travel hubs (Waterloo, Victoria, St James’ Park and Kings Cross stations among others in the capital and elsewhere) and across the major hotel chains (Ramada Jarvis, Holiday Inn, Thistle Hotel, Hilton etc.) that are always popular with frequent travellers.

Trustive, a leading international WiFi hotspot access provider and No 1 in Europe, already gives travellers extensive WiFi coverage by combining the hotspot locations of more than 70 leading WiFi operators into one unified, global network of WiFi hotspots and allowing Trustive customers access to these locations through a single click (single username and password plus a WiFi client that automates the log in process).

BT Openzone provides WiFi access at more than 3,600 UK & Ireland locations, including high street brands such as Starbucks and Caffe Nero coffee stores, Roadchef Costa and Welcome Break service stations, BA, Skylounge and flybe airport lounges, 12 city centres, marinas and campsites.

Christian VanGhelder, managing director of Trustive, commented that “by partnering with BT Openzone, Trustive is able to offer its customer base of frequent travellers even more comprehensive coverage exactly where they need it most: hotels, airports and key travel hubs. Trustive strives to make it as easy as possible for our customers to stay connected whilst on the move and this is therefore a very exciting partnership for Trustive and one which we are sure our customers will quickly see the benefits of.”

Marjorie Leonidas, head of wholesale & international roaming, BT Openzone said: “We’re delighted to welcome Trustive customers to our hotspots and to allow them to work, surf and play on the move.”

EU Mobile Roaming Legislation Upheld

At Trustive we strive to offer a viable alternative to expensive 3G roaming costs and we were therefore delighted on behalf of EU consumers that the EU legislation passed earlier this year to cap roaming costs for users roaming within the EU has been upheld by the European Court of Justice!

http://www.telecoms.com/14963/key-european-legal-advisor-says-roaming-caps-can-stick

Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security though – data roaming costs still remain excessive (1 Euro per MB) and the service impractical thanks to an automatic cut off when you reach the current threshold of 50 Euros. So, make sure you have a low-cost WiFi pass from Trustive before you travel and enjoy a high-speed, high-quality service at over 90,000 WiFi hotspots worldwide.

Trustive’s Top 10 Hotspots for October 2009

Trustive customers must have accrued record numbers of airmiles last month because there are 4 European airports in the top hotspots list this month!

Brussels Airport, Belgium
Radisson SAS Hotel Lucerne, Switzerland
Ibis Hannover City, Hannover, Germany
Etap Hôtel Chatillon, Chatillon, France
Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG3), Paris, France
Grand Hotel de Capoul, Toulouse, France
Hotel Di Stefano, Pisa, Italy
Warsaw Marriot Hotel, Warsaw, Poland
London Gatwick Airport, South Terminal, United Kingdom
London Heathrow Airport, Terminal 1, United Kingdom

Don’t hesitate to share your feedback about your own WiFi hotspot experiences with us here or by e-mail (support@trustive.com) and of course, watch this space to see which hotspots will make it into the top 10 next month!

The price of data roaming hits the headlines once again!

Yesterday’s article from the BBC’s Zoe Kleinman touches on an all too familiar subject – the exorbitant cost of 3G data roaming services. Even by bringing fair use policies into play and penalising high capacity users by restricting their bandwidth, mobile operators are still struggling to cope with the ever increasing demand for data roaming services. The result of this is an expensive service, which is slow and of an unacceptably low quality. If users dare connect whilst they’re travelling, then they should also be prepared to face expensive invoices full of complicated roaming surcharges upon their return home.

There is an alternative however – WiFi. WiFi is quicker and the quality of the connection and service is incomparable to that of 3G. WiFi is also much cheaper, costing from 0.2 Euro cents per minute (subscription accounts) or 0.08 Euro cents per minute (prepaid accounts) with Trustive. With no download quotas or hidden charges, Trustive’s transparent pricing policy also means that customers are free to surf, share multi-media files, watch videos, e-mail (etc.) as much as they want.

Poor coverage is the disadvantage most users’ associate with WiFi, but significant investment in network partnerships means that Trustive, a leading international WiFi hotspot access provider and number 1 in Europe, now aggregates 90,000 WiFi hotspots (belonging to over 70 different hotspot operators) into a seamless, unified WiFi network and allows customers access to these WiFi locations through a single click (single username and password plus a WiFi client that automates the log in process).

A low-cost, high quality service that’s easy to use. What could be simpler?

Cubic Telecom partners with Trustive to offer users global WiFi connectivity

Trustive and Cubic Telecom have forged a partnership in order to offer Cubic Telecom’s travelling customers even greater flexibility by adding Trustive’s comprehensive, international WiFi access to their connectivity services.

Cubic is one of the world’s first and largest suppliers of Travel SIMs, which abolish high roaming fees that are usually charged by incumbent Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).  The company offers a 100% white label platform where MVNO’s can customize everything as their own, including having their own branding of SIMs and web portal, plus customized audio prompts and short-codes. MVNO’s can set up multiple sub-distributors, each with their own discrete pricing, and customization.

Trustive, a leading international WiFi hotspot access provider and No 1 in Europe, gives travellers extensive WiFi coverage by combining the hotspot locations of more than 70 leading WiFi operators into one unified, global network of 90,000 WiFi hotspots in 65+ countries and allowing Trustive customers access to these locations through a single click (single username and password plus a WiFi client that detects Trustive hotspots and automates the log in process).

Trustive & Cubic Telecom’s goals are aligned: to offer viable alternatives to traditional, expensive 3G roaming packages and make their respective, low-cost services as easily accessible as possible for business and leisure travellers alike. Through this partnership, Cubic Telecom can now benefit from the advantages of Trustive’s global WiFi network in order to offer their customers extensive data communications coverage and cost-effective voice communications whilst they are on the move.

Which hotspots are in the top spot?

Based on actual customer sessions, Trustive’s top 5 WiFi hotspots for the month of September are:

Euro Inn Die Herberge in Lahr, Germany
Etap Hôtel Chatillon in Chatillon France
McDonald’s Asda Hulme restaurant in Manchester, United Kingdom
Brussels Airport, Belgium
Hotel Metropolitan in Bologna, Italy

The above clearly demonstrates Trustive’s strong European presence, but with the recent addition of 2000+ WiFi hotspots in China, thanks to a partnership with China Telecom, will next month’s top 5 include some more exotic locations? Watch this space to find out ….

WeFi joins forces with Trustive to offer users premium expansion of WiFi network in Europe

Delaware, USA, September 15th 2009:  WeFi Inc., creator of the first open, community-based global Wi-Fi network, and Trustive Ltd., a leading international Wi-Fi hotspot provider and No 1 in Europe, announced today that they have signed an agreement of cooperation in order to give WeFi users access to Trustive’s global network of 90,000 Wi-Fi hotspots . According to the agreement, Trustive’s Wi-Fi hotspot network will be available to users of WeFi’s software as part of a premium service entitled “WeFi Premium Access – Powered By Trustive”, which will be launched before the end of this year.  Trustive’s hotspots – spread across 65 countries with the main concentration being in Europe and Asia – will be highly beneficial to WeFi users, especially in places where free Wi-Fi access is unavailable.

Users of WeFi’s award-winning software, who are already automatically connected to the best free and open hotspots whenever and wherever possible, can now have access to an even wider database of premium hotspots around the world.  The WeFi software dramatically enhances the wireless network user experience with mobile and portable devices. It provides a high performance, open and global broadband wireless network by combining a community-generated database, a smart connection manager and a dynamic access point/hotspot directory.  WeFi always seeks to connect users to Wi-Fi access points where the Internet access has already been verified by other WeFi-enabled devices – dubbed “community-verified spots” – and has a growing network of over 32 million “verified” access points.

“WeFi is constantly looking for new ways to increase Wi-Fi availability for everyone,” said Zur Feldman, Chairman and CEO of WeFi.  “Adding Trustive’s global network of 90,000 premium hotspot locations expands our rapidly growing network of worldwide Wi-Fi access points, and enables our users to find and utilise the nearest Wi-Fi connection wherever they are. This will be the most comprehensive Wi-Fi offering available on the market to date.”

Christian VanGhelder, Managing Director of Trustive, added, “Trustive is thrilled to be extending the outreach of our leading Wi-Fi service to the millions of WeFi users. Trustive understands the need to stay connected when travelling and more importantly to use WiFi access wherever possible because it is far cheaper, faster and easier than 3G; and  WeFi users will now be able to benefit from Trustive’s extensive international coverage to do just that.”

Trustive now welcomes payments in US dollars and British pounds!

Today, Trustive launches a multi-currency payment system for all new customers wishing to purchase or top up a Trustive WiFi pass. Trustive, a leading international WiFi access provider and No 1 in Europe, has focussed primarily on its central European customer base until now. However with it’s recent expansion into Asia (the addition of 2,000 China Telecom hotspots, including Beijing Capital and Shanghai Pudong International Airport, was announced only last week) and concrete plans for further, significant coverage expansions in Asia and further afield, over the next few months, Trustive has chosen to reinforce its new position as a leading international WiFi access provider by providing more tailored services to those international customers who need them.

Hence, the development and launch this week of a multi-currency payment system. New customers are invited to select their preferred currency (USD, GBP or EUR) from the drop-down list at the top of Trustive’s “Buy you WiFi pass’ page. The rest of the sign up process remains unchanged, but Trustive hopes that adding little details such as this new multi-currency feature will make their service even more accessible and easy to use.

IAPA teams up with Trustive to bring their members some exclusive deals on international WiFi access!

Trustive, a leading international WiFi hotspot access provider and No 1 in Europe, and IAPA (International Airline Passengers Association) have signed a key partnership agreement to enable all 400,000 IAPA members to benefit from Trustive’s global, one-click WiFi access service.

Trustive understands the need to stay connected when travelling and more importantly to use WiFi access wherever possible because it is far cheaper, faster and easier than 3G. Trustive already gives travellers extensive WiFi coverage by combining the WiFi hotspot locations of more than 70 leading WiFi operators into one unified, global network of WiFi hotspots (covering 65+ countries) and allowing Trustive customers access to these locations through a single click (single username and password plus a WiFi client that automates the log in process). Under this new partnership agreement, IAPA members will all now have access to this seamless service using Trustive’s WiFi client software, which is being rebranded specifically for IAPA.

IAPA members will also benefit from exclusive discounts on the standard price of Trustive’s WiFi access passes, making Trustive’s already low-cost service even greater value for money. IAPA members will be able to choose between a variety of WiFi access packages, including both pre-paid and monthly subscriptions which are designed to offer an affordable and flexible WiFi access service for both occasional and frequent travellers alike.

Jonathan French, IAPA’s Head of Brand said: “WiFi has become an essential tool for travellers today and it was therefore only natural for IAPA to partner up with one of the world’s leading WiFi internet access providers in order to guarantee a reliable and affordable, international WiFi access service for our membership.”

Caroline Berry, Trustive’s Sales & Marketing Director commented that “Trustive prides itself on delivering high-speed but low-cost WiFi access in 65+ countries around the world and with the special discounted rates that have been negotiated exclusively for IAPA members, we are sure that many IAPA members will be reaping the benefits of this seamless and affordable service in the very near future”