Some interesting T-Mobile hotspot numbers to share… No doubt the wireless data access market is on fire. Still waiting for WiMAX though...

T-MOBILE® HOTSPOT ANNOUNCES NETWORK EXPANSION, ROAMING AGREEMENTS AND CUSTOMER GROWTH

BELLEVUE, Wash. – June 13, 2005 –T-Mobile HotSpot, the largest carrier grade, commercial Wi-Fi network in the United States, today announced continued wireless broadband leadership with strong customer growth and usage statistics, and new roaming relationships.

Since the service launch in 2002, T-Mobile HotSpot has evolved to become an expansive wireless broadband network. T-Mobile HotSpot meets the needs of mobile professionals and wireless data hungry consumers, whether they’re on-the-go in the United States or roaming while traveling abroad.

These same customers are accessing the service more frequently, using the service for longer periods of time and are moving more data across the network. Customers typically now spend 64 minutes online per session, up from 45 minutes last year. This growth in time spent online demonstrates that T-Mobile HotSpot’s premium branded locations are where people already go and want to spend their time -- in some cases these locations serve as their office away from the office.

The Wi-Fi generation has embraced T-Mobile HotSpot as a category leader, and that is being further proven as T-Mobile HotSpot today serves more than 450,000 unique customers who have paid for T-Mobile HotSpot service in the past 90 days. This number is in addition to previously reported T-Mobile voice and data customers.

“The T-Mobile HotSpot network allows our customers to stay connected to what matters most to them,” said Joe Sims, vice president and general manager of T-Mobile HotSpot. “We’re pleased to see customers using T-Mobile HotSpot to access rich content. In December 2004, we moved over 10 terabytes of data across the network and that grew to 17.5 terabytes in May 2005 —that’s equal to more than 4.32 billion pages of text lined up from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Chicago, Illinois!”

In addition to customer growth, T-Mobile HotSpot today announced plans to significantly expand its service through new roaming relationships:
Hotels. T-Mobile HotSpot has established a new roaming agreement with iBAHN (formerly STSN), with which T-Mobile HotSpot plans to expand its hotel presence by more than 100,000 rooms across more than 525 hotels. T-Mobile HotSpot customers will be able to use their existing username and password at many Marriott®, Hilton®, Ritz-Carlton®, Doubletree®, and Renaissance® properties.
Airports. T-Mobile HotSpot has also established new roaming agreements that cover 39 airports -- more than doubling its North American airport footprint to a total of 72 airports. Agreements with Concourse Communications Group and Opti-Fi will provide for roaming access in the public areas at major airports including: Chicago O’Hare, JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and a host of regional airports.
International. T-Mobile HotSpot has entered into bi-lateral roaming agreements to allow subscribers roaming access at more than 9,300 new international Wireless Broadband Alliance roaming partner locations. Access in new countries includes: France (Orange France), Switzerland (Swisscom Mobile), Portugal (Portugal Telecom) and the Philippines (ePLDT).

As a result of these roaming agreements, T-Mobile HotSpot plans to provide more than 9,800 new roaming locations which will give subscribers wireless broadband access at more than 25,000 total locations, across 17 countries, throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Customers are now familiar with the T-Mobile HotSpot brand at more than 12,200 locations worldwide—5,700 of which are in the United States. More than 6,500 HotSpot locations in Europe are owned and operated by T-Mobile International’s or Deutsche Telekom’s European subsidiaries.

"When customers see the T-Mobile HotSpot brand, they know they can trust our service to be there when and where they need it," said Joe Sims, vice president and general manager, T-Mobile HotSpot. "Customers depend upon us for a reliable wireless broadband experience, and that is a big reason why T-Mobile HotSpot received almost three million accesses in the US in the last 90 days alone.”