Boingo bounces onto wifi handsets

Wifi hotspot operator Boingo Wireless has revised its tariffs and introduced a cheaper price plan for those who just want wifi on their phones.

Boingo Mobile allows user of selected Nokia devices to automatically connect to Boingo’s network worldwide for $7.95/Eur5.95/£3.95 per month.

The application works with selected Nokia S60-based smartphones and its Linux-based internet tablets, such as the N95, N80, N800 and N810, and automatically authenticates users with their Boingo account.

“Millions of Nokia customers worldwide can use Boingo Mobile to effortlessly connect to Boingo’s hotspot network, allowing them to enjoy bandwidth-intensive applications at blazing-fast speeds,” said Dave Hagan, Boingo president and CEO. “Boingo Mobile simplifies the connection process and eliminates the cumbersome task of navigating public wifi walled gardens.”

But eagle eyed analyst, Dean Bubley of Disruptive Analysis, noted that the same Boingo tariff for a laptop user will take $39 per month out of the wallet.

“Presumably they’re assuming that PC users either (a) have more money or (b) use more data,” he said.

Nigel Rundstrom, vice president of Nokia Multimedia also made an interesting comment in the Boingo statement, asserting the company’s move into the applications space. “This agreement reinforces Nokia’s commitment to become an internet driven experiences company – offering not only great devices but also exciting services around them.” We wonder how that will go down with the operator community.