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Not quite the full-fledged full-capacity Wi-Fi of some other airports, but starting by July RDU will have free, ad-supported Wi-Fi available for use. Speeds may be limited during high-traffic times.
For those who need higher speeds, the paid service will remain available with no ads. Seems like a good mix.
Quote from the article:
"Between 10,000 and 20,000 RDU travelers now pay $7.99 for a 24-hour session through RDU’s current wifi provider, AT&T. RDU officials expect the free option will increase the number of users by 10 to 12 percent"
I always found that 24 hour access window odd for an airport but the airlines can surprise you sometimes :-)
Seriously - I bet they underestimate the number of new free users ... by a huge margin.
It's excellent news and long overdue. Attached is a thread on the topic from almost 18 months ago. Charging a 24 hour rate for departing passengers who are generally at the airport for an hour at most before departure was a rip off and about time common sense prevailed.
Kind of sad - we are considered one of the country's "most wired" yet we have still got to pay for airport wifi? With all those ads everywhere you'd think they could make it free.
• Free Wi-Fi. Airport travelers who log on for free will see a 30-second advertising video before they can start checking email and surfing the Web. The free session will end after 45 minutes, but the user will be able to log on again for repeated sessions. Free users will enjoy a minimum bandwidth of 768 kilobits per second.
• Paid Wi-Fi. A 24-hour session will cost $7.95, with no advertising and a minimum bandwidth of 1.5 megabits per second. The payment will be good for a single 24-hour period at RDU and at other Boingo airports. Boingo also offers Wi-Fi subscriptions for $9.95 a month.
Boingo will pay RDU 55 percent of its revenues or a minimum of $150,000 a year for the Wi-Fi concession.
I hate ad supported wi-fi at airports and went to a mobile hotspot. Much faster, great coverage and no bother with ads.
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