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Advertising System to Aid Free On-Board WiFi ...
(02 Feb 2010, BWCS Staff)Mobile WiFi service provider Icomera has launched a new service to bring advertising to WiFi hotspots on trains and buses. The new system will, the company claims, allow the hotspot owners to generate revenues by offering targeted messaging to their customers. The new service, MoovManage Ads, enables operators to create and manage advertising campaigns and track their success.
In a statement, Icomera said that the advertisements will be presented to hotspot users during their online sessions. The Swedish-British company argues that its service provides a way for hotspot operators to increase usage by switching from paid to free WiFi services, while retaining a way to generate income via targeted advertising. Figures from In-Stat, quoted by Icomera, show that the estimated number of hotspots around the world reached 1.2 billion last year, an increase of 47% on 2008.
According to Dave Palmer, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Icomera "Transport operators want to attract more people to use train and bus services, and offering free WiFi during a journey is compelling proposition. Without revenue from paying users, operators are seeking alternative ways of underwriting the cost of deploying WiFi on-board, which is a more expensive process than installing free Internet in a coffee shop. MoovManage Ads provides a highly effective way of introducing advertising to the hotspot, whether offering discounts on season tickets or messages from third party sponsors."
With the proliferation of WiFi enabled portable devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry phones and netbooks, Icomera argues that free on-board WiFi is rapidly becoming expected by rail, bus and coach passengers, especially on commuter routes and inter-city transport services.
Train operators from around the world will be discussing how to benefit from trackside wireless communications networks at this year's Train Communications Systems Conference hosted by BWCS in June in central London. For further information please contact Ross Parsons ([email protected] ).
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