Microsoft Corp., ATCOM/INFO, and CGX Communications Inc. announced they have
joined to deliver high-speed Internet access service to the hotel industry.
IPORT, developed by ATCOM/INFO, provider of public communications devices,
and Microsoft Consulting Services, will enable business travelers to access
the Internet and corporate intranets at speeds up to 50 times faster than
that provided by standard dial-up modems from their hotel rooms.
The companies announced they will begin commercial trials of the product
with approximately 15 hotels beginning in February. About 3,000 rooms will
have the system installed.
CAIS Internet, a first-tier Internet Service Provider and a unit of CGX
Communications, will serve as co-sponsor of the project and will have the
primary function of working with the hotels to implement IPORT using
existing telephone networks.
CAIS’s OverVoice technology enables
IPORT to integrate with existing infrastructures and provide both phone
service and continuous Internet access simultaneously.
Once the trials are successfully completed, the companies plan on extending
the service to additional hotels, airports, convention centers, and other
public facilities.