Free Wi-Fi Access Offered At 20 Million HotspotsFree Wi-Fi Access Offered At 20 Million Hotspots

Consumers with Symbian and Windows Mobile handsets are getting access to additional millions of Wi-Fi access points thanks to an arrangement between WeFi and Fring whereby WeFi is making its worldwide database of Wi-Fi access points available to Fring users.

In an announcement this week, the companies said the agreement makes 20 million open access Wi-Fi points available to Fring users. While access points that are password protected won't operate on the network, WeFi has estimated that 40% of U.S. Wi-Fi access points are open and thus potentially available to users.

"Fring is a natural partner for WeFi, helping to realize the full benefit of mobile Wi-Fi access," WeFi CEO Zur Feldman said in a statement this week. "Our current users and the millions of new users we will reach via Fring will enjoy easy and free access to hotspots without having to manually insert their location and be able to use this free Internet."

Noting that it's adding more than 1 million new users a month, WeFi said the service is particularly appealing to business and pleasure travelers who easily find Wi-Fi connections on their mobile devices. After downloading free software for the application, users can automatically find open Wi-Fi access points.

Fring users can access their existing applications like Skype, Microsoft Messenger, Google Talk, Twitter, Yahoo, and AIM, as well as their favorite social networks.

"WeFi is an exciting new addition to our selection of Fring add-ons because easily locating and accessing hotspots around the world makes our mobile Internet experiences even more compelling for users who prefer Wi-Fi quality and cost benefits," Fring CEO Avi Shechter said.

Users can find Wi-Fi hotspots automatically on their handsets' GPS feature or by manually typing in a nearby Wi-Fi address. The application currently works on hundreds of Symbian and Windows Mobile devices.

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