Denver International Airport (DIA) is now offering free WiFi Internet access through its partnership with FreeFi Networks.

 

FreeFi Networks has also partnered with Disney-ABC Domestic Television to provide popular video on demand rentals as they become available from The Walt Disney Studios. These include new and classic titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone (News - Alert) Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films.

 

Through the new service at DIA, customers can now rent Disney hits such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," Disney-Pixar's "Ratatouille" and Hollywood Pictures' "The Invisible".

 

Denver International Airport has been able to eliminate a $7.95 daily charge for Internet access by switching to FreeFi Networks. DIA has now become the largest airport in North America that offers free wireless Internet access terminal wide. While the previous paid Wi-Fi service at DIA averaged about 600 daily connections, the new service is currently averaging between 4,000 and 5,000 daily connections to DIA travelers.

 

Jim Winston, director of Telecommunications at DIA said in a statement that the usage increased by a factor of 10 times during the first four weeks this service was available. He indicated that their motivation for moving to the FreeFi Networks approach is to deliver a high quality Internet experience to their airport customers, as they continue to provide necessary revenue to the city to satisfy the bondholders that financed the building.

 

A frequent business traveler, Dan Cohen, executive vice president of pay television and interactive media for Disney-ABC Domestic Television is excited at the ability to quickly download and rent a movie on his laptop before he gets on the plane.

 

He said that their partnership with FreeFi Networks also allows them to tap into a previously untouched video on demand distribution channel.

 

Richard Bogen, managing director of FreeFi Networks explained that in just minutes, they can deliver DVD-quality video on demand, downloaded directly into the user's laptop. Several other U.S. airports have expressed interest in FreeFi Networks’ service and they expect to make several announcements in the first half of 2008 regarding new airport locations.

 

Users who log on to the network will be able to view a brief series of advertisements and banner ads while they surf the Web.

 

According to Lawrence Laffer, director of Sales and Marketing for the company, travelers have come to expect Wi-Fi access in places like airports and hotels.

 

There are now several new Wi-Fi enabled devices on the market and Laffer believes demand will only increase for network access.

 

“Clearly, free access is preferred by the traveling public,” he added.