|
Newsletters
|
|
|
|
|
|
WirelessDevNet.com Press Release
Air-Q Wi-Fi Targets National Restaurant Franchise Partners to Model Success of Wi-Fi Partnership
BATON ROUGE, La.--Feb. 6, 2004--David Loflin, CEO of Air-Q Wi-Fi Corporation (OTCBB:AQWF), announced today that the company is focused on securing Wi-Fi hotspot location development agreements with nationwide brand restaurant chains similar to the T-Mobile Starbucks alliance. The Air-Q development agreement enables its restaurant location partners to derive new revenue streams and enhance their customers' experiences. Mr. Loflin commented that Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz mentioned the coffee retailer's in-store Wi-Fi access in reporting a sharp 27% sales increase in revenue for June over the same month in 2002. This focus is an expansion on the company's recent announcement regarding a 1000-location hot-spot agreement as well as the airing of a commercial featuring Air-Q on CNBC, which also is attracting new location partners and shareholders.
Air-Q reached an agreement in principle with MyMart, Inc., a privately held, San Marcos, CA-based Internet access firm, to install Wi-Fi hot spots in 1,000 locations of a nationally known chain of postal centers. MyMart currently provides wire-line Internet access in kiosks in each of the target postal center locations. Air-Q is growing in a market that has attracted attention from a wide range of companies and industries including Nextel, Motorola, Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft. Starbucks also is starting to get plenty of company in the public Wi-Fi hot spot market. In addition to T-Mobile's Wi-Fi retail partners, Kinkos copy shops and Borders book stores, partnerships between other retailers and network operators are on the upswing. Corporate initiatives dictate Courtyard by Marriotts must provide high-speed Internet within the year worldwide.
Starbucks Chairman and CEO Howard Schultz mentioned the coffee retailer's in-store Wi-Fi access, among other factors, in reporting a sharp sales increase for last June. While Schultz said the wireless Internet access (http://www.starbucks.com/retail/wireless.asp), offered in partnership with T-Mobile, contributed to a 27% increase in revenue for June over the same month in 2002, he didn't give any information about specific Wi-Fi sales. While Wi-Fi sales results haven't been available, the average Starbucks Wi-Fi user spends about 45 minutes per session using the hot spot access, "much longer than our average coffee customer spends in the store."
Starbucks also is working on developing new applications and promotions to package with its Wi-Fi access. According to one official, "We do believe that continuing to innovate our basic concept is crucial to our growth."
About Air-Q Wi-Fi Corporation
Air-Q Wi-Fi Corporation is a development-stage company that develops and operates wireless Internet access systems. Its first Wi-Fi Internet access system is located in Baton Rouge, LA, and its second Wi-Fi system is located in Phoenix, AZ. Air-Q's "Wi-Fi" (hotspot) Internet access system operates on a platform composed of Wi-Fi standard equipment that has been configured in a proprietary manner. The term "Wi-Fi" (wireless fidelity) refers to an industry standard for wireless equipment that meets published 802.11(x) standards. Wi-Fi equipment operates in unlicensed spectra, such as 2.4 and 5.8 Ghz. Air-Q's business plan focuses on the marketing of its wireless Internet access services to businesses and residential customers, as well as to visitors to its markets with Wi-Fi compatible laptop computers and other wireless devices
|
|
|
