Angry about wireless at Logan

In a recent Blog Log column, I pointed to John Daley's complaint about the cost of WiFi at Logan Airport. Geoff Kronik of Brookline wrote the following in response:

Mr. Gaffin--my apologies for the length of this message, but I may be able to add to the loganwifi mention I in noted your Globe column recently. I am a frequent business traveler who has been frustrated and enraged by the sorry state of wifi at Logan, have researched it, and have unsuccessfully tried to do something about it.

The wifi situation at Logan has been an irritant to me since it first was installed in 2004. When I first saw it, I immediately emailed their customer service, from my seat in the C terminal, complaining about the cost, asking why could it not be free as it is at some other airports, or at least connected with other services such as T-Mobile. Over time I got back several responses full of jargon and corporate-speak, copies of which I have somewhere. The first one talked about how superior Logan's wifi was to free services, and how it offered much more in terms of content (not true) and "scalability" (whatever that is). It also said the $7.95 was competitive with similar installations at other airports--not really true. The other airports that charge generally are part of a larger network such as T-Mobile or, in fewer cases, Boingo--more about Boingo later--and so the traveler has opportunities to stretch their investment beyond the few minutes they spend in the airport. I also received one message mentioning that post 9/11 catch-all excuse, greater security, which is absurd in this case and is at the heart of the Continental Presidents' Club vs. Loganwifi contretemps. If this were true, then all wireless devices such as cell phones and radios should be banned at Logan as security risks--and what about non-wifi wireless Internet such as Verizon's Mobile Broadband? And in the many other airports that do have other wifi options--do they not have internal wireless networks such as Logan's and would therefore be subject to the same purported security risk?

In another message early on, I complained that the "roaming partners" section of loganwifi was empty, and received a message that within 60 to 90 days these "alliances" would be formed. Of course whether they would carry a charge above the normal subscription fee or not was unknown, although I found a document online in which someone from Massport said they would not. Five months later I emailed loganwifi again, since there were still no roaming options, and was told that the process was taking longer than anticipated due to circumstances unforeseen, etc. Eventually a roaming partner did show up--the aforementioned Boingo, which though it has many hotspots nationwide (7400), they in my opinion are not as convenient to business travelers. Few of the fellow travelers I know use Boingo regularly, while many use the far more convenient T-mobile, which has as many hotspots (7300) but in great locations such as all Starbucks, Borders Bookstores, many Hyatts, United Red Carpet Clubs, Kinkos, and in entire airports such as Dallas and San Francisco. A year-plus later, Boingo is still the only roaming option--useless, for many travelers.

I was so angry about the sorry state of wifi at Logan that I wrote to Massport, the Globe, Boston magazine, everyone I could think of. I also did my own research, and learned that in late 2003 Logan purchased $2 million of Cisco routers, for use as an internal wireless network and intranet, and the loganwifi service was added on to this. The "service provider" of logan wifi is Advanced Wireless Communications, and the initial loganwifi interface had a very local, rinky-dink appearance, (since upgraded) which made me wonder whose nephew or cousin got the contract. Go to the website for Advanced Wireless Group, and their mission statement makes clear what is going on:

The Advanced Wireless Group, LLC (AWG), is a limited liability company formed by Electronic Media Systems, Inc. (EMS) and TWI Interactive, Inc. (an IMG company). By bringing TWIi's experience of supporting corporate brands at large venues together with EMS' leadership in airport communications systems, AWG is optimally poised to market corporate brands to one of the most desired target markets: The Corporate Traveler.

On June 23, 2004, AWG announced the launched the new Wi-Fi system at Boston's Logan International Airport. The system provides wireless Internet access to the over 22 million passengers who use Logan airport every year. Going forward, Massport may extend the Wi-Fi service to encompass all of the Massport property, including, the USS Constitution Marina, the East Boston Waterfront, and the South Boston Complex that includes the Boston World Trade Center.

AWG intends to actively pursue WiFi network deployments in airports and other high traffic commercial venues where the benefits of WiFi network access combined with sponsorship and advertising can be fully realized.

Where is the end user, the traveler, in all this? Nowhere. It's all about "fully realizing" corporate sponsors and advertising revenue. And, no doubt, Massport's desire to have its captive audience, its travelers, pay for $2 million worth of equipment, $7.95 at a time, coupled with whatever "revenue sharing" agreement no doubt exists between "Advanced Wireless" and Massport. And no doubt there is revenue, as the new loganwifi interface is basically one big ad for Comcast and Nokia. So security risk--ridiculous. If I were able to use T-Mobile at United's Red Carpet Club at Logan, as I can in 20-plus other airports nationwide and even internationally, then I wouldn't see those Comcast and Nokia messages. I wouldn't help amortize Logan's investment. And that is the problem. Again, my apologies for the length of this message, but I may have gone further into this issue than most, and your column was the first public mention I've seen of an issue that has bothered me for 18 months.

Geoff Kronik, Brookline