I'm saving about $60 an hour in phone charges, and getting 19.2 kbps
dialup instead of 12.8 kbps over int'l phone lines. It's incredibly
cool. The service I use, BTW, is Ipass's competitor, GRIC
<http://www.gric.com>.
- dan
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ron Resnick [SMTP:rresnick@dialogosweb.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 16, 1998 1:41 PM
> To: fork
> Subject: Interlog joining iPass alliance
>
> COME ON people - the reason I came back is to get my lonely
> inbox dutifully flooded again. Where is all that loudness anyway??
>
> My local Toronto ISP, Interlog, which I loyally stick with
> long after I no longer live anywhere near Toronto,
> as much from sentimental reasons as to prevent broken
> links to my useless webpage, has just told me:
>
> > 3) GLOBAL ROAMING COMING SOON
> >Interlog will be joining the IPass alliance. This will provide all
> >Interlog subscribers with low cost access to world-wide global
> roaming.
> >Thus, when traveling you will have access to the Internet via a local
> >number. Local access will be available in the U.S., Canada, Europe
> and
> >Asia. Further details will be announced shortly.
>
> So of course I check out www.ipass.com.
>
> |Get Local-Call Access From Wherever You Are!
> |We have great news for telecommuters, domestic and international
> |travelers! There is a cost-effective and simple way to access the
> |Internet with a local call from wherever you are in the world.
>
> Oh, you want some details? Sure....
>
> |How iPass Works
> |
> |Your ISP or company will provide you with the iPass Dial Wizard to
> |install on your laptop. This is a simple client software tool that
> |contains an international phone book of iPass access numbers.
> |
> |Anywhere you travel, point and click with the iPass Dial Wizard to
> |connect to a local Internet access number. Log in with the same user
> |ID and password that you usually use, but include your domain name
> |after your user ID (e.g. yourname@domain).
> |
> |When you dial into any of the worldwide iPass access numbers, you
> |are actually still logging into your ISP or corporate account, even
> |though you are dialing in through a different Internet service
> provider.
> |iPass provides the service that enables this to happen. Once
> |connected, you use your regular web browser or e-mail program.
> |
> |Technically Speaking
> |The events that occur when you dial into an access point and get
> |connected to your home Internet account are transparent to you and
> |happen instantly. However, if you were able to watch the entire
> |process in slow motion, this is what you would see:
> |
> |You log into a local iPass access point (remote ISP).
> |The remote ISP recognizes that your login attempt is not from
> |one of its own subscribers.
> |The remote ISP's server encrypts your user name and password
> |and passes it securely to an iPass server.
> |The iPass server forwards the encrypted authentication
> |information to your company's authentication server or your
> |home ISP's server.
> |Your home ISP or company server returns a yes or no to allow
> |or disallow your connection.
> |After receiving authorization, the remote ISP connects you.
> |At the end of your session, the remote ISP passes information
> |regarding the length of your session to the iPass server.
> |iPass pays the remote ISP for the time you used its service.
> |iPass bills your organization or ISP for your use of the service.
> |If you used this service directly through an ISP, the ISP bills
> |you for the use of the service.
>
> Hey, well that's pretty neat. Not only could it solve a real
> logistical
> hassle for me (i.e. getting reliable connectivity in bizarre places
> like Recife Brazil and Haifa Israel), but it looks a bit like our
> world of the future. Y'know, lots of little guys ganging up to do what
> the
> big guys can do? As in lots of little local ISPs brokering services
> for each other, so you're not forced into the monolith hands
> of AT&T or MSN or AOL, if you're a world traveller.
>
> They're also doing Internet telephony as a little-guy-partnership.
> Oooh, overtones of munchkins, perhaps?
> http://www.ipass.com/services/telephony.html
>
> |iPass Joins Forces with ITXC
> |
> |ITXC (Internet Telephony eXchange Carrier) offers the
> |communications industry wholesale access to and settlement of
>
> settlement? they said settlement. Sounds like ching-ching to me.
>
> | Internet Protocol (IP)-based telephone calls.
>
>
> Looking forward to more details from Interlog on this one.
>
> Ron.