Cricket Deploys Devicescape for Wi-Fi Offload and Capacity Reach

Cricket Communications, a nationwide no-contract wireless provider, has deployed Devicescape's Curator Service to provide offload services and capacity-reach via its Curated Virtual Network (CVN) of over 16 million high-quality Wi-Fi hotspots and intelligent connection software.  Devicescape's Curator Client, working together with the cloud-based Curator Service Platform, identifies the best available connection and proactively connects, including auto-navigation of click through portals.

Devicescape said its Curator Service will allow Cricket customers to gain simple and immediate access to Devicescape's CVN of public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are continuously tested in real-time to ensure they meet Cricket's requirements for a quality experience.

"Cricket is demonstrating their continued commitment to innovation and enhancement of the user experience," said Dave Fraser, CEO of Devicescape. "By extending Cricket's network though using our massive CVN, Cricket will realize many benefits, including increased customer satisfaction."

In addition, Devicescape announced a strategic partnership with the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA), which represents more than 100 carrier members across the United States. The partnership will allow CCA carrier members access to Curated Wi-Fi offload and an "always best connected" user experience.

Devicescape recognizes curated amenity Wi-Fi as a core strategy that helps carriers balance cost and network capacity. Instead of deploying a proprietary network of Wi-Fi access points, carriers can magnify their capacity-reach by leveraging the tens of millions of high-quality hotspots already established by venue owners and open for public use. The company's Curator Service grants carriers access to over 16 million global public Wi-Fi hotspots that are continuously curated for quality from more than 250 million hotspots worldwide, making it the world's largest network of quality-controlled Wi-Fi.

http://www.devicescape.com/

• Earlier this year, Devicescape introduced a "Personal Curator" solution that uses the company's intelligent network selection software to simplify initial connectivity to home Wi-Fi and maintain efficient connectivity on an ongoing basis.  The solution is aimed at smartphone users that have either never connected to the home Wi-Fi network or have inadvertently opted out by turning off their Wi-Fi radio.  The company estimates that 30% of smartphone users are not using their home Wi-Fi.  The Personal Curator has the ability to switch the Wi-Fi radio on and off based on parameters set by the mobile operator around network conditions and usage behavior to ensure the best Quality of Experience (QoE) and conserve battery life. In addition, the software provides operators an in-depth trend analysis of subscriber usage, including cellular, private and public Wi-Fi data consumption.

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C Spire Picks Devicescape for Wi-Fi Hotspot Connection Service

C Spire Wireless has selected Devicescape's Curator Service to help its mobile customers to better manage data usage and ensure superior connectivity.

The Devicescape Curator Service allows users to gain automatic access to the company's growing Curated Virtual Network (CVN) of over 12 million high-quality, public Wi-Fi hotspots, which are continuously QoE tested in real-time to ensure they meet C Spire's requirements for a carrier-grade quality experience. Devicescape's Curator Client, working together with the Curator Service Platform in the cloud, identifies the best available connection at any given time and connects to it, resulting in simplified connectivity and increased overall Wi-Fi usage.

C Spire customers can download the free WiFi On app from the Google Play store on any Android-powered smartphone with the 2.2 (Froyo) or later mobile operating system. The app also will come preloaded on new C Spire Android-powered smartphones, including two that will be arriving soon on the company’s 4G LTE network - the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One.  The app prompts users to add their own home Wi-Fi networks, automatically connects to public hotspots when available and saves battery power on smartphones and tablets by turning the device’s Wi-Fi radio signal off when it isn’t available or strong enough to provide a quality experience.

C Spire Wireless offers a suite of personalized wireless services and premier mobile communications devices to nearly one million subscribers. The carrier is based in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

"Our priority is to deliver a personalized, high quality wireless experience to our customers and offer services that anticipate their needs," said Kevin Hankins, chief operating officer for C Spire Wireless. "As customers use their devices for more services and applications that require data, implementing Devicescape's service will help them better manage data while improving the quality and speed of their total data experience. We've been an industry leader for over two decades by introducing new services that help customers get the most value and benefit from their wireless plan. Selecting Devicescape's service will allow us to continue that trend."

http://www.devicescape.com
http://www.cspire.com

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Devicescape: 30% of Smartphone Users Not on Home Wi-Fi

The number of device connections to amenity Wi-Fi hotspots via Devicescape's Curated Virtual Network (CVN) has grown by 50 percent in the last year.

Devicescape said it now manages 1.5 billion monthly consumer Wi-Fi connections via client applications provided by mobile operators and device manufacturers. Devicescape's CVN now numbers more than 12 million individual hotspots and is expected to reach 100 million by the end of 2017.

"The fundamental logic of Devicescape's Curated Virtual Network has been established for mobile operators, device manufacturers, hotspot owners and consumers," said the company's CEO, Dave Fraser. "And the logic applies whether the motivation is to ease cellular network congestion, maintain viable margins or to provide best-in-class quality of experience. Seamless access to an actively and intelligently-curated network of amenity Wi-Fi hotspots puts the consumer in touch with capacity when it's most needed."

Some additional developments:

• Devicescape is introducing a "Personal Curator" solution that uses the company's intelligent network selection software to simplify initial connectivity to home Wi-Fi and maintain efficient connectivity on an ongoing basis.  The solution is aimed at smartphone users that have either never connected to the home Wi-Fi network or have inadvertently opted out by turning off their Wi-Fi radio.  The company estimates that 30% of smartphone users are not using their home Wi-Fi.
  
• The Personal Curator has the ability to switch the Wi-Fi radio on and off based on parameters set by the mobile operator around network conditions and usage behavior to ensure the best Quality of Experience (QoE) and conserve battery life. In addition, the software provides operators an in-depth trend analysis of subscriber usage, including cellular, private and public Wi-Fi data consumption.
  
• Devicescape has concluded and announced agreements with eight significant cellular operators in the North American and European markets over the last 12 months.
  
• Devicescape has recently signed direct agreements with both Intel and Microsoft (licensed by Verizon), which will dramatically increase the number of devices with native support for CVN connection and/or identification.
  
• At next week's CTIA 2013 in Las Vegas, Devicescape is releasing a free  Android app to help users automatically connect to thousands of free Wi-Fi hotspots around Las Vegas.  If a Wi-Fi hotspot is deemed to have an insufficient signal, the user is automatically switched back to mobile data. This gives a taste of what it’s like to have the Devicescape client installed.

http://www.devicescape.com/

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