Boingo roams into Louisiana

Hot-spot service provider Boingo Wireless announced on Monday that it has struck a roaming deal with Verge Wireless Networks, a subsidiary of CamSoft Data Systems and an operator of 802.11 networks. (A hot spot is a publicly available wireless network that allows individuals to share resources, such as a broadband Internet connection.) Verge Wireless maintains a mesh network--a series of interconnected access points that make up one large seamless hot spot--in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The agreement let subscribers to Santa Monica, Calif.-based Boingo's service use Verge Wireless' network without having to open an additional account and to receive just one bill for both networks' hot-spot service. Boingo and other service providers have been signing roaming agreements with network operators in an effort to expand the reach of their services.