REDWOOD SHORES, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 10, 2013) - iPass Inc. (NASDAQ: IPAS), the global Wi-Fi roaming leader for enterprises and telecom service providers, announced today that Zain Jordan, a subsidiary of Zain Group; the pioneer of mobile telecommunications across the Middle East and North Africa, with more than 44 million active individual and business customers, has chosen iPass Open Mobile Exchange (OMX) to provide global Wi-Fi access to its international travelers.
A recent iPass survey on international data roaming revealed that 98 percent of respondents own at least one smartphone and over one-third travel with two or more. Additionally, more than 162 million tablets will be shipped in 2013, of which around three-quarters (74 percent) are expected to ship with Wi-Fi as the only form of connectivity, according to Informa Telecoms & Media.
"There is a strong correlation between international travelers and the highest-value customer segments of mobile operators," said Steve Livingston, senior vice president of Carrier Development, iPass. "International travelers rely on Wi-Fi access when they travel abroad; driven by the strong adoption of Wi-Fi devices. They already spend large sums of money to access Wi-Fi, making Wi-Fi roaming a major business-value opportunity for Zain Jordan."
"Zain Jordan customers can now connect all of their Wi-Fi-enabled mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, on a single plan when travelling internationally," said Ahmad Hanandeh, CEO of Zain Jordan. "Our subscribers will have the option of selecting from daily or weekly rates, aligned to the duration of their travel plans. We have created an international roaming solution for our subscribers at an incredibly attractive price, which would not have been possible without the iPass OMX platform."
About iPass OMX
iPass Open Mobile Exchange (OMX) is the world's largest commercial Wi-Fi Roaming and Exchange platform for Communication Service Providers (CSP). Through a single interface, iPass OMX provides certified WISPr interoperability to over 150 unique Wi-Fi networks; representing more than 1.2 million commercial Wi-Fi venues across 123 countries and territories worldwide.
About Zain Jordan and Zain Group
Through its nationwide high-speed 3G HSPA+ network now serving 3.7 million customers, Zain Jordan was established in 1994 as the first mobile operator in the Kingdom. Recognized as one of the region's most dynamic mobile operations, it is a subsidiary of Zain Group, a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and North Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 44.1 million active customers as of 31 March, 2012. With a commercial presence in 8 countries, Zain operates in the following countries: Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and South Sudan. In Lebanon, the company manages 'touch' on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain has a 15.5% stake in Wana Telecom, now branded 'INWI', through a joint venture. Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (stock ticker: ZAIN).