IG aims for 300 hotspots by year-end

Brazilian Internet service provider IG aims to have 300 wireless Internet access points operating by year-end, the company said in a statement. IG currently has 40 hotspots operating in Sao Paulo, and is installing a further 19, according to the statement. The company has signed agreements to install hotspots in 20 airports, 24 branches of the Frans Cafe network and the hotels of the Atlantica chain, the company said. This week, the company began services in the Dressing restaurant, near its headquarters in Sao Paulo, and will make its next move to the nearby Ecco restaurant. IG is using Wi-Fi technology, a short-range service that stands for wireless fidelity, which allows customers to access the Internet using their own laptop or handheld computers with a Wi-Fi network card using the 802.11b protocol. The cards retail for between 425 reais and 1,099 reais in Brazil. Users must also subscribe to the IG's WiFiG Internet access service, for which the company is charging 54.9 reais for one month's subscription to 44.9 reais a month for an annual subscription. IG's Wi-Fi service depends on broadband Internet connections using ADSL technology, which allows data transfer speeds of up to 256Kbps, the company said. IG did not return messages left Tuesday.