Google Buys Wi-Fi Vendor ICOA for $400 Million–Updated

Update: Later in the day, both Google and ICOA denied the story about the acquisition. The report began with a fraudulent press release. See this All Things D article for more details.

Google has announced that it will purchase Warwick, Rhode Island-based ICOA for $400 million. ICOA sets up and maintains public Wi-Fi hotspots in airports, hotels, fast food restaurants and similar high-traffic areas.

ZDNet’s Larry Dignan noted, “ICOA is based in Warwick, RI and owns Wi-Fi networks in 40 states. Partners include iPass, Boingo Wireless and BroadSky Networks. ICOA trades over the counter in so-called Pink Sheets, which is a low volume market.”

According to Computerworld’s Mikael Ricknas, “This isn’t the first time, however, that Google has dabbled in wireless Internet access. It already offers a free wireless Internet service in Mountain View, California, called Google WiFi. In June, Google signed a deal with Wi-Fi operator Boingo Wireless that allows New Yorkers to access Boingo’s network of hotspots for free. In September, Google signed another deal with Boingo that included access to 4,000 hotspots across the U.S for a limited period.”

Tomio Geron from Forbes added, “At the same time, Google also recently launched its own fiber optic network to provide Internet access in Kansas City.”

GigaOm’s Stacey Higginbotham commented, “This Wi-Fi buy looks more like an attempt to keep bringing in eyeballs for Google’s advertisers.” She added, “For Google, which still makes most of its revenue and profits from advertising, the login screen of a Wi-Fi network offers a potential gold-mine. By selling a sponsorship page to the highest bidder in a given location, Google can provide free Wi-Fi for users, sell a lucrative ad deal and create a bargaining chip with ISPs in both the wireline and wireless space.”

RELATED NEWS AND ANALYSIS

• Ethics and Artificial Intelligence: Driving Greater Equality

  FEATURE |  By James Maguire,
  December 16, 2020

• AI vs. Machine Learning vs. Deep Learning

  FEATURE |  By Cynthia Harvey,
  December 11, 2020

• Huawei’s AI Update: Things Are Moving Faster Than We Think

  FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
  December 04, 2020

• Keeping Machine Learning Algorithms Honest in the ‘Ethics-First’ Era

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Guest Author,
  November 18, 2020

• Key Trends in Chatbots and RPA

  FEATURE |  By Guest Author,
  November 10, 2020

• Top 10 AIOps Companies

  FEATURE |  By Samuel Greengard,
  November 05, 2020

• What is Text Analysis?

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Guest Author,
  November 02, 2020

• How Intel’s Work With Autonomous Cars Could Redefine General Purpose AI

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
  October 29, 2020

• Dell Technologies World: Weaving Together Human And Machine Interaction For AI And Robotics

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
  October 23, 2020

• The Super Moderator, or How IBM Project Debater Could Save Social Media

  FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
  October 16, 2020

• Top 10 Chatbot Platforms

  FEATURE |  By Cynthia Harvey,
  October 07, 2020

• Finding a Career Path in AI

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Guest Author,
  October 05, 2020

• CIOs Discuss the Promise of AI and Data Science

  FEATURE |  By Guest Author,
  September 25, 2020

• Microsoft Is Building An AI Product That Could Predict The Future

  FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
  September 25, 2020

• Top 10 Machine Learning Companies 2021

  FEATURE |  By Cynthia Harvey,
  September 22, 2020

• NVIDIA and ARM: Massively Changing The AI Landscape

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By Rob Enderle,
  September 18, 2020

• Continuous Intelligence: Expert Discussion [Video and Podcast]

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By James Maguire,
  September 14, 2020

• Artificial Intelligence: Governance and Ethics [Video]

  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE |  By James Maguire,
  September 13, 2020

• IBM Watson At The US Open: Showcasing The Power Of A Mature Enterprise-Class AI

  FEATURE |  By Rob Enderle,
  September 11, 2020

• Artificial Intelligence: Perception vs. Reality

  FEATURE |  By James Maguire,
  September 09, 2020