There’s some interesting news for travellers as consumer Wi-Fi provider, Always On has announced a partnership with global mobile connectivity provider iPass, in  an international roaming agreement for $20 (approximately R285) a month uncapped and unlimited Wi-Fi offer.

According to the company, this can be accessed at over 100 million hotspots in more than 160 countries from more than 140 network providers. Furthermore, iPass is deployed in over 24 airlines. Thus, once a Wi-Fi enabled plane is above 10 000 feet, the user only needs to choose the appropriate inflight Wi-Fi network from the available network list to log in. Thus, there’s no need to create a separate account or sign up with your credit card to access the inflight service, which if you are at all cybersecurity savvy, does not always feel like the safest move in a crowded plane.

To access the service, consumers need to download the Always On or pass app from their app store - Apple, Google or Microsoft - fill in their details and link their credit/debit card or PayPal account to the service. Always On has further teased that “exciting new app functionality” will be released by the end of November 2018 to further enhance the Always On experience.

“iPass have the world’s largest cloud-based W--Fi solution, making them the ideal partner for Always On,” says Emmanuelle Salon, executive business unit head: Wi-Fi at Internet Solutions. “Our iPass SmartConnect technology enables wireless users to automatically transition between WIFI and cellular so they can stay connected to work – and life – on the go,” continued Salon.

For those who are doing longer term travel, and thus breach the valid bundle period of 30 days, additional Wi-Fi data can be purchased through the app, charged in rands.

The announcement is an interesting development, particularly in light of a recent interview with Steve Briggs from Seacom, who touted increasing Wi-Fi accessibility as one of the solutions to watch out for.