There’s nothing better than free wifi. Ok, there are a lot of things better than free wifi, but it’s still pretty great. Opening up your laptop in an airport to see that it costs $9.95 for 30 minutes of Internet use is really irritating. So is trying to connect to a network called “Free Public WiFi” and not being able to get online – here’s the explanation for that. JiWire is a company that helps you get online, wherever you are. They not only help you find available WiFi hotspots, but they also “subsidize access fees with premium, location-driven advertising.”

Free Public WiFi, For Real This Time

Advertiser subsidized Internet access isn’t anything new, but the ability to target ads locally to mobile users is much more compelling than what NetZero was offering back in the day. JiWire teams up with WiFi providers who are already providing access at a cost and offers an alternative that is sometimes more lucrative. The list of partners who JiWire is working with is impressive, and we can see why they’d want to work with JiWire. “Service providers with just 100,000 user sessions per month can earn between $10,000 and $30,000 per month in additional ad revenue.” That may be a lot lower in terms of earnings per user than what the providers get when they charge, but you have to imagine that offering free WiFi exponentially increases the number of users.

Although much of what JiWire does appears to be B2B – linking up advertisers and WiFi providers – they also put out a top 10 iPhone App and a #2 Apple Widget for 2005. They’ve even given iPhone users exclusive WiFi access at over 100,000 locations (by the way, we’ve added a new version of the site for iPhone). JiWire is doing its best in every aspect to make WiFi accessible to masses wherever they may be, and we’ll be happy to watch their ads in return for access.

Advertiser Subsidized Jobs

It’s amazing what you can support with ad dollars. JiWire realize that there was a demand for free WiFi and that people who use free WiFi are a great market for advertisers. They put these two ideas together and created what looks to be an awesome business model. It seems like they’re growing well, and with growth comes new hiring. JiWire’s Jobs page says that they’re looking for an HTML Developer with a couple years of experience in web development. A lot of new college grads fit the bill for that one. The job is located at their office in San Francisco, and you can apply by e-mailing a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to web.producer@jiwire-inc.com.

We also found that JiWire is looking for a couple entry-level Account Coordinators. Candidates should “have an understanding of high tech marketing and experience in advertising, preferably online.” In this job you’d be working directly with the sales team to ensure advertiser satisfaction. These positions are located in New York City. You can apply by e-mailing a cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to salesjobs@jiwire-inc.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• JiWire.com
• Jobs at JiWire
• About JiWire
• JiWire in the News
• JiWire’s Partners
• The JiWire Management Team

Don’t you love free WiFi? We sure do.

We've identified JiWire as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• account management
• advertising
• all employers
• California
• design
• New York
• sales
• software development

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