Citadel launches Wi-Fi network covering entire mall

The Citadel mall has become one of the first shopping malls inthe nation to offer high-speed Internet access throughout the entirecenter, with plans to use it to make special offers from mallmerchants to the growing number of customers carrying smartphones.

The service, installed earlier this month, is part of anagreement between Urban Retail Properties and Boingo Wireless tooffer the service in The Citadel and in malls in Manhattan, Kan.,and Troy, Mich., all managed by Urban; the service will roll out atadditional malls Urban manages later this year, said VictoriaHarley, The Citadel's general manager.

Boingo has installed large-scale Wi-Fi networks in 58 airports,including part of Denver International Airport, convention centersand sports arenas.

Access to the Boingo network, which includes The Citadel and260,000 other locations worldwide through roaming agreements, issold on an hourly, daily and monthly basis starting at $1.99 an hourfor an iPhone or smartphone and $4.95 an hour for a laptop.

While many malls, including the Outlets at Castle Rock and ParkMeadows in the Denver area, offer Wi-Fi services in their food courtareas, few offer coverage for the entire shopping center, saidChristian Gunning, a spokesman for Los Angeles-based Boingo.

Although Boingo's Wi-Fi service at The Citadel and other Boingolocations can be used by laptop computers and any other device withinternet access, Gunning said customers with iPhones and othersmartphones are the primary targets. While mall customers canconnect to the Internet through their cellphone provider, Gunningsaid access inside malls is difficult because the concrete and steelin the mall reduce the cell signal strength and networks tend to getoverburdened in busy areas like airports and malls.

The mall hopes to increase the time shoppers spend in TheCitadel, since "a shopper who stays on-site longer is more likely tospend more with the stores" in the mall, Hatley said. "Specialoffers from the Wi-Fi network pages can help drive foot traffic tospecific stores when they have sales."

Consumers also can use the Wi-Fi network to find stores withinthe mall, and likely will receive special offers from merchants inthe part of the mall where they are located, Harley said. TheCitadel also may use the network to attract members and make offersfor future customer rewards programs, she said. Signs advertisingthe network are expected to be posted next week in the mall, shesaid.