Boingo Wireless just last week revealed it's letting go of about 16% of its workforce, but it continues to rack up airport venues for neutral host cellular distributed antenna systems (DAS), announcing this week it has expanded its service to Portland International Airport (PDX).
The DAS network improves cellular coverage and capacity at the airport and is operated by Boingo as part of a multi-year agreement with the Port of Portland. The service is now live in Concourses C and D and in the north and south pedestrian tunnels, with additional coverage expected to launch in 2020.
Boingo didn’t name the operator with which it launched. Boingo now has 71 DAS venues live, according to a spokesperson.
“PDX is a major addition to Boingo’s DAS portfolio, a core growth driver of our business,” said Boingo CEO Mike Finley in a press release. “We’re pleased to launch the airport’s DAS with a leading carrier and look forward to leveraging our neutral host model to bring on more partners and efficiently manage their network densification needs.”
Last month, the company launched neutral host cellular DAS and Wi-Fi networks at the newly opened Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).
In the second quarter of this year, Boingo announced that it had deployed 10 new DAS networks in partnership with Tier 1 carriers at high traffic venues throughout the U.S., a quarterly record.
RELATED: Boingo cuts 16% of workforce as part of restructuring
DAS has been a source of growth for Boingo, which last week announced it was cutting about 80 positions in its legacy Wi-Fi businesses as part of a restructuring. The company said its business has changed significantly over the past few years, yet key parts of the organization were still aligned around what it considers “legacy” products, like retail Wi-Fi and advertising.
Analysts at Oppenheimer this week lowered their price target for Boingo shares to $15 from $23. “We do see 5G and large multifamily contracts as ST catalysts, but WiFi revenues from carriers may decline long-term,” the analysts said.