Broadcom and Boingo Wireless today announced that Broadcom is incorporating Boingo's Wi-Fi client software for handsets into its BCM1161 / BCM4318E Wi-Fi phone chipset platform.

Wholesale Wi-Fi network aggregator Boingo Wireless today announced what it says is the first global Internet service designed for Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones and devices.

Boingo Mobile lets users enjoy the Internet capabilities built into their handsets in Boingo’s hot spots around the world for a monthly flat rate of $7.95.

Belkin today announced that it has added support for using its Wi-Fi Phone for Skype with Boingo Wireless hot spots. This makes Belkin the first company to address one of the weaknesses of the current crop of Wi-Fi Skype phones; the inability to be used with wireless hot spots that require browser-based authentication.

A Belkin spokesperson said that the authentication will be done using Boingo's embedded Wi-Fi toolkit, which is basically a configuration file that provides the credentials to authenticate to each Boingo hotspot type. Belkin also said that a firmware upgrade for current Wi-Fi Phone users will be available "by mid December" for download from Belkin's website.

Belkin Wi-Fi Phone users can sign up for a Boingo Mobile Unlimited account, which gives them unlimited access to Boingo hot spots, for only $7.95 per month.