http://strom.com/awards/405.html
Since
I moved here, I have found that there are two things that get Californians
excited: free parking and free WiFi. Even better, how about places that offer
free parking within a few feet of having free wireless access. The only thing
better would be laptops with built-in cup holders for your lattes. Wait a
minute, isn't that what the CD drive is for?
Two
years ago the City of Long Beach was one of the first to jump on this trend,
and enabled free WiFi in a four-block area along Pine Street, one of the more pedestrian-friendly
and restaurant-laden spots in the area. Then they turned on free WiFi at their
airport, which has become a busy cross-country hub since Jet Blue started
flying there and American had to match its service levels.
I
spoke to Terry Evans, a long-time friend and longer-time IT manager at the City
of
http://www.longbeach.gov/ecd/technology/hot_zone.asp
Since
then many other locations around the world have followed their lead. The latest
in the
And
that is the point of this trend. Cities need to attract people walking around
and WiFi has become yet another tool in the urban renewal arsenal. Whether
these pedestrians are shopping, break dancing, eating, or wirelessly Internetting, the excitement is in having bunches of them
out of their cars and on their feet. It is a real paradox here in the endless
suburbs of Los Angeles, where there are more palm trees than buildings taller
than 30 feet high, and where people think nothing of driving 30 miles to get to
dinner, but walking 30 feet from their car is too much to ask. Evans tells me
his wireless network has definitely changed the perception of Long Beach as
more techno-friendly, although I don't think your average Angelino will be
packing up the car for a drive downtown with their laptops just to surf the Web
for free. Still, it is a nice amenity and a good calling card for the local
businesses to pull in traffic, whether it be via the
Web or in person ö the businesses have ads on the
All
this free wireless is happening as a result of several powerful trends working
together. First is that the gear is getting pretty cheap, and that more
businesses are online with broadband connections. This makes it easier to
extend their wired networks to wireless users. It also makes it easier for
municipal governments to pay for the ongoing costs to run free wireless
networks. (In
http://www.muniwireless.com/reports/docs/AWCP_training_guide.pdf
Third,
the traditional government funding mechanisms of redevelopment grants and new
public safety initiatives have poured tons of money into these areas, and even
some business consortiums are getting involved. Some communities have gotten
new networks for their police and fire departments, and as a side benefit the
public gets better Internet access. Some of these new networks come at the
expense of older and more expensive technologies that municipal agencies have
used. As an example, Evans mentioned his existing building inspectors who carry
laptops with cell phone modems. This service is expensive, averaging over $70 a
month. "That adds up fast and can pay for a lot of WiFi access around the
city."
And
finally, hotels and hospitality services are getting into the act, opening up
their own properties with free wireless throughout. Many are finally realizing
that business travelers, such as me, are actually searching for free wireless
when we book rooms on our trips.
It
is a great idea. Now if we can just keep the local Bells and cable companies
from killing it. Needless to say, they are concerned that all this free
wireless is cutting into their profitable monopolies. In the meantime, if you
need to find free wireless connections, the best site that I know of is JiWire's hotspot finder:
http://www.jiwire.com/search-hotspot-locations.htm
NB:
for a contrary point of view from a biased source, check out the following:
http://www.thenmrc.org/archive/wifireport2305.pdf
David Strom
Editor-in-Chief
Tom's Guides Publishing
+1 (818) 991-0282 x204
Web Informant is (r) registered trademark
with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
ISSN #1524-6353 registered with U.S. Library
of Congress
If you'd like to subscribe (issues are sent
via email), please send an email to:
mailto:Informant-request@avolio.com?body=subscribe
Entire contents copyright 2005 by David
Strom, Inc.