September 2, 2002 Why Wi-Fi Won't Fly, By�Eric Nee Cool as it is, Eric Nee writes, Wi-Fi's acceptance as a medium for public Internet access hasn't taken off. Is there a profitable business model in its future?
<snip> Compared with the time, hassle and expense of getting a DSL line in the office, Wi-Fi was a breeze. I simply inserted an IEEE 802.11b card in my Macintosh iBook laptop, sniffed out the signal, logged on to WiFi Metro's Web site and signed up for service, all in minutes. Now, for just $19.95 a month, I get unlimited broadband wireless access to the Internet from my office and any of the nearly 50 other WiFi Metro locations around the San Francisco Bay area. That's all very cool, but unless you frequent places like Palo Alto, San Francisco and New York City, where early adopters congregate, don't expect to find a public Wi-Fi service any time soon. That's because despite all the media hoopla surrounding Wi-Fi, and the eternal optimism of those in the Wi-Fi industry who believe a boom is just around the corner, the establishment of a reliable and ubiquitous national Wi-Fi network is still years away. </snip> Full article at: http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,3959,537505,00.asp -- general wireless list, a bawug thing <http://www.bawug.org/> [un]subscribe: http://lists.bawug.org/mailman/listinfo/wireless
