Chinwag's Old Blog: Wireless Hotspots Set to Sky Rocket

It can be a major test of patience and pocket if you're looking for a wireless hotspot. Even in a teeming metropolis like London there's no guide map, and only persistent online searches reveal the location of the capital's hotspots. Places where you can surf wirefree crop up in the strangest places, for example the BP services on the A4 on the way into London.

Good news then, from IDC, who released a recent report saying that the number of hotspots in Western Europe is set to jump dramatically from the current 1,000 or so, to over 32,500 by 2007. The esimated revenues of $1.4bn will also spark some interest, too, proving that wirefree certainly isn't cost-free.

The research also goes on to conclude that as more cafes, restaurants and other locations provide access to the Internet through wireless, the costs will almost certainly go down no doubt through the mass-market uptake that IDC is predicting with 7.8m users by 2007.

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