In addition to the rapid growth of paid Wi-Fi sites, free Wi-Fi sites are also being launched in growing numbers. For instance, in Austin, Texas--which bills itself as "the free-est wireless city in the world"--more than 25 free Wi-Fi sites have been launched. Customers at Starbucks, which offers a paid Wi-Fi service, often sit down for coffee and log onto free Wi-Fi service transmitted from nearby Schlotzsky's sandwich shops.
While the Wi-Fi consumer market is increasingly marked by free services, market-research firms predict corporate use will boom. For instance, the Dell'Oro Group predicts Wi-Fi use in the enterprise will grow from $431 million in 2003 to $1.1 billion in 2008. In addition, business users are more likely to sign-up for paid Wi-Fi service offerings.
McDonald's has been testing Wi-Fi in more than 200 of its fast-food locations in the U.S. In addition to Cometa, its service providers in the trials include Wayport and Toshiba's Computer Systems Group. The fast-food company has remained upbeat on its Wi-Fi prospects and has said it will also likely rollout the service in the hotspots it is testing in 25 countries.
While AT&T has cut its consumer Wi-Fi service, the firm continues to add business Wi-Fi sites and views that market as a growth business.
Pending 6GHz spectrum availability, faster speeds, and private wireless access use drive FWA forward.
The new HPE Aruba 730 series Wi-Fi 7 access points tout high performance, enhanced security, location tracking capabilities, and more.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
