This is a guest post by Michael Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor of Information Systems
Michael Williams, PhD
If you spend much time on the road away from your office you realize what a challenge it can be to find a reliable Internet connection for your critical tasks. Sporadic and unpredictable availability at hotels, airports, and public areas is a frustrating experience for even an occasional business traveler.
For the past few years the hope for business travelers has rested on Muni Wi-Fi. Muni Wi-Fi is a concept of creating a wireless hot-spot across an entire city. Prominent pioneers in this effort include Philadelphia, Toronto and Paris. (See here for a comprehensive list of municipal wireless networks)
Unfortunately, however, due to technical difficulties, the credit crisis, legal challenges, and a lack of will several cities have stopped adding capacity, or even cancelled these programs entirely (e.g., San Francisco and Philadelphia).
The good news is that several retail outlets have stepped up their Wi-Fi programs and begun to offer free, or nearly free, service to paying customers.
As of this fall, there are still three main types of Wi-Fi offerings from retailers: Continue reading ‘The Future of Free Wi-Fi’
