The growth of “wireless hotspots” across the UK means that road warriors can walk into a hotel or caf, and surf at their leisure. Adam Tinworth reports
Are you familiar with the term “road warrior”? No, it is not an allusion to a bad sci-fi film, but a term used to describe the mobile worker, who, with his mobile phone and laptop computer, can be just as effective out on the road as he can be in the office.
It is a nice theory, which breaks down only when you consider the reality of mobile internet access. It can be a nightmare trying to find appropriate phone points in a hotel, or when experiencing horribly slow connections using a mobile phone.
However, those days have gone. In most UK cities, and a growing number of hotels and caf,s, you can get on the internet at the same speed you can in the office.
The growth of so-called “wireless hotspots” across the UK, which use wireless technology to connect to the internet, means that road warriors can walk into a hotel or caf,, flip open their laptops and surf the internet while they sup on a latte.
All you need to take advantage of the service is a wireless card in your laptop. Wireless hotspots are rapidly becoming big business, with a range of operators looking for sites to install their equipment. Westminster council has announced plans to give the whole of Soho blanket wireless internet access over the next few years.
At the moment, the big telcos are leading the way, with BT’s Openzone being the most prominent. It charges £20 a month for up to 300 minutes of internet connection at its hotspots around the country.
Technology roll-out
However, this market is not for the big boys alone. GVAGrimley is working with wireless broadband supplier FreeLAN to roll out its products into hotels. GVA’s Kerry Bourne is looking for sites to install the technology, in much the same way that mobile phone roll-outs have worked.
“They design and install systems that fit into those particular buildings,” says Bourne. “Installing the technology gives the operator the chance to offer fast access.”
Hotel guests can buy wireless access from reception for around £8-£10 for 24 hours. They use the supplied user name and password to log in. Further revenue could be generated by selling wireless cards for laptops.
FreeLAN pays for the installation and offers the hotel a 50/50 revenue-sharing deal. This idea of a revenue-sharing deal with the operators, like FreeLAN, makes installing a wireless hotspot attractive to property owners, such as hotel chains. Hotel chain Marriott has announced plans to roll out wireless access to 500 of its hotels across the UK and Europe, for example.
Nor are they the only leisure venues. T-Mobile is working with Starbucks to put wireless internet access into its caf,s. Prices are based on four pre-pay tariffs: a 60-minute pass for £5.50, a day pass for £16.50, a month pass for £37 and a 120-minute allowance for £14.
A company called The Cloud is aiming to do the same for the UK’s pubs, with BTOpenzone providing the infrastructure.
