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[Article] Why I'm a wi-fi whiner

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  • 07-12-2003 4:25pm
    #1
    Mr_Man
    Registered Users Posts: 638 ✭✭✭


    In the Computers In Business magazine, with this weeks SBP, the editorial comment highlights the wi-fi situation in Ireland, compared to that in the U.S. Adrian Weckler draws the point that competition in the US has meant that coffee shops and other business are giving wi-fi acess for free or a low cost as another way of attracting customers and maintaining margin. In Ireland he believes that the coffee shops by not controlling the technology themselves have missed a great opportunity to attract more customers with a lower price point than that being offered by the O2's of the world.

    The last two paragraph's are worth quoting in full

    Operators and cafe chains here assume that this is a 'corporate' type service so the pricing must match. They made the same mistake with broadband internet and we're still paying the price with one of the lowest broadband take up rates in the western world.

    It would be a shame if such a promising technology - and one which could speed up Ireland's transition to broadband - were strangled at brith by such a narrow approach.

    While I agree with the sentiments I'm not sure that low cost wi-fi would do that much to speed up the adoption of BB in the population as a whole. Those who would use wi-fi tend to be early adopters, the same people who already have bb if they can get it.

    To make the cafe scene a driver for BB adoption you would need to supply the laptops in the cafe (well chained to the wall) so that those who have a PC a home can try BB access in the cafe and finding the benefits go knocking on the relevant doors to get it installed at home.

    Just my 2c

    M.


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    #2
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,718 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    By the end of 2004, 95% of new laptops should have WiFi built in and the cost of providing an AP connected to ADSL is less than the cost of keeping the toilets clean...

    If your notebook don't support WiFi you can get a USB or PCMCIA adaptor for less than €65 (ie. about one months BB if you inclue line rental) - less if you buy secondhand. http://www.vbnets.com/products/hardware.php?cat=pc_card

    And you can't deny that once you've tasted unmetered, untimed BB it's hard to go back to per minute dial up.


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