Coming soon to the air around you – wireless Internet access, according to the Economist, stating that “Wi-Fi is now moving from the realm of grassroots enthusiasts to that of the big computing and telecoms companies.” A summary of the recent action:
Toshiba and Accenture have announced plans to set up 10,000 hotspots in America. Cometa, a joint venture between Intel, IBM, AT&T and others, has already said it will build 20,000. A consortium of five Asian telecoms firms plans to build 20,000 hotspots across Asia by the end of the year, and similar moves are afoot in Europe. An hour’s free Wi-Fi access is being thrown in with every meal at a handful of McDonald’s hamburger restaurants.
