Wi-Fi Coverage Failing To Hit Targets
Posted: 28th May, 2003 By: MarkJ
Industry figures have warned of a significant gap between the numbers of UK broadband wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) Hotspots that have been set-up and earlier forecasts:
"Rollout of Wi-Fi in the UK is accelerating, but it is still slower than operators had previously suggested," said Ross Pow, managing director of Analysys Research, warning that operators risk losing credibility if they fail to hit their own targets. "The industry needs to prove it can meet the projections that it has forecast over the last few years."
It is difficult to say exactly how many Wi-Fi hot spots are now operational in the UK, as operators tend to only announce new sites every few months. For example, BT Openzone's Web site only lists 76 sites that are open to the public -- even though its target is to reach 400 by this summer -- but a company spokesman insisted last week that the true figure is closer to 200.
If so, it can be estimated that there are between 300 and 330 commercial hot spots in the UK today, run by firms such as Openzone, Megabeam, Internet Exchange and STSN. In addition, a number of venues have begun offering free Wi-Fi to customers. In Korea, Pow pointed out, there are 8,500 commercial hot spots and 115,000 subscribers.
It's worth pointing out that such services were only officially legalised last year. Never the less there are other issues, such as the poor level of usage at locations where Wi-Fi has been introduced.
Whether or not this will ultimately improve is harder to know, although ease of access, cheaper prices and a better quality of service must all be addressed. More @ ZDNet.
"Rollout of Wi-Fi in the UK is accelerating, but it is still slower than operators had previously suggested," said Ross Pow, managing director of Analysys Research, warning that operators risk losing credibility if they fail to hit their own targets. "The industry needs to prove it can meet the projections that it has forecast over the last few years."
It is difficult to say exactly how many Wi-Fi hot spots are now operational in the UK, as operators tend to only announce new sites every few months. For example, BT Openzone's Web site only lists 76 sites that are open to the public -- even though its target is to reach 400 by this summer -- but a company spokesman insisted last week that the true figure is closer to 200.
If so, it can be estimated that there are between 300 and 330 commercial hot spots in the UK today, run by firms such as Openzone, Megabeam, Internet Exchange and STSN. In addition, a number of venues have begun offering free Wi-Fi to customers. In Korea, Pow pointed out, there are 8,500 commercial hot spots and 115,000 subscribers.
It's worth pointing out that such services were only officially legalised last year. Never the less there are other issues, such as the poor level of usage at locations where Wi-Fi has been introduced.
Whether or not this will ultimately improve is harder to know, although ease of access, cheaper prices and a better quality of service must all be addressed. More @ ZDNet.
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