Conclusion

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Projections for the Wi-Fi market are among the rosiest in the information technology community. At the December 2002, 802.11 Planet Conference & Expo, industry experts agreed that the $2 billion Wi-Fi industry should expand at a compounded growth rate of 30 percent to nearly a $6 billion industry, this puts it in line with the kind of growth found in the mobile PC industry.

The business community (and even the residential market) likes Wi-Fi's ease of use, low costs and quick time-to-use. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Unlike 3G technology, which is a "top-down," carrier-driven system that takes time to roll-out and very expensive to provision, Wi-Fi is a "bottom-up" technology that is easy to roll-out and very affordable-Wi-Fi's technical pieces are inexpensive and networks benefit from the use of open spectrum while providing high-speed connectivity and offering rapid deployment.

Finally, entrepreneurs find Wi-Fi to be an ideal technology framework-they can go in and set up wireless hubs in neighborhoods to provide data communication services for a low initial investment. Services run by wireless Internet access providers can resemble traditional Internet service, designed for a range of commercial clients who want to get their public facility online. In fact, the wordsmiths have already crafted a new term for this industry-Wireless Internet Service Providers or WISPs. There are many business models for the WISP industry. Some are start-up regional (and national) service providers; others are venue owners (hotels, airports, cafés, convention centers) who have outfitted their own facilities to accommodate their visitors/customers.

Consumers are constantly faced with choices, whether it's what cafe they frequent, what hotel they stay in, or what business center they use. The choices they make are driven by many factors, but if they know a particular establishment offers a public Wi-Fi network for their use, it may provide one more reason to choose that establishment over another. Ultimately, Wi-Fi will become an "amenity" like any other-customers will simply expect it to be there, like a free glass of water, public restrooms, and electrical outlets.

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