I-phone fuels Wi-Fi

The UK is set for a Wi Fi explosion according to this report in the FT this morning.

driven by growing demand from iPhone users and fresh interest in community wi-fi projects.

According to the report

BT, which has 4,000 public hotspots across the UK, said it had seen traffic double in the past year and expected customers to be using close to 1bn minutes of wi-fi on its networks in the year to March 2010.

Own the platform protect the content

Has Paul Bradshaw come up with one solution to the problem of paying for journalism?

Writing on his blog,Paul suggests that

offering universal wifi could present a real opportunity for publishers to recapture some of the qualities that made their print products so successful.

His rational?

Firstly that they will own the platform and therefore

would allow publishers to re-establish a stronger negotiating position when it comes to selling local advertising

However

2.The mobile qualities of wifi make it particularly easy to sell geo-targeted advertising. If you have a built-in search engine you could also do a Google and serve up relevant ads based on a combination of their search and location.

3.. If the internet has taught publishers one thing it should be this: your profitability relied on your ability to sell a platform based on reliable quality content.

Which countries have the most wi fi spots.

It won't surprise you to know that it is America.

This from the Economist

WIRELESS internet is spreading extremely fast. Today business travellers have over 286,000 hotspots around the world at their disposal, compared with 53,700 five years ago, according to JiWire, a mobile audience media company. Reflecting its early adoption of WiFi, America has most hotspots, although China is adding networks particularly rapidly. Rich countries with the most tech-friendly cultures (such as South Korea) figure prominently. Measured per person, Sweden and Britain offer the best hotspot penetration rates.

First WiFi now MiFI

Not that I want this blog to become a technology blog but I was interested in the latest WiFI development,the MiFi.

Being technically challenged I will let Lidija Davis explain.

a portable wireless router that will deliver wireless 3G data network access to multiple users in a small area. Much the same size as a credit card, the sleek looking MiFi will let users select access to EVDO or HSPA high speed data networks.