The End Of Paid-For Public WLAN?
Ovum is looking at whether or not free wireless networks will remove the ability of commercial hotspots to compete. In the end, they're not convinced - saying that while using free hotspots to attract more customers makes sense for some businesses, there are plenty of businesses (such as airports) where potential users have no other options (and may be stuck in a single spot for quite some time). So, there are always going to be opportunities to charge for WiFi. What they don't address is how large a market is that really - an at what price point are they likely to maximize direct revenues?
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