Cometa Hot Spots To Get Cold Shoulder?
Since they launched, we've been pretty skeptical of Cometa. They've put together a tremendous amount of (often misleading) hype for a company that is little more than a "me too" play for an idea that other companies have struggled with. So, it's no surprise that others are starting to question Cometa's viability. Already, they say it looks like they're going to have trouble meeting their announced goals of 15,000 hotspots by 2005. As the article points out, they haven't gotten many up and running yet, and would need to do 500/month to make that goal. So far, their only announced deal is with McDonald's in Manhattan, and McD's has already decided to go with Cometa rival Wayport for the SanFran trial of WiFi. The article quotes someone from Wayport who makes the statement that others are finally realizing. If you're going to offer for-fee hotspots, the issue isn't overall coverage - but having the best locations.
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