Drive By Wireless To Avoid Unnecessary Food Purchases
We've already talked about the difficulties most companies are having with any business model that involves charging for Wi-Fi access, but now one more company wants to give it a shot, with a unique twist. Recognizing that sometimes people don't want to have to buy a coffee or a sandwich at their local shop that's serving up a heaping of WiFi (free or paid), the plan of FreedomNet Service is to focus just on offering WiFi in parking lots so the travelers on the go can get their access without having to buy extraneous food/drinks to feel okay using WiFi. Of course, now they have to pay for WiFi instead. There are plenty of skeptical analyst quotes in the article pointing out that steering wheels are a problem and letting people know where these hotspots are is a problem (remember those days when warchalking was supposed to fix that problem! ha!). While we agree that it's unlikely to fly as a business proposition, it is worth noting that much of the reason for this offering is exactly the point many have been making for a while: people do buy stuff when they go into venues that offer free WiFi -- though, admittedly, there are some who do sit outside in the parking lot anyway.
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