Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

Business Week

Free Wi-Fi—at a Price

A spate of providers, including Boingo and Deutsche Telekom's (DT) T-Mobile, now offer Wi-Fi access in places like Starbucks (SBUX) and other locales, charging as much as $10 a day for wireless Web access. Wi-Fi service providers generate about $500 million in revenue a year, says consultancy Parks Associates. Those sales could dwindle—or end up in the coffers of rivals—as city-run Wi-Fi takes off.

From the article "Free Wi-Fi—at a Price," by Olga Kharif.
 

Previously In The News

Google Said to Be Working on TV Project With Intel and Sony

“It’s a sign of the legitimacy of Internet connectivity moving well beyond the PC and mobile spaces, which Google has tackled already,” said Kurt Scherf, an analyst at industry researcher Parks Asso...

Cablevision's New Wireless Bid: Wi-Fi Hotspots

Ubiquitous Wi-Fi coverage, offered for free, could cut customer turnover by 15%, Eagan estimates. What's more, Wi-Fi could help meet the growing demand for so-called converged services, says Parks A...

Paging Dr. iPhone: Tapping a Physician's Digital Reference

Diamond's deepening dependence on health-related mobile apps underscores the potential that the iPhone and other Web-enabled wireless handsets can play in overhauling the way physicians and hospital...

Economic Woe May Rain on Dad's Big Day

"That depends in part on how large a purchase households want to make, says John Barrett, director of research at market research firm Parks Associates. Consumers are holding off on certain big-tick...