It seems that every cable and broadband provider is eager to offer its customers free Wi-Fi access at hotspots around their region or even the entire country. And why not? Cable companies have profited handsomely as a result of offering Wi-Fi services. The latest to hop aboard the train is Qwest. The are ready to announce a deal with AT&T which would give their broadband customers access to the 17,000 AT&T hotspots across the country, including those at Starbucks locations. This should be of great benefit to a company which has recently ceased offering wireless services and which has seen its traditional landline service lose much business.
The indirect benefit of all these Wi-Fi offerings is that it might prompt companies to make more of them. The more Wi-Fi hotspots available the more places we can trot our laptops and get work done outside the home. It could also help create markets for products like Wi-Fi radios, perhaps boosting Internet radio in general. In any case, there are many secondary benefits to cable companies offering Wi-Fi services. Here’s to hoping we start realizing more and more of them.
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