My Wired News colleague Joanna Glasner filed this piece on the challenges
commercial Wi-Fi networks have faced convincing people to pay daily or hourly fees for unwired broadband. Now that Cometa's kicked the bucket, survivors may need new pricing schemes.
"Wi-Fi wants to be free," said John Yunker, an analyst at Byte Level Research who follows wireless technology. He believes high-speed wireless access will evolve over the next several years into a freebie service, much like cable television or air-conditioning in hotel rooms, that customers come to expect at cafes, airports and conference centers.
For surviving Wi-Fi players to remain afloat, Yunker believes, they'll have to change their business models, offer more all-you-can-surf plans and cut prices. For those who do charge, he believes customers will be comfortable paying rates of about $4 a month for unlimited access to a network of hot spots.
