Don't toll that death knell just yet—despite some analysts' concern, Wi-Fi appears to be sticking around
By Gregory Mone Posted 03.11.2008 at 11:49 am 1 Comment

Wi-Fi Hotspots

The chief marketing officer of Ericsson announced at a conference in Europe yesterday that he thinks Wi-Fi is endangered, and will be soon be replaced by mobile broadband networks. Connectivity won’t be hotspot-based, but available everywhere. He went so far as to compare cafe-style Wi-Fi to the telephone boxes of yesteryear.

While there’s definitely an argument to be made for the benefits of mobile broadband over Wi-Fi, as several bloggers point out in response to the Ericsson comments, the latter probably isn’t going anywhere. Broadband wireless is great, yes, but it’s also expensive at roughly $60 per month. And, as CNET notes, new Wi-Fi-oriented devices like the iPod Touch are only extending that service’s lifespan.

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ampuja
03/12/08 at 6:08 am

Well, the prices of mobile broadband can go down rather quickly.

At the moment, Finlands mobile broadbands start at 9€/month and the amount of subcriptions are rising quickly. Still, I don't believe wi-fi as a technology disappearing any time soon.

Mikko Ampuja

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