Wi-Fi is Dead, Long Live Wi-Fi

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.