The wonderful world of Wi-Fi

The provisioning of public Wi-Fi is an interesting "market," if you can call it that, because there's so much variety and experimentation. And there's no industry where all players universally provide free Wi-Fi as a matter of course. For example, some hotels offer free Wi-Fi, some don't. Some airports have it, some don't.

It's also interesting to note that Wi-Fi works as an incentive even when it's not free.

After a few fits and starts, Wi-Fi in the transportation industry is suddenly taking off. A solid majority of major airlines in both the US and Europe either has or is planning to offer in-flight Wi-Fi. Most will charge for the service. The laggard airlines will take a hit in ticket sales as business fliers jockey for seats on the Wi-Fi-friendly airlines until they get their acts together and provide it themselves. Within two years, all major carriers will offer in-flight Wi-Fi.

Airline Wi-Fi has triggered a rush to install Wi-Fi service in trains across Europe. These rail service companies see the airlines as a competitor for the lucrative business traveler market.

And commuter trains and even taxis are getting Wi-Fi. In fact, wherever you find a concentration of business people with expense accounts and time to kill, expect to find Wi-Fi there. Everyone wants these customers because they spend money on other things.

Free Wi-Fi can pop up in the most unusual places. For example, did you know the US Panera Bread chain offers it?

Boingo announced this week special pricing for people who want to use its Wi-Fi hot spots at airports and other locations with iPhones, Windows Mobile devices and Sony Ericsson phones. The new rate is just US$8 per month. The new pricing will be rolled out on each platform at different times this year.

I can find hundreds of free Wi-Fi hot spots on various online directories. I've also paid US$35 a day for Wi-Fi at a hotel in Paris. Pricing runs the gamut from no-strings-attached free access, to conspicuously overpriced, to creative or selective pricing a la Starbucks or Boingo. But the trend is clear: Wi-Fi is transitioning gradually to always free everywhere.

There's simply no downside to these trends. Everybody loves Wi-Fi -- the freer the better.

Mike Elgan writes about technology and global tech culture. Contact Mike at mike.elgan@elgan.com or his blog, The Raw Feed.