Why aren’t wireless hotspots more widespread and more affordable?

Assuming you own a computer that doesn’t weigh a ton or need tethering to the mains with a chunky power cable, it’s fairly easy to couple internet activity with leisure pursuits such as sipping a caramel macchiato, or taking a trip on the National Express coach from Cambridge to London. Indeed, the ability to surf’n’travel has been a boon for a number of this week’s correspondents. “I’ve met quite a few deadlines thanks to the Wi-Fi hotspot on the east coast mainline,” writes Jon Ramsdale. “It’s pretty pricy, though.”

In fact, GNER are currently offering a free 24-hour trial on their trains – but accessibility and affordability are still the main problems of Wi-Fi. By its very nature, a hotspot provides patchy, localised coverage, and network providers concentrate on placing them where people are likely to be toting a laptop and bored out of their skull: airport lounges, coffee shops, or the aforementioned National Express coach. And although they tend to team up with certain outlets to offer access (e.g. BT Openzone and McDonalds, or T-Mobile and Texaco) you don’t always know who will offer you a connection until you flip open your laptop – and the charge for per-minute, no-commitment access tends to be pricy, with Openzone’s 20p/min fairly typical. “I was surprised how expensive the British Library’s network was,” grumbles Monika Lawrenz. “It’s currently £4.50 per hour – I only pay £15 for a month at home.”

But depending on your location, there can be other options, including a number of free or low-cost networks which are offered as goodwill or added-value gestures by small businesses. “The landlord of The Bell, in Bath,” writes Jenny C, “provides internet access for free, and catching up on email with a pint of decent beer is fantastic.” This benevolence could be destined to spread, with yesterday’s announcement that a Spanish company, Fonos, plans to turn the world’s domestic networks into public hotspots by offering cheap modems & routers in return for a commitment to share connections. Another glimpse of the future might be seen in North America, where plans are still being thrashed out to turn cities such as San Francisco, Philadelphia and Toronto into giant low-cost hotspots, These moves are furiously battled against by existing internet service providers, but there seems to be a general shift towards wireless being regarded as a basic utility. Islington Council’s so-called “Technology Mile” which gives free access to a number of local residents and businesses is one of few similar schemes in the UK. But while we wait for the ability to send email from any park bench in the UK, network provider The Cloud are imminently launching nine “hotzones” in city centres across the country, with charges starting at £11.99 per month.

Simone Brookes writes with next week’s question: “My mum is terrified of using her credit card on the internet, but I’m not sure how to reassure her. How safe is it? Is there an advantage in using other payment systems such as PayPal?”