Wi-Fi hotspot grab coming to a city near you
With dozens of cities proposed for gigabit fiber, Google, AT&T and others are expected to rush to tack on Wi-Fi to offer ads and services
By Matt Hamblen
April 25, 2014 01:12 PM ET
Computerworld - A mega-battle is brewing between corporate giants such as AT&T, Google and Time Warner Cable to build Wi-Fi hotspots in U.S. cities connected to massive gigabit fiber-optic or fast networks of cable providers.
In the coming years, Google -- and likely its competitors-- will pump free or low-cost Internet service to city centers and shopping areas, granting shoppers and other users access to a wide array of the services and advertising that are central to Google's revenue model.
Both AT&T and Google recently announced proposals to provide gigabit fiber services to dozens of U.S. cities, and Wi-Fi connected to the fast fiber is expected to be a part of that offering.
Over the past several years, Time Warner has been busy provisioning its modern cable network to add 11,000 Wi-Fi hotspots for its Internet customers to use for mobile devices in various Kansas City area locales, including stores, parks, walking paths and nightlife spots like the popular downtown eight-block Power & Light District. During the last two years, the Google Fiber network has steadily mushroomed to 6,000 fiber-optic miles throughout the KC metro area, but it hasn't been connected so far to Wi-Fi.
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