Thanks to the technology called `Wireless Fidelity' or `Wi-Fi', mobile Internet will soon be a reality for millions of surfers across the globe.

It is the `hot spot' on the technology landscape. And, going by its stellar growth during the last two years or so, it may probably be the next big thing in the technology arena. It is Wireless Fidelity or Wi-Fi in short. Unlike its predecessor i.e., Bluetooth, which too promised to make wireless Internet a reality but failed to materialize until now, Wi-Fi has been gaining momentum with strong backing from technology bigwigs. Companies like IBM, Intel, and AT&T have joined hands to offer Wi-Fi services at 10,000 locations or hot spots, as they are popularly known as, in America. Besides, a host of stand-alone players or Hot Spot Operators (HSO), have already set up their shops in the US. Similar partnerships are being formed in Asia and Europe as well to provide Wi-Fi services.

Despite initial glitches, owing to slow transmission speed, and a slow beginning about five-six years ago, the Wi-Fi technology has finally found a foothold in the growing wireless services market. The factors that have contributed to the growing acceptance of technology among the technology developers as well as users are low entry barriers, an open architecture, speed and added to it, the lack of any regulatory constraints; all ingredients of success for a technology, success of Linux would vouch for it.

According to Boingo Wireless, Inc., a leading player in the Wi-Fi space, HSOs enjoy a very low barrier to entry. Today, installation costs for Wi-Fi equipment has fallen to less than $200, for a small installation, compared to $500-600 a couple of years ago. Larger hot spots require additional equipment, antennae, and faster connections such as T1 lines. Still, it says, the cost of establishing a hot spot is lower than setting up a cellular nodeWi-Fi uses unlicensed spectrum vs. licensed spectrum that can cost billions of dollars, and the equipment necessary to set up a hot spot costs hundreds of dollars vs. hundreds of thousands or millions in cellular.

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