WiFi revolution hits a wall

Long lauded as the technology that would turn cities into techie meccas, WiFi continues to creep across metropolises. Years after North American cities began to plan for the WiFi revolution, these ambitious projects remain slow in coming – and because the next generation of wireless technology is right around the corner, WiFi may soon be irrelevant anyway.

When it was announced last March, Toronto Hydro's network was praised by Mayor David Miller as an unprecedented leap forward into the information age.

The company had earlier paid $60 million to buy the city's streetlight poles. Attaching WiFi antennae to the poles created a mesh network that allows subscribers to access the Internet from anywhere inside the "hot zone."

There had been talk of blanketing the entire city within three years. Now, Hydro president David Dobbin says 4,000 subscribers would be required before making the leap to the rest of the city.

"We are ecstatically happy with how the zone is performing and how many are subscribing," Dobbin said.

Currently, the city's hotspot covers the blocks between Jarvis St. and Spadina Ave. to the east and west, and Front St. to Bloor St. to the south and north.

While Dobbin said he couldn't release the number of subscribers the network has, 43,000 passwords were given out during the hotspot's free trial period. In December, with the network complete, Toronto Hydro began to offer access to the Internet, paid for by the hour, day or month.

Since users had to start paying $30 a month for the service, "there has been a drop," said Dobbin. "But we're ahead of our 10 per cent conversion rate," he added, referring to those who went from free service to paid subscriptions.

http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/231749