About twenty per cent of homes with broadband Internet have WLANS, and this number is set to increase. It is predicted that worldwide hotspots have now reached 30,000 and will grow to about 210,000 within the next five years. Most large hotels already offer Wi-Fi and with business travelers being the ones who are willing to pay for wireless access, it is most likely that the hotel industry will be the next big growth area for hotspots.
802.11n, the next Wi-Fi speed standard, is set to offer a bandwidth of around 108Mbps and is still under development. Wi-Fi security should be bettered with the release of the 802.11i standard, which will be out in the third quarter of this year. If you are after assured quality of service then the 802.11e standard will be of interest to you – this will ensure that packets are delivered in a timely fashion. With speeds of 70 Mbps and a range of up to 30 miles, the 802.16 standard – better known as WiMAX, is sure to be a hit. This should make an impact within the next two years, although Intel have announced they will start shipping WiMAX enabled chips in the second half of this year.
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