European WiFi Study Predicts Good Things For Hotspots
A study of the European hotspot market suggests that they’ll be rolling in cash before too long, but doesn’t seem to explain how. There have been plenty of complaints concerning the ridiculous prices most European hotspots currently charge, but very few have spoken about competition from free WiFi in Europe. While there are plenty of stories in the US about shops and restaurants offering free WiFi, it’s unclear (from here, at least) how popular it is in Europe. Still, you have to wonder how anyone is going to make that much money from subscription based WiFi going forward. The trends are pretty clear that there’s going to be tremendous downward pricing pressure on anyone who operates hotspots, and the bottom of that barrel is free. That doesn’t mean there’s no reason to offer WiFi, as many free providers have discovered it helps bring in more business. However, it does make me skeptical about predictions for high subscription revenue for hotspots.
