Honolulu climbs on WiFi list
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
Honolulu ranked 13th among 100 metropolitan areas for wireless Internet accessibility, according to a survey released today by electronics giant Intel Corp.
Source: Intel Corp.
That was up 19 spots from last year's "Most Unwired Cities" survey, which compares a city's population to the number of so-called WiFi "hot spots," or wireless Internet access points.
America's Top 20 WiFi metro areas
This year's ranking placed Honolulu above major metro areas such as Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles. The top WiFi metro area included San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland.
The survey, which included college campuses, also ranked the University of Hawai'i-Manoa as the 37th most unwired college campus, ahead of institutions such as Stanford and Harvard. Indiana University in Bloomington received top honors.
WiFi technology allows computers to connect to each other and the Internet wirelessly at ranges up to about 300 feet outdoors. As prices for the technology fall and the types of mobile computing devices rise, more people are plugging into the Internet wirelessly, said Bert Sperling, who conducted the survey.
"WiFi is going to be the next big thing in the same way the Internet was once the personal computer was introduced," said Sperling, who also compiles Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" list.
There were an estimated 22.7 million WiFi-standard wireless Internet devices sold last year, compared with 7.2 million in 2002, according to industry researcher In-STAT/MDR.
The devices are showing up in a variety of Hawai'i locations, ranging from Honolulu International Airport to a Dunkin Donuts outlet in Waikiki. The technology also has gotten a boost from Gov. Linda Lingle, who envisions creating a "Wireless Waikiki," where visitors in the resort area could access the Internet without cables.
However, wireless Internet access isn't normally free and can cost about $10 a day at some commercial locations, although lower rates are possible with long-term service agreements.
Then there are smaller mom-and-pop operations that offer the service to customers for free, Sperling said.
"Because they can buy it so cheap, they can offer it for free, intending to get more business from it," he said.
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.
