The End of WiFi Hotspots? Not so Fast

Johan Bergendahl, chief marketing officer of Sony Ericsson suggested that WiFi hotspots will soon go extinct, overtaken by HSDPA and other cellular-based connections. ”Hotspots at places like Starbucks are becoming the telephone boxes of the broadband era,”

Well that’s nice, and in fact people have been saying that for years. I repeat: “for years”. The point is that EDGE and 3G have been hyped “for years” and yet, despite impressive theoretical numbers like 2.1Mbps, the connectivity experience is pale even when compared to a 0.5Mbps DSL line. The latency and consistency of the connections are way poorer than WiFi.

Eventually, Mr Bergendahl’s prophecy will be fulfilled, but I don’t think that WiFi hotspots will disappear until cellular internet becomes as good not only on paper, but also in practice. We have been disappointed year after year. In addition, the cost of a cellular data connection will have to be much lower.