The UK is Europe’s foremost wi-fi market and will have more than 4,000 hotspots by the end of the year, according to a new report from Gartner.
Users with wi-fi enabled laptops and PDAs can now access the internet from a variety of locations including railway stations, airport lounges, coffee shops and cafes. The study claims that 456,000 Britons will use the technology this year, increasing to 1.5 million by 2005.
Gartner estimates that the number of UK hotspots will reach 4,100 this year, equivalent to 27% of the European total. Germany will be the continent’s second largest market with 23% of all wi-fi hotspots.
Analysts remain divided about the potential impact of wireless fidelity services although ABI estimates that worldwide hotspots will grow from 28,000 this year to more than 160,000 by 2007 (see Wi-Fi Hotspots On Verge Of Growth, Says Report).
