At this point, we should be looking at the sunset of public Wi-Fi with a sense of nostalgia.
My first thought when reporting the story of Boingo Wireless outfitting New York City subway stations was, "Why?"
Why is this going to take five years? Why won't Wi-Fi work in all of the tunnels? Why am I going to pull out an expensive laptop in a U.S. subway station? Why am I going to pay $5 (or whatever) for the privilege of working on a hard subway bench inundated by rumbling, roaring trains, arrival announcements, the chatter of strangers, and crying children? And why do I want Wi-Fi, anyway?
I don't. But the world's cellular providers can't seem to put Wi-Fi out of business, that's why.
Within the home, Wi-Fi makes sense. Ethernet or coaxial cable drops are prohibitively expensive and limiting. A properly secured, high-speed router can easily transmit an HD video stream wirelessly across the network, and next-generation 802.11ac routers from Netgear and others promise to make Wi-Fi even more effective.
Outside the home, though, the reality is that wireless broadband is simpler, faster, and more effective than Wi-Fi. Hardly a week goes by that either Verizon or AT&T doesn't announce new markets for their high-speed LTE networks, and even T-Mobile's HSPA+ network offers 42-Mbit speeds, enough to blow away a basic home broadband connection.
Cost, Coverage, Caps
In the Bay Area, where a few BART lines funnel commuters from the suburbs into the city, Wi-Fi Rail has worked to outfit all of BART's stations with Wi-Fi, including the underground stations.
A year ago for a story on Wi-Fi commute coverage within several major U.S. cities, I asked Wi-Fi Rail for an update. A year later, I don't care. The entire line, including the Transbay Tube and other tunnels, have 3G connectivity, installed by BART. That's all I need.
New York's robust infrastructure works against it, however. Forget ever connecting inside the miles of tunnels. "I live in an area that has above-ground subways, where 3G works," our New York-based reporter, Angela Moscaritolo, told me. "As soon as the train pulls above ground everyone on the train pulls out their phone."
That's the way it used to be in the Bay Area, too. But, honestly, I'm sure most New Yorkers would prefer to have the MTA install 3G/4G connections inside those stations. And five years?! Come on.
Wi-Fi's the tried-and-true alternative for convention centers, railway stations, subways - every enclosed location that's surrounded by steel and glass. Likewise, Wi-Fi is the "terrorist-free" connectivity solution for airplanes, although the plane itself uses an EV-DO wireless backhaul for air-to-ground communication. Finally, of course, those fancy 4G connections aren't quite ubiquitous – although they will be.
One "C," convenience, actually works against Wi-Fi hotspots. "Wi-Fi is a good idea, but a lot of people I know, including myself, have real problems connecting phones to Wi-Fi hotspots that have captive portals which make you agree to terms of service first," our New York-based mobile editor, Sascha Segan, noted. "That's because the first thing you think of on a phone isn't 'open the browser and check to see if you have to agree to terms of service.' Rather, you open your email or New York Times app, try to sync, see it isn't syncing, and give up on the Wi-Fi hotspot. So I'd rather see 3G - it's just simpler."
But there's a reason that Wi-Fi-equipped cafes have continued to thrive. A few years ago, Wi-Fi offered the bandwidth that 3G couldn't. Now, Wi-Fi is the "free" alternative to the rising costs of high-speed cellular connections, and the data caps that go hand-in-hand. Really, if Verizon and the other cellular providers offered truly, honest-to-goodness, no cross-your-fingers and hide-the-AUP, unlimited plans, there would be little need for Wi-Fi outside the home.
But until that happens, and if it ever does, products like the LTE iPad will be the toys of the rich. And companies like Boingo will stay in business.
For more from Mark, follow him on Twitter @MarkHachman.
