Wifi is wonderful - Official

Wifi may be the wonderful wireless technology that frees our bytes but consumers want more access, more hotspots and more speed. So says new research sponsored by T-Mobile and YouGov.

According to the pair who teamed up to look at what wifi users want, more than half of those asked want access on trains and in shopping centres. Ignoring calls for more exercise, it seems even parks – historically known as open spaces for kicking or batting balls – should get in line with trends in technology and install wifi as soon as possible.

And as if we’re not fed up enough with technology interfering with our travelling, almost 25 per cent of those questioned said they wanted wifi on the tube.

Jay Saw, HotSpot manager, T-Mobile UK says wifi is becoming an integral part of daily life. “Laptops are replacing desktops because people want to be free to move around and they want wifi wherever they go.”

The research also demonstrates that the uptake of wifi has increased significantly over the last year, and that people are using it as much for their ordinary lives as they do for business. 45 per cent of users surveyed said they began using wifi within the last 12 months, whilst a further 45 per cent stated that they use the service to keep in touch with friends and family whilst on the move.

Asked when we could expect to see wifi being used as a replacement for cellular voice Saw said: “There still remain massive challenges to making a device that is voice capable across wifi which is a great compliment to 3G.”