'It's a wi-fi network - and it's an ad'

Wi-fi networks in the UK will increasingly be used not just as a way to get those with laptops, PDAs and other devices onto the internet but as a way to bring more business to websites or physical premises through advertising.

In the latest report from Kaspersky Lab, Wardriving in London 2007, the Russian company mentions a growing trend for what it terms 'subliminal advertising'.

The report says: "Every client attempting to connect to a network will look at the list of accessible networks. Using web addresses as hotspot names can serve as an additional means of attracting new clients to the site."

Wireless from A to Z

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A is for Antivirus
B is for Bluetooth
C is for The Cloud
D is for dotMobi
E is for Email
F is for FMC
G is for GPS
H is for HSDPA
I is for i-mode
J is for Japan Air
K is for Korea
L is for LBS
M is for M2M
N is for NFC
O is for Operating systems
P is for Pubs
Q is for QoS
R is for Roaming
S is for Satellite
T is for TV
U is for UMTS
V is for Virgin
W is for WiMax
X is for XDA
Y is for Yucca
Z is for Zigbee

And just as a website address used as a network's name attracts wi-fi users to an online store, for example, so too could a network ID be a simple message - imagine 'Drink and relax at Indie Café', in an area of well-known coffee shop chains, many with their own wi-fi offerings.

Kaspersky said it first saw the trend in Warsaw, where such advertising accounts for some three per cent of all network IDs. In London, the recent trawl around the City and Canary Wharf - so-called wardriving - showed about one per cent of networks trying to entice customers in this way.

In April this year HSBC kicked off ads sent to mobile phones using near-range Bluetooth wireless technology. The bank is trialling the service at two locations in London and relies on open connections on phones and a first message asking permission for the bank to send a promotional follow-up.