NEWS
Wireless internet access is booming with more and more business users logging on in airports, cafés and hotels.
Worldwide wi-fi hotspot usage by business users shot up by 68 per cent in the first half of this year, compared to the second half of 2006, with airports topping the list of places where workers log on wirelessly, according to a survey.
Business travellers making the most of downtime at airports and hotels accounted for more than five out of every six wi-fi sessions globally, with airport usage making up 56 per cent and hotels 30 per cent of all sessions.
London's Heathrow airport was the fifth most popular worldwide wi-fi airport in the first half of 2007, with O'Hare International in Chicago coming first and Dallas-Fort Worth International second.
Wi-fi at the airport
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The findings from iPass, based on its own user base, reveal the extent to which people now rely on wi-fi - especially the world's business travellers.
René Hendrikse, iPass's EMEA managing director, said European business people have an "insatiable appetite" for wi-fi connectivity and the regional and global growth reflects a confidence within companies to let business travellers use technology to remain productive and efficient while away from the office.
Wi-fi Hotspot Index from iPass
Top 10 countries
1. US
2. UK
3. Germany
4. Switzerland
5. Netherlands
6. France
7. Japan
8. Australia
9. Spain
10. Sweden
Top 10 cities*
1. London
2. New York
3. Chicago
4. Houston
5. Dallas
6. Singapore
7.San Francisco
8. Munich
9. San Jose
10. Los Angeles
* excluding airport and hotel usage
London built on its previous position as the number one worldwide wi-fi city - with 124 per cent growth in the first half of 2007 compared to the second half of 2006, and the average user spending 49 minutes online. Nearly four times as much wi-fi was used in London during the first half of 2007 than in second place city New York.
But the US is still the leading wi-fi country, with 56 per cent of the global wi-fi usage. The UK is in second place, with 13 per cent.
European growth outpaced the US, increasing its worldwide share of wi-fi usage from 31 per cent to 36 per cent in the previous six months.
