United

Hoteliers warned: Don't risk losing business by fleecing wi-fi guests

MICEBTN archive stories issue 28
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
BUSINESS travellers increasingly are making decisions about where to stay based on value-add facilities offered by individual hotels — and free wireless access is high on their list.

It’s become such an issue that a few months ago, IT commentator Silicom.con launched a ‘free wi-fi’ campaign aimed initially at UK business hotels, claiming some charges are a ‘rip off’.

“I refuse to believe all the revenue is being ploughed into providing the service, in fact I refuse to believe even 10 per cent, in the majority of cases, is going into providing a service that paying guests have a right to expect will be provided free, as part of the overall service covered by the room charge,” said Silicon.com’s Will Sturgess.

Posing as a potential customer, Silicon.com found prices ranged ‘from free, to very high’, with some of the better services promising wireless access in public areas and rooms, while others were limited to specific areas of the hotel, such as the lobby.

The Silicon.com report can be viewed at

ww.silicon.com/research/specialreports/travel/0,3800011481,39163892,00.htm.

The growth of wi-fi hotspots also is prompting warnings about identity theft.

Security expert Phil Cracknell, president of the UK’s Information Systems Security Association, has warned on ArsTechnica.com that it’s buyer-beware on free wi-fi hotspots. He says there’s a growing number of instances of so-called ‘evil twin’ attacks, in which a malicious user sets up an open wi-fi network and then monitors traffic in order to intercept private data.

He said there’s little to stop identity thieves setting up rogue wi-fi access points that they can use to collect private user information — they need little more than a laptop with a USB wi-fi adapter and some special software. According to Cracknell, these schemes can be difficult to trace, and allow culprits to “harvest some incredible information in a short span of time.” His article is at: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070425-attack-of-the-evil-twin-wifi-networks.html

Meanwhile, Singapore and London now have wireless networks, with Singapore developed as a free network and the UK capital’s ‘Square Mile’ operating free for its first month thanks to Nokia sponsorship.

Already, the government-backed, wireless LAN deployment in Singapore has registered more than 150,000 registrations since parts of the network were switched on in December 2006. The total network is expected to cost about $100 million when it is fully completed this year. Operator Firetide says that the island’s geography and development mean the island isn’t radio-friendly, with high-rises, hills, and narrow streets. “It’s a dense environment,” marketing manager Ksenia Coffman said, adding that the company has tried to manage users’ expectations.

This has meant ensuring Singaporeans and tourists understand the network is free, public-access and not intended to provide residential access. “If users do get coverage in their house it is basically incidental,” Coffman said.

The Singapore network is initially intended purely for free wi-fi access. Operators will be able to add premium services, such as VOIP and video, later.

The City of London initiative, run by operator The Cloud, required an initial mesh network of 127 nodes on lamp posts and street signs around the financial district, the so called ‘Square Mile’. A mesh network makes connections from one node to another rather than relying on each one connecting back to a core network separately.

London's network density is high compared to some other wi-fi installations. Taipei in Taiwan, experts say, has around 4,200 mesh nodes covering 52 square miles - a density of slightly more than 80 nodes per square mile.
“Metro wi-fi networks are changing the face of towns and cities around the world for both public access and public sector applications,” said Cloud chief strategy officer Niall Murphy.

Over time, the London network is planned to give coverage to 95 per cent of the Square Mile. The network is a wireless mesh, using technology from BelAir Networks.

Although it was launched free courtesy of Nokia’s sponsorship, the London network will cost users GBE11.99 (AUS$30) per month when the free period expires.

In associated news, knowing what’s available where before you leave home is behind CNET Networks UK’s wi-fi watch site www.atlarge.com.

The fledgling site has some current Australian information (when accessed late April 2007, Sydney airport had been rated by users, but for example, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth had not), but the idea appears good, with information on WiFi, 3G cellular, connection charges and other connectivity issues.

The site features user reviews and ratings on location, costs, ease of use, comfort, availability of power points and other factors. It is intended the site will eventually expand its coverage to cover major hotels, conference venues and other public areas.

HACTL
Cathay Cargo
United

Hoteliers warned: Don't risk losing business by fleecing wi-fi guests

MICEBTN archive stories issue 28
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
BUSINESS travellers increasingly are making decisions about where to stay based on value-add facilities offered by individual hotels — and free wireless access is high on their list.

It’s become such an issue that a few months ago, IT commentator Silicom.con launched a ‘free wi-fi’ campaign aimed initially at UK business hotels, claiming some charges are a ‘rip off’.

“I refuse to believe all the revenue is being ploughed into providing the service, in fact I refuse to believe even 10 per cent, in the majority of cases, is going into providing a service that paying guests have a right to expect will be provided free, as part of the overall service covered by the room charge,” said Silicon.com’s Will Sturgess.

Posing as a potential customer, Silicon.com found prices ranged ‘from free, to very high’, with some of the better services promising wireless access in public areas and rooms, while others were limited to specific areas of the hotel, such as the lobby.

The Silicon.com report can be viewed at

ww.silicon.com/research/specialreports/travel/0,3800011481,39163892,00.htm.

The growth of wi-fi hotspots also is prompting warnings about identity theft.

Security expert Phil Cracknell, president of the UK’s Information Systems Security Association, has warned on ArsTechnica.com that it’s buyer-beware on free wi-fi hotspots. He says there’s a growing number of instances of so-called ‘evil twin’ attacks, in which a malicious user sets up an open wi-fi network and then monitors traffic in order to intercept private data.

He said there’s little to stop identity thieves setting up rogue wi-fi access points that they can use to collect private user information — they need little more than a laptop with a USB wi-fi adapter and some special software. According to Cracknell, these schemes can be difficult to trace, and allow culprits to “harvest some incredible information in a short span of time.” His article is at: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070425-attack-of-the-evil-twin-wifi-networks.html

Meanwhile, Singapore and London now have wireless networks, with Singapore developed as a free network and the UK capital’s ‘Square Mile’ operating free for its first month thanks to Nokia sponsorship.

Already, the government-backed, wireless LAN deployment in Singapore has registered more than 150,000 registrations since parts of the network were switched on in December 2006. The total network is expected to cost about $100 million when it is fully completed this year. Operator Firetide says that the island’s geography and development mean the island isn’t radio-friendly, with high-rises, hills, and narrow streets. “It’s a dense environment,” marketing manager Ksenia Coffman said, adding that the company has tried to manage users’ expectations.

This has meant ensuring Singaporeans and tourists understand the network is free, public-access and not intended to provide residential access. “If users do get coverage in their house it is basically incidental,” Coffman said.

The Singapore network is initially intended purely for free wi-fi access. Operators will be able to add premium services, such as VOIP and video, later.

The City of London initiative, run by operator The Cloud, required an initial mesh network of 127 nodes on lamp posts and street signs around the financial district, the so called ‘Square Mile’. A mesh network makes connections from one node to another rather than relying on each one connecting back to a core network separately.

London's network density is high compared to some other wi-fi installations. Taipei in Taiwan, experts say, has around 4,200 mesh nodes covering 52 square miles - a density of slightly more than 80 nodes per square mile.
“Metro wi-fi networks are changing the face of towns and cities around the world for both public access and public sector applications,” said Cloud chief strategy officer Niall Murphy.

Over time, the London network is planned to give coverage to 95 per cent of the Square Mile. The network is a wireless mesh, using technology from BelAir Networks.

Although it was launched free courtesy of Nokia’s sponsorship, the London network will cost users GBE11.99 (AUS$30) per month when the free period expires.

In associated news, knowing what’s available where before you leave home is behind CNET Networks UK’s wi-fi watch site www.atlarge.com.

The fledgling site has some current Australian information (when accessed late April 2007, Sydney airport had been rated by users, but for example, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth had not), but the idea appears good, with information on WiFi, 3G cellular, connection charges and other connectivity issues.

The site features user reviews and ratings on location, costs, ease of use, comfort, availability of power points and other factors. It is intended the site will eventually expand its coverage to cover major hotels, conference venues and other public areas.

HACTL
Cathay Cargo
HACTL
Cathay Cargo