The rise and rise of free Wi-Fi?

22 Nov 2011

Mobile professionals are starting to view free wireless internet access as an amenity, not a luxury add-on, in a whole range of public spaces, as Jessica Twentyman explains.

But a couple of announcements in the past week suggest that more and more UK businesses are waking up to the benefits of offering customers free wi-fi.

Pizza Express, for example, has announced that it is rolling out free wi-fi services across its 384 UK restaurants. The service will be provide by The Cloud, part of BSkyB, which already provides similar services to McDonalds, Pret a Manger and JD Wetherspoon, with a network of over 4,500 public access hotspots across the country.

"The roll-out satisfies growing consumer demand for free access to the web in our restaurants, and the convenience and flexibility that brings," explained PizzaExpress IT director John Sullivan.

National Express, too, is on a journey to free wireless internet. It has announced that passengers on its coaches between Stansted Airport and London can now stay connected, at no extra charge, while on the move. In this case, the connectivity is provided by Icomera, using a continuous connectivity device it calls the Moovbox.

"Using mobile technology will be an increasingly important part of what we offer our customers," said Andrew Cleaves, managing director of National Express UK.

Offering free wi-fi makes good sense for many businesses, despite initial set-up costs. Being able to check emails, browse the Internet or communicate with friends and family on social networks attracts customers to a particular brand, keeps them loyal to it, and, in the case of restaurants, pubs or cafes, can persuade them to extend their visit and make add-on purchases. That’s as true for small, local businesses as it is for major chains.

Some may be prepared to use their 3G networks to access the Internet, of course, but performance issues and cost will deter many. Plus, there's an increasing resistance among consumers for paying for access to a wi-fi hotspot, particularly the inconvenience of submitting their credit card details over an unfamiliar web form.

In short, there's a growing expectation that free wireless internet access should be just another customer amenity, like sachets of ketchup or toilet facilities. It is, for example, is the most sought-after amenity for hotel guests, according to a survey of 53,000 travellers conducted in September 2010 by JD Power & Associates. It found that, no matter what the class of hotel, free wi-fi ranked above complimentary breakfast and free parking as a hotel 'must-have'.

"Trending indicates that guests are starting to expect wireless Internet access in their hotel rooms," said Mark Schwartz, director of the global hospitality and travel practice at JD Power. "In today's digitally connected world, being able to use mobile devices or computers without interruption is considered a comfort of home that should extend to the hotel experience."

Over time, that will be true of all manner of public spaces. Increased demand for mobility, the use of media-rich applications and the exploding number of users armed with wi-fi enabled devices are here to stay.