Right now there are 1.3 million public Wi-Fi spots around the world, but Informa reckons that's going to jump to 5.8 million by 2015 with tablets and smartphones driving the deployments. Those figures don't include the 4.5 million "community" hotspots – privately owned but publically shared – the 5.8 million hotspots up and …

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Wednesday 9th November 2011 16:23 GMT Anonymous Coward

What happened to WiMAX?

As above.

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1. Wednesday 9th November 2011 17:34 GMT jonathanb
  
  WiMAX is a 4G technology. LTE is the other. At some point after the analogue switch off and the resolution of the various court cases between the mobile telcos and OFCOM, there will be a 4G spectrum auction.
  
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Wednesday 9th November 2011 16:56 GMT Yet Another Anonymous coward

What about GSM

Surely the underage 9 x10^8 Hz band should ban content while the adult 18 x10^8 Hz band could allow it?

In the US of course you would need to be over the 19 x10^8 Hz for porn and over the 21 x10^8 band to see mention of booze.

See once you explain the technology in terms a government minister can understand it's easy!

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1. Wednesday 9th November 2011 20:01 GMT Chad H.
  
  Porns blocked on GSM GPRS and Edge
  
  You have to go through the same gatekeeper... Although I have to giggle each time I read a post on a network operators forum threatening to leave because of the kiddy filter. Iirc only three turn it off by default and then only on pay monthly; but they're never the operator the outraged customer is threatening to move to.
  
  That said the article is wrong on one point - the solution isn't kiddy filters on 2.4Ghz; the solution is to get the government out of the censorship business and for parents to take responsibility (and they complain that todays yoof is irresponsible...)
  
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Wednesday 9th November 2011 16:58 GMT Scott Broukell

Does this mean ....

..... I will, at last, get better reception of the Home Service on my crystal set ?

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Wednesday 9th November 2011 20:11 GMT Charlie Clark

Sounds a lot, isn't really

1.3 million worldwide? So, one for every 5,500 people. Even going up by a factor of five that's not impressive.

WiFi is cheap but it is also technologically challenged with the spectral efficiency of a "top Whitehall department" and the energy efficiency of Rusatom as anyone will know who's ever run one in a block of flats with a lot of geeks around.

Bill seems have to avoided it but I guess the reason for network operators wanting to offer WiFi hotspots for data is because they can save money on infrastructure bay having less of it and by not having to worry so much about QoS or by having signal towers close enough to provide a signal in people's homes. Any numbers on what will happen to signals in the 2.4 GHz band as unmanaged contention continues to rise? I think I'm going to apply for a job writing excuses "the reason you can't get a connection is because it was the wrong kind of website", "you're holding it wrong", "they told us home entertainment systems in the same band wouldn't be a problem", etc.

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