Whatever happened to public wi-fi?
What's your biggest technology disappointment? For me, it's pervasive public wi-fi.
Only a few years back a whole host of commercial and community schemes were underway in the UK and elsewhere which promised to blanket towns in free - or very cheap - wireless connectivity.
But as I wander round Britain or visit the United States - I rarely find wi-fi that is both easy to use and affordable.
I'm far more likely to get on the internet on the move using either a 3G phone, or a USB mobile broadband dongle (not cheap either - but easier) and given the soaring data traffic across mobile networks, I suspect that's the same for many people.
Municipal wi-fi, which attracted a lot of interest and investment in the early part of the decade, has proved something of a "bubble" phenomenon with many projects abandoned and others failing to deliver a return for their investors.
這篇BBC的文章寫的是許多英國用戶（至少作者本人）對以Wi-Fi技術為基礎的公共無線網路感到失望。
我自己2006年起就寫過多篇文章指出，Wi-Fi不會是大範圍公眾無線網路系統的良好選擇，更不會是某些官方宣傳中所說的，可以取代部分的家用網路。現在，雖然英國號稱全國安裝了超過50萬個基地台，但作者仍然認為這項建設因為很難用、而且費用太昂貴，所以是完全的失敗。
我不是很清楚英國的確實狀況，但以台北而言，問題不僅出在Wi-Fi技術並不適當，更糟糕的是某些政府官員（包括當時的馬市長）和企業的短視、以及對於技術的誤判。
現在，這些廠商和「業界專家」開始鼓吹WiMAX技術，作為廣域Wi-Fi網路的「新世代」。有趣的是，許多人不承認台北的無線網路是一項失敗，但卻在它根本沒有起飛之前就幫它找到了下一代；對我來說，這並不像是成功的樣子。
回到WiMAX。我也不認為它是取代廣域Wi-Fi最好的選擇；對我來說，3G或新一代以類似行動電話技術為基礎的網路，會是比較好的解決方案。詳細理由請參閱上面連結中的舊文。
這篇BBC文章中提到的幾項理由和狀況，跟我先前想的都十分類似；接下來，我也等著看這些根本不在外面行動工作的官兒們會搞出什麼新把戲。
I've been writing since 2006 (in Chinese) saying that municipal Wi-Fi won't be a viable solution to most mobile (and residential, as said by many government propaganda) users in the city. Now, even in UK where over "half a million" hotspot were installed, this article still consider it a fail.
I don't really know what happened in UK, but to Taipei, technical "inappropriateness" is not the only reason; shortsightedness and ignorance of politicians (read: the then-Taipei Mayor Ma) and business people are to blame.
Now they are bragging about WiMAX as a municipal Wi-Fi replacement. The funny thing is that they don't admit that municipal Wi-Fi is already a failure, but they are boasting a replacement for it before it really takes off. I wouldn't call this a success.
Back to WiMAX. This is neither a technology for my appetite (in Chinese) as I prefer 3G or similar cell technology-based solutions such as 4G or LTE.
This BBC article says the same thing as I've written in the past, and I am waiting to see what's next from those high-rank stars who don't work outside their office at all.
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