Seaside surfing: Brighton has taken a lead in providing Wi-Fi hotspots for public access to the Internet. But how will the commercial services fare against their free rivals, and who should pay to train staff at hotspots to give support?

New Media Age,  August, 2004  by Wendy McAuliffe

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A wireless cloud has been spreading over the seaside town of Brighton for the past 18 months, creating the impression that a technical revolution is underway. Free wireless surfing has sprung up between the two piers, and pubs have become adorned with large black banners advertising free Internet access over a pint.

Commercial Wi-Fi networks like The Cloud, T-Mobile and BT Openzone have also been busy installing hotspots in public venues, meaning in theory that anyone with a Wi-Fi laptop can get out of the office and work from a pub or deckchair.

The city has caught ...