Wi-Fi Hotspots Proliferating In Ireland

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

06 February 2003

Fierce competition has erupted in Ireland to offer so-called 802.11b Wi-Fi services, allowing high-speed Internet access. Based on Wireless LANs, the 'hotspot' services are based on a specification called 802.11b, which allows Internet connection at up to 11 mbps. Private hotspots have been springing up across the country lately, but now major carriers are offering public services.

Esat BT said its first public wireless local area network (WLAN) would go live at the end of February at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, while O2 Ireland says that it is an active player in the public Wi-Fi market, with services up and running in 12 locations across Ireland. Wayport, a US company, has also been operating a public 802.11b network in Ireland at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin since last year.

Eircom and Vodafone are on the sidelines so far, but are said to be considering their own public Wi-Fi services. But the latest and unexpected entrant into the market is the Chester Beatty Library at Dublin Castle. The museum said on Tuesday that it would offer visitors free access to its 802.11b network, providing they have their own laptop and network card.

"Use of this technology to access the Internet is becoming increasingly popular with Irish businesses, however, public access to the service is not yet widely available," said Museum Director Dr. Michael Ryan. "The Chester Beatty Library is leading the way in providing this service free of charge."

O2 charges euros10 per month for one hour of connect time, plus two euros for each additional 20 minutes; Esat BT's subscription plan costs 32 euros per month for 300 minutes, plus 24 cents for each additional minute.

O2 says it has invested 1.9 million euros in Wi-Fi in Ireland, and is planning to expand rapidly, with hotels and transport terminals as priority targets.

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