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I don’t know if you have noticed but there have been some major setbacks in the efforts to bring WiFi to the masses.

Wisconsin killed their WiFi efforts due to poor economics of the project. CalTrain canceled their bid process for WiFi on their rail system, Earthlink most likely will never build Houston’s public WiFi network due to economic concerns, San Francisco canceled their previously green lighted WiFi project, Springfield Illinois abandoned WiFi for WiMax, the list goes on in the very public humiliation of the popular home wireless networking standard. Even the gold standard, Google FREE WiFi, and they see only 15,000 unique users each month which is VERY LOW considering the population density in the 12 square mile network.

In contrast use of cellular data cards are growing exponentially as lower data prices and improvements in the network transmission speeds continue. As opposed to WiFi Verizon Wireless has 100% EVDO Revision A coverage for their entire network, bringing DSL “broadband” speeds to over 150 million people. Far more then any WiFi provider could do.

Even if WiFi is able to ramp up and get total coverage in at least 80 cities that is smaller then the cellular broadband footprint by its smallest provider – AT&T, and most likely these WiFi networks will be operated by independent companies offering no interoperability. WiFi network operators can’t even get their act together in the nations airports, when I land I’m not sure if there is even going to be a WiFi connection and if there is it is a tossup on what provider it will be.

Unfortunately, I think the age of public WiFi has come and gone and the providers of wireless broadband will be phone companies over some form of cellular network and WiFi will stay regulated to the home.