As wireless LAN grow within corporations, the desire to extend support follows naturally. Cahners estimated that the number of 802.11 based access points shipped each year will nearly triple from 1.2 million in 2001 to 3.5 million in 2005. The firm expects yearly 802.11 network interface card (NIC) shipments to jump from 6.3 million last year to 19.4 million in2005.
In fact, most of the major notebook computer markers ship products today with embedded 802.11 NICs. Combine that with the fact that Microsoft has embedded wi-fi capabilities into Windows XP and it is clear that, like it or not, there is a wi-fi user base growing up around you.
The XP operating system automatically searches for a Wi-Fi access point and if it finds one, asks the user if he would like to use the service. “We had users signing up for our service before it was even announced” says Tim Barrett, vice president of Airpath.
Wi-Fi support can indeed draw business. Mark Hedley , CTO at hotelier Wyndham International, based in Dallas, says his company is “most certainly taking conference business away from other hotels “ thanks to the 802.11 connectivity in 148 of its properties.
Wireless provider Wayport ate the up front capital costs, Hedley says. “You will not likely see much more of that in the wake of the dot-com demise. At the time, every one expected a 20% consumption rate, but it is actually been more like 2% to 4%.
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