Chesham is a sleepy little British town that is now lucky enough to benefit from built-in street Wi-Fi so that any pedestrian walking down the lane can connect. Virgin Media has built underground access points around the center of town and the large Lowndes Park that stretches 26 meters. These points eventually link up to the local fiber-optic network through the Internet source's street cabinets.
Not only is this incredibly convenient, but the street Wi-Fi is actually also incredibly fast. The downloading speed can reach 166 Mb/s, which translates into 35 seconds for a TV show.
Joining other public Wi-Fi efforts, like New York City's repurposed connected phone booths, Virgin Media joins Google in the move to make public, free Internet access the norm.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- In-street Wifi
- Developing in-street WiFi access could change the way people interact with public spaces, revolutionizing how they work and communicate on the go.
- Fast Public Wifi
- Developing faster public WiFi could be a game-changer for people and cities as it allows faster access to online resources for people on the go.
- Free Public Wifi
- Offering free public WiFi access empowers people and helps bridge the digital divide by enabling even those who can't afford internet access to get online.
Where This Applies
- Telecommunications
- The telecommunications industry can benefit from the growth of in-street WiFi as the technology can improve mobile internet speeds and facilitate communication across different devices, leading to new opportunities for innovation and growth.
- Smart Cities
- The smart cities industry can benefit from the growth of in-street WiFi as it enables the deployment of IoT devices that connect city systems like traffic control, parking, and even public health, creating new opportunities for improvement and innovation.
- Retail
- The retail industry can benefit from the growth of in-street WiFi as it can facilitate mobile payments and in-store experiences enabled by AR/VR technologies that require efficient and fast internet speeds.
