Comment: All change for public hotspots

Even in better times - yes, there were some once - the summer tends to see a downturn in IT spending. Even IT managers are human, and with the prospect of two weeks on a turquoise beach, infrastructure plans seem like something best to postpone until September.

But it may be that, thanks to recent changes in government legislation, it's when you start your long-awaited holiday journey that you'll see the results of the latest connectivity fad to sweep the nation. I'm talking about wireless hotspots.

Wireless-networking technology has been getting more interesting with the rise of 802.11b and 802.11a standards. It is seen as a useful way for home users and small firms to network devices together, but wireless networking has been regarded as a side issue for managers of larger corporate networks.

True, it might be nice to create a hotspot in the canteen so that your staff can work on their PCs even as they slurp their decaff coffee and breakfast bagels, but it is unlikely to be a priority in the current climate.

But there is another aspect to the rollout of wireless. Not much more than a month ago, the government changed radio frequency licensing regulations to allow the development and implementation of 802.11b wireless hotspots using the 2.4GHz frequency for commercial purposes. The regulations come into effect at the end of this month.

This means that firms can create wireless hotspots and sell access to them here in the UK. BT has already unveiled a UK-wide plan for hotspots at public places such as hotels - in fact the announcement preceded the change in regulations, leading to speculation that BT knew something the rest of us didn't. Rival Megabeam has announced a similar scheme in conjunction with Railtrack for hotspots at major UK railway stations, while Cisco is implementing a network of wireless hotspots at European airports.

This flurry of activity opens up the possibility of extending your company VPN into the departure lounge of your local airport or railway station, provided services are priced sensibly. For travellers who rely on a connected notebook to run their lives, this could be a real boon. Pretty soon, if your company has bought into the service and installed the necessary wireless hardware on employees' machines, they will be able to check up on email and surf the Internet while waiting for their plane to take off.

So expect a knock on your door from one of these users in a few weeks, asking for wireless access on their machine. A year later, expect another visit as they ask to upgrade to the faster 802.11a when the frequency is released by government and hotspots get the upgrade - some products support both standards in any case. But be aware that specifications have been massaged by some vendors to improve speed, range and other characteristics of the basic 802.11b, so make sure anything you use conforms fully to the documented standard.

And as a regular First Great Western passenger, I can see a real benefit in using the 802.11b wireless service at Paddington. Using the Internet, I'll be able to find out just how late my incoming train is going to be, long before they tell me over the PA system at the station...

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