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TFrame
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
64 Posts |
 Posted - 17/10/2005 : 11:02:49
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WiFi hot spots, which first appeared in urban coffee houses in the late 1990s, are spreading rapidly, said Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the WiFi Alliance, an Austin, Texas-based trade group of semiconductor, telecommunications and other companies
Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2005/10/16/boaters_no_longer_must_leave_the_water_to_surf_the_web/
GROTON, Conn. --Surfing the Web has become a bit more literal pastime for pleasure boaters as marinas across the nation begin offering high-speed wireless Internet access.
At the Noank Shipyard in Groton, an antenna moored to a fuel shack just a few feet from the choppy waters of Long Island Sound allows customers to check their e-mail and access work from their computers without ever coming ashore.
"If you hang out on a boat Saturday and Sunday, it's because you work Monday to Friday," said Russell Schmidt, co-owner of Beacon WiFi, a wireless provider based in Wilton. "What if you could finagle working from your boat on Friday? That's where it has really taken off, where people are using their boats more. They can continue to live a professional life."
Beacon serves boat owners at more than 130 marinas from Falmouth, Mass., to the Florida Keys and north to Mobile, Ala., Schmidt said. His business takes in marinas in wealthy enclaves such as Sag Harbor on the eastern end of Long Island, Block Island, R.I., and Charleston, S.C.
Beacon and other companies are working to fill in blank spots where WiFi doesn't reach between marinas up and down America's coastlines.
"It's basically mega-yacht trail," Schmidt said. "Our goal is to connect the dots and have as many ports along the way."
Customers can choose from plans that cost $30 a month for a year, $59 month-to-month or $39.99 a month for a six-month contract, he said.
Gary Powers has been living on a boat for most of the last 30 years. He is now harbor master at a marina in North Fort Myers, Fla., and said the advent of wireless technology has made his life easier.
"In the past I had to go to the office," he said. "It's pretty handy to reach over and go online. It's really nice."
WiFi hot spots, which first appeared in urban coffee houses in the late 1990s, are spreading rapidly, said Frank Hanzlik, managing director of the WiFi Alliance, an Austin, Texas-based trade group of semiconductor, telecommunications and other companies.
They can help draw customers to marinas, truck stops, shops for car oil changes, doctors' office waiting rooms and other places that have captive audiences, he said.
"You could sit at the Clam Shack with a cup of chowder and figure out what the stock market is doing," said Kathleen Burns, general manager of the Groton shipyard.
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Boaters no longer have leave the water to surf
