Hot spots refuse to cool down

Though no one is still quite sure of its business model, the Wi-Fi hot spot sector is not losing any steam. According to the Telecommunications Industry Association's annual market review and forecast, the number of hot spots in the U.S. is expected to double in two years. But don't expect the wireless coffee shop paradigm to change. Of the 44,600 projected U.S. hot spots in service in 2007, 32,692 of them will be located in Starbucks or the storefronts of its competitors. That doesn't mean you have to be a coffee addict to enjoy Wi-Fi, but you'll probably have to be on the road a lot. The number of hot spots in hotels and convention halls is expected to more than double by 2007, and the number of hot spots available via train, terminals, airports and even on airplanes is expected to grow from the 144 recorded in 2003 to 714 in 2007.