Can Public Hotspots Make Money? Report from the 802.11 Planet Conference on the viability of commercial public wi-fi access. [via Techdirt]

Analysts said the market for public hotspots, despite all the hype, doesn't appear all that large, except for niche providers for business travelers. According to Cahners InStat analyst Gemma Paolo, today there are just 41,000 hotspot subscribers.