Customers at a hamburger shop use the restaurant's free wireless Internet access service. (MOS Food Service)

Whereas Internet cafes used to be one of the only ways for people to go online away from home, recently wireless local area networks have created "hot spots" in cities where people whose notebook computers or personal digital assistants have wireless LAN cards can access the Internet. Many businesses, particularly restaurants, are making use of this technology to lure customers.

Wireless LANs Appearing in Schools and Homes
When wireless LANs first made their appearance, they could be found only in a few hotels or coffee shops, but this year many businesses have been installing wireless LANs for the convenience of their customers. One after another, such chains as McDonald's, MOS Burger, Mister Donut, Starbucks Coffee, and Denny's have been creating hot spots in certain model outlets. In addition, rail companies like the East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) have been creating hot spots inside of stations, and some districts and cities are now working to make their entire area a hot spot.

Wireless LANs are making their way into other places as well. For households with more than one computer, a wireless LAN is beginning to be seen as a necessity. Previously, families that wanted to access the Internet from multiple computers often connected the terminals to the same phone line using a splitter. But as only one computer at a time could log onto the Net, this sometimes inconvenienced other family members. With a wireless LAN, however, multiple terminals can be connected to a single line, and everyone in the family can use the Internet at the same time if they choose. As it is not at all uncommon for each member of a family to have his or her own computer these days, the number of wireless LANs in people's homes is quickly growing.

And as schools come to have an increasing number of computers, more and more people are wanting to connect terminals via LAN so that they can share information, and efforts in this direction are taking shape. In Kawakami, a village in Nagano Prefecture, a local elementary school has connected all of its 42 mobile computers - one for each of the 37 students and five for the teachers - via wireless LAN. Now a picture taken by a student with a digital camera can be shared among everyone and become a topic of discussion.

By taking advantage of hot spots, a computer user can check his or her e-mail and surf the Web. A salesperson away from the office can connect to the office network and work the same as if he or she were there in person. In addition, special Websites are being prepared for individual hot spots, such as those that would provide users with maps and sightseeing information.

Broadband Paves the Way
Behind the increasing prevalence of hot spots has been the spread of broadband networks. The number of people subscribing to high-speed ADSL Internet access has increased rapidly since the summer of 2001. According to figures released by the government, ADSL users totaled 3.6 million as of the end of July 2002, more than nine times the figure a year earlier. Many of these people have since constructed wireless LANs at home, and these networks are becoming commonplace.

The Japanese government has put forth an "e-Japan Strategy," which aims at making Japan the most advanced country in information technology and promotes the spread of broadband infrastructure. In order to make more use of wireless LANs, the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts, and Telecommunications is looking into making revisions to some laws.

At present, most of the wireless LANs in Japan use the IEEE 802.11b wireless standard, which operates in the 2.4-GHz frequency band and can achieve a transmission speed of 11 Mbps. In the world of IT, there are high hopes for the IEEE 802.11a standard, which will operate in the 5-GHz band. As there is less traffic in this higher band, transmission speed improves to 54 Mbps. In Japan, though, outdoor use of the 5-GHz band has up to now been prohibited by law, so a wireless LAN based on the IEEE 802.11a standard is limited to indoor use. But on August 17 the Radio Regulatory Council deemed a revision to the law appropriate, and the use of the 5-GHz band for outdoor wireless LANs became possible. Notification of a revision to the law is expected sometime in early September, so wireless LANs and hot spots appear likely to continue to spread throughout Japan.