Hungry for Better WiFi

 

hungry.jpg

Broadband connectivity – it has become like air to me. I suffocate when I don’t have it and the faster the broadband access I have, the better I feel. So when I enter a restaurant and the WiFi is on but locked I just go crazy. I have become so accustomed to having fast broadband access everywhere, I just can’t understand when a restaurant doesn’t provide it. Worse yet is having a WiFi signal with an SSID with the name of a restaurant and a locked signal.

Restaurant owners are better off leaving the ID as Linksys or Netgear or just making something up like “Have a nice day.”

Recently my travel department was instructed by me that my flights must all have WiFi on them. That means I cancelled flights I would have taken on American Airlines and JetBlue in favor of Virgin America because with this carrier, WiFi is guaranteed. Of course this applies to domestic flights for now.

Yes, WiFi is now more important to me than frequent flyer miles. Who would have thought? Wow!

I see this trend eventually hitting restaurants. Already, TMC group lunches where work needs to be done typically take place where WiFi is available.

Do you want WiFi where you eat and fly? What do you think?

  • Peter Radizeski
    July 7, 2009 at 12:31 am

    I think you need to learn to unplug.
    I dread flights with Wi-Fi. People already are super rude on the cell phone. (Hang up when you are in the bathroom please. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?) I don’t need the guy next to me on my flight yammering on VoIP while the guy in front of me has his greasy hair in my lap due to the closeness of the reclining seats. (Yes, it’s AA!)

  • Rich Tehrani
    July 7, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Peter — obviously it depends on what you do but the most productive people win the war.
    And connectivity=productivity.
    In our business — and you know this as well as me, readers want the best and most and fastest information possible.
    To be disconnected means I become less productive and as a result our product becomes worse.
    Granted there are many other people who manage the news flow here but I like to think my personal touch adds a little something.
    The good news for you is that VoIP doesn’t work on flights as of today — they have barred it.

  • Peter Radizeski
    July 7, 2009 at 12:28 pm

    I don’t think being disconnected while traveling is Unproductive. (Magazines? Books? Rest? Podcasts?) I can still write blogs and articles, I just can’t post them.
    Also, I know people are circumventing the Wi-Fi to use VoIP. Just like I have seen people use their cell phones in-flight.
    When did we become a society that needs to be so connected? It’s the same with social networking, but what happened to Face-to-face and down time?

  • Rich Tehrani
    July 8, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    Peter — agreed magazines are important and boost productivity — in fact TMC makes a whole bunch of good ones that I love to read.
    The answer to your question about when we became a society which has to be connected all the time — I personally feel that in a global economy where competition comes from all countries and is becoming fiercer than ever, you have to work harder to be the best.
    It is the basic human drive to succeed coupled with leading-edge tools that allow us to produce more, work harder and compete more vigorously than ever before.
    Where should the line be drawn on work Vs. downtime? I am not sure. At some point we decided voicemail would increase productivity and then email and then laptops and then Blackberrys and now 24×7 connectivity. Which of these could I give up now? None.
    I realize not everyone agrees and these people will be the first to be let go during a slow-down. Peter this obviously doesn’t apply to you as with your vast knowledge of all things telecom and work ethic you are a role model to many. I also agree that we all need downtime to spend with our families and to pursue our hobbies and to give back to our communities.
    In this economic environment though I encourage all people to work harder, longer and stay connected so they can produce more for their companies to help ensure they continue to have a job.
    After all, we can’t cost-cut our way to growth and growth is a what the global economy desperately needs.

Leave Your Comment


 

Loading
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap