Further details on Rogers and Second Cup

Tyler Hamilton writes about the new Rogers/Second Cup collaboration to bring hot spots to your favorite coffee shop... This time it looks like they will be added to your cell phone bill.

And some more of the usual coverage from the local Metro rag...
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Rogers Wireless Inc. is planning to announce next Tuesday that
it has partnered with Second Cup to roll out Wi-Fi wireless "hotspot"
locations across Canada, beginning with coffee shops in Toronto.

Users would be able to just turn on a computer and get on the
Internet if they're in this zone.

Rogers Wireless said it will outline details of the service at the Second Cup on 164 University Ave. The plans represent Rogers' first public foray into the hotspot market, since announcing last March it would work with rivals Bell Mobility and Telus Mobility to create a national standard allowing roaming between competing hotspot locations.

Brian Sharwood, a telecom analyst with Seaboard Group in Toronto, said Rogers will likely make it possible for its wireless subscribers to use the hotspots and have all charges appear on their monthly cellular bills.

"It's about time," said Sharwood, pointing out that major phone companies in the United States have be more aggressive at rolling out Wi-Fi hotspot locations at restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops.

In Canada, the market has been relatively quiet. Bell has launched trials of the service at train stations and airport lounges, while Telus bolstered its hotspot business last July by acquiring Spotnik Mobile Inc.

The problem all providers are grappling with is how to make money from the wireless service, which gives anybody with a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop or handheld device broadband access to the Internet.

Some industry observers have argued that hotspots should be treated like air conditioning - a free offering to patrons that might spur other purchases.

Nadir Mohamed, chief executive of Rogers Wireless, told the Star on Tuesday that he expects cellular, Wi-Fi, and fixed-wireless technologies such as Wi-Max will all come together "in a very clear service" in about three years.