Accessing an important email, checking a contact's details or job title, or simply finding your way to the hotel: Internet access is now almost indispensable for professionals on the move. But this connectivity is very often restricted once you cross the border, or at least subject to connection charges. roaming which add to the cost of business travel.
A number of mobile applications have entered this niche, offering, with varying degrees of success, to identify the public wi-fi networks available nearby. In many cases, these are access points offered by brands such as Starbucks, well known to travellers looking for free connectivity and coffee.
Other mobile tools bring together a community of users who list the access codes to Wi-Fi hotspots - particularly in hotels and bars - even if there are doubts about the legality of such an approach... In the same vein, a few months ago an engineer by the name of Anil Polat launched a sort of collaborative platform listing the Wi-Fi codes of several hundred airports around the world. He is inviting travellers to contribute to his initiative by sending in the access codes they have gleaned during their travels to update this mine of information. Here, too, the problem of legality arises, not forgetting that of data security, which is all the more sensitive for business customers...
As is often the case with these isolated initiatives, the arrival of a major player could well change things dramatically. This seems to be the case with Facebook, which is currently testing a new mobile service. Its aim: to locate free, accessible access points nearby. Little is yet known about this new service, which was spotted by TheNextWebIn addition, connecting to an open network obviously raises a number of issues for business customers, who are exposed to the risk of data piracy. What's more, connecting to an open network obviously raises certain issues for business customers, who are exposed to the risk of data piracy. The fact remains that the approach initiated by Facebook could well profoundly change the user experience in terms of connectivity. And further diversify the functionalities of the American giant, which now goes well beyond its initial vocation as a "simple" social network.
