Airports dominate worldwide Wi-Fi usage

Wi-Fi hotspots in airports account for half of the world's total usage of public wireless web access, according to new research.

The Wi-Fi Hotspot Index from technology firm iPass revealed that on average, an airport will see more than 100 times more Wi-Fi sessions being logged than in hotels, cafes or other retail locations.

Heathrow and Gatwick airports in London and John F Kennedy Airport in New York were found to record longer than average sessions, with O'Hare International Airport in Chicago logging the largest number of daily Wi-Fi sessions.

"Easy access to the internet and corporate networks through hotspots is dramatically changing the way we work, live and communicate," noted Yankee Group analyst Sandra Palumbo.

Other top airports for Wi-Fi usage included those at Minneapolis-St Paul, Denver, Amsterdam and Singapore, with nearly 1.2 million sessions being logged at all public locations worldwide in total.

• Luton Airport invests in multilingual technology
• Virgin Atlantic flights to host film competition
• Air-conditioned bus shelters launched in Dubai
• American Airlines launches mobile broadband
• Manchester Airport trials new security measures
• Airport lounge Wi-Fi hot spots 'on the rise'
• Public trials carried out at new Dubai terminal
• Document checking system launched by Star Alliance
• Heathrow Airport hosts first mobile-enabled flight
• Cheap flights 'still available for early bookers'