At 150 hotspots around Israel, from five-star hotels to shwarma stands, mobile computer owners can hook up to wireless Internet, in many cases free of charge, according to a hotspot index on the Mapa Publishers website. In contrast to other parts of the Mapa site, which only subscribers can use, the hotspot index can be used for free (www.mapa.co.il/hotspot).
The hotspots listed on Mapa’s index provide wireless Internet access using the popular WiFi standard. Most are in the central region and Jerusalem, but there are also hotspots in the north, Sharon, and southern districts, including Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheva, and Eilat.
Yossi Gold, who manages the website, predicts that the number of hotspots in Israel will double in 2005. Several medical centers also offer wireless Internet surfing. For example, on the Rabin Medical Center maternity ward, happy mothers can give their good news directly to an e-mail distribution list.
The hotspot that best highlights the penetration of wireless Internet surfing into daily life is Shwarma Moshiko in the Jerusalem pedestrian mall, which offers free Internet surfing, and even supports handheld computers, while offering shwarma and felafel to its customers.
A number of hotspots on the index offer free Internet surfing. Some cafes on the index charge NIS 10 per hour, and hotels up to NIS 50 an hour.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 26, 2005