How do you plan to increase Wi-Fi take-up?
By working closely with service providers, particularly mobile firms like O2, our strategic partner and BT Openzone. They have a large customer base, to which they market Wi-Fi.
More Wi-Fi-enabled handsets are being launched in the market. Nokia, Samsung and Motorola handsets all have Wi-Fi compatibility. The more these devices spread into other people's hands, the more Wi-Fi will become a widespread means of communication.
Sony's new PlayStation console is Wi-Fi-enabled. You can download games and play someone over a Wi-Fi network. You could sit in Coffee Republic, one of our Wi-Fi hotspots, and play a game with another player in Berlin.
How will your experience of Blackberry and 3G help in the new role?
The marketing of Blackberry was by word-of-mouth, without spending money on marketing. It has been a massive, commercial success. Blackberry has understood how to market to communities of users and that approach is relevant to Wi-Fi as it emerges from niche to mass. It is important to know how to work with mobile companies in order to position Wi-Fi within their portfolio.
What are the sector challenges?
Educating users. The Wi-Fi industry operates on much smaller budgets than mobile and fixed-band industries. We are connected to all those industries, but they can shout where we are only able to whisper.
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