First public wireless 'hotspot' opens at Dubai shopping mall

Three leading brands - Toshiba, Intel and Al-Futtaim Group's retail powerhouse, Plug-Ins - have come together to launch the facility that eliminates the need for cables, telephone lines and dial-up modems.

Visitors to the Cyber Café at Plug-Ins, Deira City Centre, can make wireless Internet connection through a range of Toshiba Tecra S1 notebook computers based on Intel's revolutionary mobile technology, Centrino.

And if they have their own wireless-enabled notebooks they can walk into Plug-Ins at any time and check their e-mail or surf the Internet - free.

Until now, Middle East hotspots have been restricted to a few luxury hotels or specialist office buildings such as Internet City that provide the service for guests and tenants.

Thousands of people use Plug-Ins' Cyber Café every month and the new hotspot technology places the business firmly to the forefront of IT services in the Gulf.

"Plug-Ins is known for its leadership position in the electronics industry in the Middle East," said Shaun Sullivan, purchasing manager for Plug-Ins.

"We have always led with the newest trends and technology and the introduction of this new initiative reconfirms this strategy.
"Beyond the wireless technology at the Cyber Café, Toshiba Centrino notebooks at our hands-on computer department will also be wireless enabled, helping customers understand the unbelievable convenience and speed with this technology."

R. Muralidharan, general manager of Al-Futtaim Electronics Toshiba, said: "We are the first in the market with this technology which will be a boon to people on the move, especially considering the huge extent of global business done in Dubai and the high proportion of notebook usage by visiting business people.

"Given a choice, business travellers will always opt for high-speed wireless communications over the inconvenience of cables, telephone lines and dial-up modems."

The new Plug-Ins public hotspot uses a Toshiba wireless access point, with an ADSL line to a Toshiba SG20 server that links wirelessly to the Tecra S1 notebooks.

Ahmed Khalil, regional manager of Toshiba's Middle East computer systems division, said: "Toshiba notebooks are all about mobility and by joining forces with Intel and Plug-Ins we are giving our customers an even more convenient way of doing business while on the move.

"Busy travellers not only benefit from instant ability to send and receive information - they can do it in the fastest way possible, giving them the freedom to work anytime, anywhere, anyhow."

Hotspots have been made possible by Intel's Centrino mobile technology, which has become the industry standard since being launched three months ago.

"From PC makers to service providers, to airports, hotels and retail locations, we are seeing strong acceptance for Intel Centrino mobile technology," said Gilbert Lacroix, general manager, Intel Middle East and Africa. "The world is changing, both consumers and business professionals are enjoying the benefits of being able to unwire and unplug."

The Plug-Ins hotspot at the Cyber Café at Deira City Centre will be free to all users during introductory promotions running from June12 - 19 and June 30 - July 6. The second week coincides with the Dubai Summer Surprises Festival of which Al-Futtaim is a key-sponsor.

Toshiba hotspot solutions are rapidly spreading worldwide, enabling people away from their homes or offices to send and receive information just as quickly as those who are plugged into a fixed computer network.

In Europe alone, an estimated 10,000 Toshiba hotspots will be in place by mid- 2004 based at sites such as hotels, convention centres, coffee shops, motorway stops and other popular public locations.