Last week I got an interesting email promotion from the Sheraton hotel in Amman with the subject: “Wireless Connection.” A lounge in the hotel has been equipped with a high-speed wireless connection (no information about pricing was mentioned), commonly called a “hotspot”. This is a good development. Someone in Jordan has finally got it. Wireless is the way to go and it’s fast becoming a must for every cool venue in the developed world.

If you manage a café, hotel lobby, airport or mall, giving your customers a free or paid wireless internet connection can give you an edge over the competition. People who like to carry their laptops around with them and have a wireless card installed, really appreciate it when they can sit down and check their email, access their favourite website or log into their corporate intranet while sipping a cup of coffee.

One hotel with wireless access in Amman is not enough. Here are our suggestions for places in Jordan that should become “unwired”. If you know of a venues in the Kingdom that already have wireless hotspots, let us know. Maybe we can one day publish a directory of hotspots in this paper.
1. Queen Alia Airport: Ok, removing the rubble lying around for months on theairport’s gutted sidewalk might be the first priority, but giving theinternational traveler wireless internet access might add positively tothe airport’s “user experience”. Make it if free by the way.
2. Culture Street, Shmeisani: The art gallery in the street mostly stands empty. The”Culture shacks” are all closed save for one selling cassettes. The streetneed more “content” so why not provide it digitally. Shmeisani is full ofoffice workers who at lunch breaks emerge from their offices to cram therestaurants. Giving them a wireless connection enables them to get somework done over a salad in the fresh air.
3. University cafeterias and plazas: Laptops are getting cheaper and many students arestarting to use them. Here’s a nice idea for one of the Telecoms in town:provide students with subsidized wireless access cards and a fast connection at their favourite hangout. They will love you for it.
4. The malls: Everyone seems to be going there, especially the young, digitalgeneration (who all own mobiles that are far cooler than mine). A modernmall without a hotspot? No way.
5. Cafés: Here is an idea for owner of hip cafes in town. Create a hotspot, then have a few available laptops at the coffee bar for hourly rental. A waiter can bring it to the customer, ready to use! Your café will have internetedge without becoming a internet café.
6. The Dead Sea: Ok not the WHOLE Dead Sea, but at least the Hotels and theirbeaches. That would really impress our World Economic Forum visitors next May.