Now that the broadband revolution is in full swing, wireless hotspots are being installed in urban centres all across the UK. The purpose of this, of course, is to provide cheap broadband access to thousands of users without the restrictions of fixed line telephony systems.

Broadband has promised a lot for many years - such as Wireless Broadband access at the touch of a button from parks, buses and cafes. Lately it seems as if these promises, made long ago, are finally being fulfilled. So what exactly does wi-fi have to offer?

Wi-fi is short for Wireless Fidelity. It is a protocol for transmitting data over a wireless network. Assuming the user has the correct equipment, a wi-fi account, and is in range of the transmitters, the service allows the user to connect to the internet at broadband speeds without the use of cables.

Perhaps the easiest way to explain how Wi-fi works is to compare it to a walkie-talkie. The setup is basically the same, but the radio equipment is improved and the system is capable of handling a lot more data per second, therefore increasing it's quality of output.

In the UK, there are already more than 10,000 small, localised wi-fi hotspots in public places such as restaurants, hotels, cafes, libraries and airports. Users can log on to the internet at these hotspots provided they have an account and the right wireless equipment.

Such equipment includes Wi-fi enabled laptops and mobile phones. Account usage is usually paid through a credit card at a login page on the initial screen which opens in a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Frequent users may even have permanent accounts with the service providers.

Wireless broadband will not be restricted to cafes and trains, however. UK service providers will also offer wi-fi on a batch of giant zones being built by leading wireless broadband providers.

A massive wi-fi zone was recently launched at Canary Wharf, the central business district of London, and claims to be Europe's largest wi-fi enabled financial area.

There will also be so called "hotzones" rolled out in other urban centres throughout the UK, including Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford, Cambridge, Liverpool and the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and Islington.

So it seems the broadband revolution has gone wireless. Just as we are becoming accustomed to walking amongst city-workers lost for sound within their own iPods, we may soon have to contend with these same folk being lost for sight as they check there email during the daily march to work.

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