Alaska: unwired.

• Author: Colby, Kent L.
• Position: COMMUNICATIONS

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

I don't know who said it first--or the origin--but, "No matter where you go, there you are" has never be more applicable than in today's disconnected (no wires) connected (omnipresent Internet) world. Business travelers usurp the umbilical cord or wired-tether of Internet connectivity wherever they go. From the state's airports to its universities, "wireless" is a given. For the most part, delivery of wireless connectivity is either Wi-Fi hotspot, or as a ubiquitous part of your wireless phone service.

Gone are the days of a dial-up connection in the hotel room. If that phone in your purse or on your belt has coverage, so will your computer. Almost without exception, if there are enough people in any area to warrant a hotel, there is wireless data connectivity available and, more often than not, the ability to connect is wireless and seamless. Even fishing and hunting lodges offer connectivity in some of Alaska's most remote sites.

THE STATE'S AIRPORTS OFFER DISCONNECTED CONNECTIVITY

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recommends checking in at least two hours prior to flight time. That check-in process has become more efficient and, as a result, business travelers now spend additional time waiting. Given the extra time necessary to accommodate the ferry ride to the airport in Ketchikan, travelers often end up cooling their heals on the airport side of the Tongass Narrows. Several years ago, Ketchikan Public Utilities added a free wireless hotspot to the airport as an experiment. Travelers now enjoy an espresso and can leisurely check e-mail and conduct business via the city-provided access. Such extra service takes some of the pain out of the "hurry-up-and-wait" demands of airports and flight connections.

"Enjoy the Internet when you're at the airport--for free!" greets travelers at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi) is an amenity offered free to the traveling public. Tourists, vacationers, explorers and business travelers all take a more leisurely approach to traveling when their handy PDA or laptop effortlessly connects to the Internet. (I view the service as just compensation for those terribly uncomfortable chairs in waiting areas!) The data flows wirelessly but, so far, the power does not. The upside: more and more airports are adding more accessible standard power (AC) outlets. Laptops and cell phones just will not run forever without being plugged in.

...