A hotspot is a physical address where people can connect to a public wireless network, such as a cafe, hotel or airport. JiWire's "Top Ten" lists count the number of verified public hotspots in cities and countries around the world, serving as a dependable indicator of local Wi-Fi adoption. Seoul (2,056) tops JiWire's list of Wi-Fi-friendly cities list for having the greatest number of hotspot locations, followed by Tokyo (1,802) and London (1,627). The top domestic Wi-Fi cities are San Francisco (801), New York (643), and Chicago (501).

Key growth milestones from January 2005 to January 2006: * The number of worldwide hotspots grew 87%, from 53,779 in 93 countries to 100,355 hotspots in 115 countries. * The top three Wi-Fi cities in January 2005 were London, New York and Paris, whereas in 2006 the top three cities are Seoul, Tokyo and London. * The top three Wi-Fi countries in January 2005 were the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, whereas in January 2006 the top three countries are the United States, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

"Crossing the 100K milestone is very exciting, and the technology is really just getting started," said Wi-Fi Alliance managing director, Frank Hanzlik. "With Wi-Fi going into a wider array of devices like portable gaming consoles, digital cameras and mobile phones, we expect public hotspots to continue to grow at a rapid rate."

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