3RD Wave is bringing Wi-Fi to Atlanta, and demanding that the public get it for free. Atlanta now has more free wireless hotspots than any other major city (over 1 million residents) in the entire world, according to the directory on jiwire.com, the Web's most definitive listing of hotspots. Many cities have been researching and spending money on wi-fi initiatives, but few cities actually have much free wi-fi. This is even more interesting considering that just 8 months ago Atlanta did not even rank in the top 10 for free hotspots. 3rd Wave launched a campaign to make Atlanta more unwired and has installed more than 40 hotspots in the past year.

3rd Wave charges business owners for the access point, service, marketing collateral, and instructional materials. The caveat is that they must agree not to charge customers for the access. "Why a coffee shop would charge for wi-fi after getting $4 for a cup of coffee is beyond me, " said Tony Riffle, owner of Octane Coffee Lounge, a popular Atlanta 3rd Wave Free Hotspot.

"We get 20-50 users per day that love us for providing the free wi-fi." Rich Tanksley of 3RD Wave predicts that fee-based wi-fi will die an accelerating death as more people seek out free alternatives. "If you know that there is free wi-fi nearby, why would you give your business to someone who charges you for it?" Tanksley said.