Open AccessWi‐Fi Powered WLAN: When Built, Who Will Use It? Exploring Predictors of Wireless Internet Adoption in the Workplace
Author(s) -
Wei Ran
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00319.x
Subject(s) - the internet , wireless broadband , wimax , wireless , internet access , telecommunications , municipal wireless network , broadband , wireless network , wi fi , computer science , business , world wide web
High‐speed wireless Internet technologies such as Wi‐Fi and WiMAX allow users to go online at broadband speed, anywhere, anytime. Experimental projects in publicly accessible Wi‐Fi systems and citywide networks are mushrooming in the United States and elsewhere. Grounded in the diffusion of innovations research paradigm, this study examines factors that influence the adoption of Wi‐Fi in the workplace. Similar to the adoption of the Internet at home, results show that perceived advantages and compatibility of wireless Internet, larger number of fellow employees and family members already using wireless Internet, and higher frequency of communication with technicians about the wireless system—but less time spent reading newspapers—all lead to a higher likelihood of using the Wi‐Fi powered Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). Managerial implications of the findings are discussed.