Dear Editor,
The convenience of broadband Internet is something every country wants, and Canada, where I'm currently studying, is no exception, as the following example illustrates.
The airports at Vancouver and Toronto were among the first to provide broadband access, and at Vancouver Airport it's easy to find a public phone with an Ethernet connection. As you know, wireless Internet access seems almost ubiquitous in international airports these days, but even if your laptop isn't wireless capable, you can buy a phonecard or drop some spare change into the phone, and you can get your Internet fix over their public Ethernet connection.
In downtown Toronto, wireless hotspots are everywhere. They used to be tied into the existing fixed network, but over the past couple of years as the technology has matured, connections between access points have started developing. After dropping the fixed network, installation and operating expenses have fallen 70-75%. The city has continued using this approach to establish more and more hotspots.
Aside from Internet access, the other kinds of communication system are converging, creating even more convenience of service. Visitors to Canada can use public computer systems, using touch-screens to choose a hotel near the airport. The computer will then dial the hotel, and the visitor just has to pick up the handset and they're connected-it's all very convenient and safe. Every visitor who uses this free system loves it. In this day and age, where fixed-network and wireless broadband are competing fiercely but still not putting forward any sort of creative applications of their systems, Canadians are dedicating themselves to carving out a new service path. Surely this is an example Taiwan would do well to follow!
