Wi-Fi Kiosks Business Plan

Stroll Net is faced with the exciting opportunity of being the first-mover in the Tech City public Internet market. The attractiveness of convenience, combined with the growing interest in the Internet, has been proven to be a winning concept in other markets and will produce the same results in Tech City.

The explosion of the Internet has been well documented. The International Data Corporation predicts that by 2004 there will be 210 million Internet users in the U.S. alone. Our increasingly mobile society manes that a large percentage of these users will access the Internet through public Internet terminals. 

Research has confirmed that the demand for public Internet terminals is growing exponentially and that the number of terminals in operation worldwide will reach 434,000 by 2006. By 2007 the number of wireless Hotspots in the U.S. is expected to grow to 41,000 and generate in excess of $3 billion in revenue.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Stroll Net’s clients can be described as individual business owners and medium to large companies that provide a services to tourist and business travelers alike as well as students and everyday Internet users. Such clients include, but are not limited to; airports, hotels, truck stops and coffee shops. 

Our customers can be divided into two groups. The first group is familiar with the Internet and desires a convenient and affordable way to access the Internet away from home and their offices. The second group is not familiar with the Internet, yet, and is just waiting for the right opportunity to enter the online community. Stroll Net’s target market includes people between the ages of 18 and 65. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Tech County has roughly 490,693 residents between the ages of 18 and 65. Of these, many are already internet-savvy.

Within this group, we will target two groups in particular:

• Students
• Traveling Business People

4.2 Service Business Analysis

The explosion of the Internet has been well documented. Our increasingly mobile society means that a large percentage of these users will access the Internet through public Internet terminals. To be proactive and remain competitive it is imperative for business travelers to have reliable high-speed access to e-mail, the Internet and corporate networks. As such, it is becoming a standard for business travelers to stay only at hotels with high-speed Internet access and public Internet terminals.

Internet terminals with integrated Wi-Fi hotspots allow users to jump onto the Internet as easily as they would use an ATM. Our Internet terminals allow the public to experience rich multimedia content, that cannot be viewed on PDAs. Internet kiosks will very quickly become a standard feature of all hotels. The growth of Internet kiosks has very closely paralleled that of ATMs and payphones.

The fact that there are no public Internet terminals operating in Tech City, presents Stroll Net with a chance to seize this window of opportunity and enter into a profitable niche.

4.2.1 Competition and Buying Patterns

The main competitors in the public Internet terminal segment are ATT and BellSouth. However, these businesses have yet to establish a presence in Tech City and the immediate surrounding areas.

Competition from online service providers comes from locally-owned businesses as well as national firms. Due to the nature of the Internet, there are no geographical boundaries restricting competition. However, none of these online service providers have public Internet terminals available for placement.

4.3 Target Market Segment Strategy

Stroll Net’s public Internet terminals will be a magnet for local and traveling professionals who desire to work or check their email messages away from the office. These professionals will either use Stroll Net’s terminals, or connect their notebooks to our wireless WiFi Internet connection. Stroll Net’s target market covers a wide range of ages: from members of Generation X who grew up surrounded by computers, to Baby Boomers who have come to the realization that people today cannot afford to ignore computers.