Over the past four weeks, the City of Sydney Council has been trialling the provision of free Wi-Fi services in its libraries.

Dave Heck, CIO for the city of Tempe, Ariz., remembers when municipal Wi-Fi advocates talked four years ago about wireless networks as shining beacons that would bring the Internet to the masses.

Public Wi-Fi hot spots have been popular for about eight years. During that time, companies providing the service have been groping about, trying to figure out how to monetize it.