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. The dominant model to date has been to simply charge for it. Pay us $20 a month, and you can log in at any of our many locations.But this week, a kind of “tipping point” has been reached, and now — instead of being rented for a fee — Wi-Fi will increasingly be given away to motivate customers to buy other goods and services.

Wi-Fi is now just like the free toaster that banks used to hand out for opening a new account.

Full Story: Computer World