Internet kiosks meet demand for convenient e-mail access

By Richard Slawsky Staff Writer

If Superior Wireless owner Joe Laura has his way, Internet kiosks in New Orleans will soon be as common as ATMs or video poker machines.

The New Orleans Internet service provider has installed 10 kiosks in the New Orleans area over the past two years with more on the drawing board. Superior is tapping into a market of people who are Internet-dependent but device-challenged.

"People seem to be getting more and more dependent on e-mail and Internet access but even where wireless access is available you still have to have a laptop," Laura said. "That's where the kiosks fit in."

Laura's operation is simple. For $1, a customer buys 10 minutes of Internet access. Log off before your time is up and the balance can be used later at that kiosk or any one of the other kiosks Laura operates in the New Orleans area.

Laura estimates each kiosk brings in an average of $500 per month. Laura contracts with hotel, restaurant, bar and coffee shop owners to place the machines in return for free Internet access or a percentage of the kiosk's take.

Each machine is custom-built to fit with the establishment's décor. Internet access is provided through Superior's wireless network.

"I could increase my locations faster with prebuilt kiosks but most of the hotels require custom-built cabinets and that's where we fit in," Laura said. "Of course, the owner pays nothing to have it installed."

Although the Internet kiosk concept is fairly new to New Orleans, the Internet kiosk business is booming worldwide. Rockville, Md.-based Summit Research Associates, which tracks the kiosk industry, estimates 400,000 Internet kiosks will be operative in the United States by 2005, up from 150,000 in 2000.

The number of Internet kiosks is projected to top 600,000 worldwide by 2005, up from 195,000 in 2000. Summit predicts Internet kiosks will be a $750 million industry by the end of 2005.

Laura stumbled into the kiosk operation while trying to solve a problem in Superior's original business. The company, which Laura founded in 1982, installs and services alarm systems for commercial and residential customers in New Orleans.

"One of my customers wanted remote video with his system, and cable or DSL Internet couldn't give me the speeds I needed," Laura said. "I did some research and really got into wireless."

From there, Laura began providing Internet access in areas around Mid-City where broadband wasn't available. Laura presently provides Internet access to about 40 residential customers.

Laura then began providing wireless access at several hotels, eventually providing Internet kiosks.

"That's what I like about this business," Laura said. "The boundaries are endless."

In addition to the Internet kiosks, Superior Wireless is building a wireless network throughout the Central Business District and the French Quarter. Superior already offers free wireless Internet access inside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, a service that is popular with convention-goers.

"Internet access has become an essential part of convention marketing," said Beverly Gianna, vice president of public affairs at the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. "More and more organizations booking conventions are asking about the type of access that is available."

Laura estimates an average of 40 people a day connect to Superior's network in or near the convention center. Peak usage has reached 85 people a day.

Eventually, Laura said, Superior may offer two levels of service; the free service available now and a higher-speed pay service. Advertising on the login page may eventually help support the free service, he said. Superior can also transmit access to buildings where traditional Internet access is unavailable. One such job at an office building in eastern New Orleans led Superior to another market - retirees on the road.

"We provided Internet access from Metairie to a building on Chef Menteur Highway, and I realized I could see the Mardi Gras RV Park & Campground from that building," Laura said. "I shot a link to the park, and now there are access points where people at the park can buy time though the wireless network as well as through a kiosk."

On a typical day, five or six people access the Internet through the park's wireless network. Mardi Gras RV Park & Campground charges $4 or $13 a week for access.

"People use it for checking e-mail or bank accounts or even for education," said Brad Louiviere, office manager for the Mardi Gras RV Park & Campground. "It's become a big selling point for the park."