"This will be huge," Tom McGuinness, president of InlandProperty Management Group, tells GSR. Steve Helm, VP of regionalmanagement for Taubman Co., agrees. So far, however, Wi-Fi hotspotsat malls are few and far between, and the processes of installingand implementing them are diverse.

Among the centers that currently offer Wi-Fi connectivity are:Taubman's Stony Point Fashion Park in Richmond, VA and a new2,400-sf "Connection Court" at The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano,TX; Simon's Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington, VA, andSerramonte Shopping Center, an enclosed plaza in the San FranciscoBay area, owned by Capital & Counties USA.

This spring Westfield inked an agreement with San Diego-basedWireless Facilities Inc. to fully enable Wi-Fi connectivity at allof its approximately 63 US shopping centers. No timeframe wasprovided, but, according to a statement, connectivity will beginwith the Westfield Shoppingtowns in San Diego, Los Angeles, SanJose, San Francisco, Chicago and New York and "subsequent locationswill be built out on an ongoing basis." Todd Putman, Westfield'sEVP of marketing, said, "Wireless technology's anytime, anywherecapabilities will profoundly enhance the shopping experience andtransform the way our retail partners conduct business."