The future of mobile computing in public locations will rely quite heavily on Wi-Fi availability, one expert explained in a recent contribution to the Huffington Post.

Yochai Benkler, a professor of law at Harvard University, wrote about the impact of Wi-Fi on overall innovation, but touched upon a few points that suggest businesses and public spaces may be more attractive to consumers if they offer Wi-Fi access. Benkler cited research that showed the majority of page views on Apple's widely popular iPhone and iPad were made over a Wi-Fi connection, suggesting that mobile device users prefer a reliable network connection over their data plan.

"Indeed, almost two-thirds of all smartphone and tablet data traffic is carried over Wi-Fi rather than over the carriers' networks, whose hunger is driving the demand for auctioning TV bands," Benkler wrote for the Huffington Post.

Although Benkler's main focus was on the licensing of wireless networks, the information presented is an indication of wireless technology trends that are unfolding nationwide. With wireless cellphone service providers imposing limits, caps and new payment plans for 3G and 4G data usage, most of which are becoming more expensive, consumers may naturally gravitate towards Wi-Fi networks when in public to avoid hefty phone bills at the end of the month.