Merchandise Mart, Apparel Center now a 3-block-long Wi-Fi hotspot This is a one-column deck for a story. This is a one column deck for a story

The Merchandise Mart -- the world's largest commercial building --and the adjoining Apparel Mart Center has become a three-block-longWi-Fi hotspot.

The more than 18,000 daily visitors who use the Mart'srestaurants, food court, L station, retail stores and common areas ofthe Mart and the 350 W. Mart Center can use laptop computers andpersonal digital assistants to wirelessly connect to the Internet,under an agreement between the Mart and SBC Communications.

Wi-Fi (rhymes with "hi-fi") stands for wireless fidelity. Thewireless access will be free until May 31 for SBC DSL customers --and $1.99 a month starting June 1.

For everyone else, the cost is $7.95 for a day, or $19.95 for amonth.

Myron Maurer, vice president of operations and construction forMerchandise Mart Properties, said the Wi-Fi access will be a boon toboth regular Mart tenants and visitors, like buyers who come in fortrade shows.

"Visitors will stay here longer doing business, rather than goingback to their hotels to check their e-mail," Maurer said.

A total of 26 Wi-Fi access points are available throughout theMart, with Maurer asserting that initial response has been positive.

The SBC FreedomLink Wi-Fi network has 6,000 "hot-spots" -- orareas with Wi-Fi access -- nationally, including more than 300 inIllinois.

"Wi-Fi is the future," said Greg Gorbatenko, an analyst withMarquis Investment Research. He noted that laptops increasingly arereplacing desktop PCs for computer users, so it's import- ant to haveInternet access in more places. He said cell-phone users can alsosave money by using Wi-Fi for Internet-based phone calls.