No Wi-Fi in Perth

%IMAGE=Perth.jpg% I was in the city of Perth for about a week.

I had expected to be able to do some work while over there, either through the hotel's broadband network or Wi-Fi hotspots in the city.

To my horror, when I checked in, I found out that my hotel had no broadband. When I asked where I could find Wi-Fi hotspots, I was told that they are not very common around here. (Nope, there was no Starbucks to be found.)

So, I wandered the city looking for a cybercafe. I managed to find one operated by some Indonesians, which stayed open until midnight (the ones operated by Australians typically closed by 7 pm).

The rate was A$3 (US$2) per hour. Not terribly expensive but certainly more than in Malaysia where the hourly rate can be as low as RM1.50 (US$0.41).

I also managed to find a 24-hour cybercafe, but that one charged even more, A$4 (US$2.98) per hour. I used it once to check my e-mail really late at night. The speed was so slow, I gave up after a few minutes. Quite useless, really.

Perth is a lovely city but very laid back. I wonder if some enterprising entrepreneur will begin offering Wi-Fi access throughout the city anytime soon.

It would be a boon for international visitors like me who need to be connected even when travelling abroad.

Cybercafes there are unsatisfactory, not just because they are not convenient for doing work (though okay for checking e-mail) but the rates are quite high, too.