A computer buff takes advantage of wireless Internet access outside the Hilton hotel on Jeddah’s Corniche Saturday. (AN photo by Essam Al-Ghalib)

JEDDAH, 12 February 2006 — Residents of Jeddah are flocking to the Corniche with their laptop computers to access the Internet at DSL speeds, courtesy of Hilton Hotel’s recently installed wireless computer network.

“The Hilton has a wireless Internet access network available for patrons of its executive lounge. Its signal is so strong that it reaches across the Corniche Road all the way to the water. So for more than a month, I have seen people sitting in their cars and on the pavement with their laptops and shishas surfing the web,” 25-year-old Mohammed Fahd (not his real name) told Arab News.

Fahd has been to the spot — directly behind and between the two hotel towers — to download music over the past month.

“At home it takes 30 minutes to download two music tracks, but on the Corniche it takes five minutes. That is really cool,” he said.

The Hilton Hotel is aware of the problem and is not pleased, as the increased demand on the network by those on the Corniche, has been slowing Internet access within the hotel.

“We are aware of the problem and have contacted Saudi Telecom to find us a solution. I expect that we will have it solved quite soon,” Emad Akil, Hilton Hotel’s customer relations manager, told Arab News yesterday.

When Fahd was told that the Hilton are not providing this service willingly, he seemed unfazed.

“It’s their own fault. It should be password protected. By leaving it open, people just assume that this is a free public service. I don’t think anyone who uses the network is thinking that they are stealing anything from the hotel. They are just pleased to be there with something else to pass their time with, and because the service does not allow access to immoral and illegal websites, it must be most pleasing to the families that visit the Corniche,” he said. “I think the Hilton should just leave it as it is, and that the other Corniche hotels follow suit. They are here profiting, so why shouldn’t they give back to the community? It might work in their favor.”