The price of a free citywide wireless network planned for San Francisco may be increased advertising for users.

A patent application filed recently by Google details a method of pushing highly targeted advertising to users of wireless hotspots, and sharing the ad revenue with the wireless service provider.

On Wednesday a San Francisco city commission approved a bid by Google and Internet service provider EarthLink to provide free wireless access throughout the city. The Department of Telecommunications and Information Services will now begin contract negotiations with EarthLink and Google.

What makes the Google patent potentially attractive to service providers is the search giant's ability to serve up personalized ads. According to the patent, the advertising a wireless user would see is based on the "geographical location of the WAP, an operation of an entity providing the WAP, selected by the entity providing the WAP, and a profile of the WAP."

In other words, such a system would allow, for example, a bookstore in New York city to push ads for newly published novels that appeal to their local customers, or perhaps even ads that suit the shoppers buying habits as gleaned from his or her customer loyalty card profile.

Providers of wireless hotspots could also sell advertising for stores in a specific vicinity, allowing retailers who run businesses not conducive to wireless use to market themelves.

Full article: internetnews.com