Mobile work space gets industry nod

The Internet Home Alliance will announce on June 7 that a mobile work space set up in a Plano, Texas, mall increased revenues of retailers in the area. The industry group set up the as part of a trial program. The space, dubbed "Connection Court" by the group, offers mall visitors secure wireless Internet access over a Wi-Fi connection, as well as printing, scanning and copying equipment, among other amenities.

Group participants in the trial--Cisco Systems, Cushcraft, Herman Miller, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Panasonic and Taubman Centers--have decided to keep the work space open for mall visitors. The space covers about 2,400 square feet, and about 1,400 people per month use the services. The space caters to the workers of several Fortune 500 companies located near The Shops at Willow Bend mall.