Gossip

Free WiFi! - well yeah. But only for 20 minutes!

You're not likely to hear much about this, because "The Press" is squared; but guests arriving in Cannes this weekend for the huge 3GSM beanfeast may be slightly disappointed. They had been promised "free WiFi Internet access throughout the exhibition and conference area." Well, yes... but there's a gotcha.

The WiFi is still provided by  France Telecom (or if you want it in English,  here) and it's being given away - yes, free! - on scratch cards.

The good news: there are 5,000 free cards to be given to the International Press there, so there won't be the same stink raised in the media as there was last year.

The bad news: everybody else, including your Sniffer, gets just one card, worth 20 minutes, at the registration desk. That saves you five Euros, mind. That's 15 Euros per hour, and if you want to think of it as generous, think of it as generous...

For the rest of the time, it's fork out your wallet, type in your credit card, and pay up, laddie! Standard hotspot ripoff rates, too. Last year, people found themselves spending up to 90 Euros a day.

Better plan your free usage carefully, and then buy wisely. Best deal is, probably, the three-day subscription for 80 Euros.

Here's the rate card:

Five sessions are available on line:

Better take the train to Nice airport. You won't be able to run to a taxi...