Wireless LAN   Wireless LAN (local area network) services recently attracted a great deal of media attention in the U.S. and Europe. W-LANs allow people with a laptop or handheld device like a PDA to send and receive data at broadband speed while they are away from their home or office and are being used by many companies interested in a handy, reasonably priced connectivity solution. The services are based on the technical standard 802.11 ("802" is the official subheading denoting LANs and "11" means wireless), requiring the use of a small transmitter used within a "hotspot" location, which can be anywhere from offices to hotels to coffee shops. Anyone within approximately 100 meters of such a hotspot with a browser, the right network card and the right software can use their device to access data. As the popularity of w-LANS has increased, the number of hotspot locations has grown rapidly. The service that has had the most attention to date is 802.11b, nicknamed "Wi-Fi" (meaning "wireless fidelity"). 802.11b, operating in the 2.4-GHz band, supports data rates of up to 11 Mbps. The 802.11a standard, on the other hand, operates in the more recently allocated 5-GHz band and supports data rates of up to 54 Mbps. It is being seen as a long-term replacement for "Wi-Fi." NTT Communications (NTT Com) plans to set up approximately 500 "Hotspots" around Japan to provide 11a- and 11b-compatible w-LAN services by the end of 2002.