NetStumbler.com

The WiMAX market has not even been launched yet, but activity surrounding it is gathering pace as the estimated launch date for WiMAX equipment draws closer. One of the questions currently exercising the minds of operators and analysts alike is whether it will be possible to upgrade existing wireless-wireline telecommunications equipment to fixed WiMAX standard equipment, or whether operators will have to replace equipment.
Via [globes.co.il]

Challenged to expand an existing Wi-Fi system on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Vivato Inc. and SkyeNet Wireless Communications considered pre-WiMAX equipment, but decided they could do better by installing two of Vivato’s phased-array antennas.
Via [techweb.com]

The initial reports on the state of the Wi-Fi networking industry for the first quarter of 2005 are now coming in from research firms like Synergy Research Group, Dell’Oro Group and In-Stat/MDR. While small details differ, the overall picture is the same.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Wi-Fi switch maker Aruba Wireless Networks has upgraded its product line with new management features that improve security and voice functions, as well as new hardware that increases data throughput.
Via [eweek.com]

Will WiMax be the connectivity panacea that displaces Wi-Fi, cable and DSL, or will it be irrelevant before it ever reaches the mainstream?
Via [searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com]

Vonage, a provider of internet-based calling services, is testing wireless routers – a sign the company is on the verge of debuting a mobile offering.
Via [silicon.com]

Calypso Wireless, Inc. is making prototypes for its dual mode, Wi-Fi / GSM-GPRS handsets, the C1250i, that run on the Intel PXA chipset solution available for testing. The phone was firstly announced in 2003, but it seems that now the company is ready to work with mobile operators.
Via [geekzone.co.nz]

Last year, I lamented the growing confusion in the communications industry due to several different standardization efforts. You have the wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), cdma2000 1x EV-DO (including CDMA 450), IEEE 802.11x, WiMAX, Wireless USB (over Ultrawideband), Bluetooth ver 2, Zigbee and a few others we don’t talk about much these days.
Via [eetasia.com]

Nextel is launching Wi-Fi service aimed at business travelers in partnership with Boingo Wireless and Wayport, the company said Friday.

Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you’re an entrant in Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
Via [pcworld.com]

India-based outsourcing giant Wipro Technologies is the latest company seeking certification of Wi-Fi products which never will appear on store shelves. The move is a trend fueled by increased competitiveness, acknowledges Frank Hanzlik, Wi-Fi Alliance general manager.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Microsoft has released an update to Windows XP Service Pack 2 that fortifies the operating system’s wireless networking security through the adoption of Wi-Fi Protected Access 2. WPA2 offers more advanced data encryption and conforms to government-mandated regulations for security, including HIPPA and FIPS 140-2.
Via [eweek.com]

Boingo Wireless has officially launched its Wi-Fi service through its previously announced partnership with Connexion by Boeing.
Via [wirelessweek.com]

Sony unveils a wireless notebook with integrated technology for accessing the Internet over Wi-Fi technology and Cingular Wireless’s nationwide Edge network.
Via [informationweek.com]

Wireless Internet access got a little easier in two Western U.S. cities with separate announcements this week.
Via [rcrnews.com]