NetStumbler.com

A new report by the Reason Foundation warned cities from jumping into the Muni WiFi bandwagon. Jerry Ellig, author of “A Dynamic Perspective on Government Broadband Initiatives,” said municipalities should be wary of companies like EarthLink and Google, which he believes are only interested in offering free wireless Internet access “because the deals will give them rights-of-way and valuable access to public infrastructure like light and telephone poles.”

The study listed several “critical issues” that local governments must bear in mind before going into broadband network development.
Via [theregister.co.uk]

A post by senior product manager Jason Leznek on the Microsoft Windows Vista team blog stating that Vista RTM features a “sleep” function for WiFi connections raised concerns among laptop users. The pre-RC1 version is set to “Medium Power” if a laptop operates on battery power and this default setting carries a “sleep” feature, which enables the adaptor to switch to low power mode. This function alerts wireless access points to queue up packets and transmit them in bigger chunks to allow the adoptor longer resting time between updates. Microsoft later adopted changes by shifting the default wireless network settings to “Maximum Performance” after beta testers found that the router failed to accurately identify clients when they are in sleep mode, thus leading to packet loss. The change can be enabled by the user or by the OEM prior to the shipment of the computer. Despite the modification, problems of lower battery life could still occur if access points do not support the 802.11 sleep function, which was only implemented recently.
Via [arstechnica.com]

Cohda Wireless is testing how OFDM technology can improve both unlicensed wireless and licensed public-safety networks. The Australian municipal Wi-Fi startup, which emerged from the University of South Australia’s Institute for Telecommunications Research, expects the technology to support applications for police and fire networks such as automatic vehicle location tracking, voice-over-Internet Protocol, teleconferencing and distribution of full-motion video from in-vehicle cameras. The trial in Adelaide, Australia uses the 4.9- and 5.8-GHz spectrum but the coverage is expected to include the 2.4-GHz unlicensed, 3.65-GHz broadband wireless and 5.9-GHz telematics bands. The public-safety tests aim to tackle sever multipath and physical interference conditions.
Via [commsdesign.com]

The debate as to whether WiMax will gain global acceptance continues. Intel believes that with the existence of global frequency support for standards-based WiFi and WiMAX, scalable channel bandwidth, and high-performance multiple-antennas, the technology is ready to “bring about mobile communications and rich content across supported networks anywhere in the world. Peter Gardner, technology sector head for wireless communications at 3i Group of venture capital investors, disagreed with this view. He voiced skepticism that WiMax can be deemed an alternative to either WiFi or cellular networks. Spectrum issues — lack of standardization and strong regulations in some countries — he believes, would hamper the technology’s adoption. BT has a similar opinion. A spokesman from the firm noted the variance in spectrum and bandwidth use among nations.
Via [electronicsweekly.com]

A recent Times of London feature said concerns are increasing over health risks posed by exposure to WiFi radiation. The article is partly based on a report to the Irish Doctors Environmental Association affirming the existence of “a growing, consistent body of literature” suggesting that such kind of radiation causes distressing symptoms to WiFi users. But studies supporting the report are anecdotal and could only conclude a weak correlation with some of the alleged symptoms. Nonetheless, Sweden took the report seriously and declared the syndrome a disorder.

An earlier WiFi Net News report, however, indicates that the people who claimed they suffered the symptoms were those who were informed that they were exposed to radiation. A representative from the British Health Protection Authority has clarified that WiFi equipment only generate a tiny amount of signal when compared to that from cellphones. Considering that cellular networks are more pervasive, it would be safe to assume that WiFi presents only a slight health concern.
Via [arstechnica.com]

BT unveiled BT Fusion Wi-Fi, a fixed-mobile convergence solution that aims to lower communication costs in small to medium enterprises. The system involves directing calls over broadband connections via private company WLANs and about 2,000 BT Openzone public access hot spots.

Subscribers to the BT Business One Plan pay as little as 5p for a 60 minute call. The plan requires users to buy a £15 dual GSM/Wi-Fi mobile phone — currently, BT only offers Nokia 6136 and Motorola A910, but plans to make Samsung’s P200 available by January — for each user and pay 15p per minute for mobile calls to other BT mobile users and 25p for mobile calls to mobile phones connected to other carriers. Each Fusion handset comes preloaded with software that supports unlicensed mobile access or UMA.

Steve Andrews, managing director of BT mobility and convergence, expects no dropped calls with the system — if the user goes out of original coverage, the call will revert to GSM before connecting to the next available access point. The company plans to test a corporate variant of the service, which would involve utilizing a specially configured mesh wireless network and integrating with IP private branch exchanges.
Via [itweek.co.uk]

T-Mobile is offering a new service that will allow users to make calls with mobile phones using cellular and Wi-Fi network connections. HotSpot@Home clients pay at least $60 per month and a further $5 for each additional phone. Enrollment to the service is only allowed in corporate outlets in the Seattle-Tacoma region though subscribers can use it nationwide.

Phones compatible with the service are limited to Nokia 6136 or Samsung SGH-T709, which can be purchased for $30 following a $50 mail-in rebate. They can automatically connect to T-Mobile hot spots as well as detect and be configured to access any open or secured home WiFi system.

Because it uses Unlicensed Mobile Access, the service is limited to voice applications and excludes data access and laptop access to T-Mobile hot spots. It comes with a minimally featured Web browser but use of that would need T-Mobile’s low-speed GPRS or a slightly faster EDGE cellular data network. Connection to such networks amounts to an extra $20 a month for unlimited use.

Clearwire finally rolled out its WiMax service and has chosen Seattle for this maiden venture. The company, which owns a license on 2.5 GHz spectrum, uses a proprietary “pre-WiMax” technology instead of the IEEE 802.16 standard that is equated with the term, for the network.

The service offers 768 kbps downlink/256 kbps uplink speeds under the basic plan. These are about the same speeds that subscribers of cheaper DSL get. The premium service provides users with downlink speed of up to 1.5 Mbps but for the price that Clearwire charges, broadband cable operators can deliver a faster connection.
Via [wirelessweek.com]

Wireless Internet provider NZ Wireless revealed it has earmarked tens of millions of dollars to develop a WiMax network with spectrum that the New Zealand government plans to auction next year. According to NZ Wireless managing director Chris Aspros, the company, which recently rolled out its first WiMax networks in Wellington, obtained funding from a local financial backer. NZ Wireless joins the list of prospective bidders that include CallPlus and Woosh. CallPlus disclosed that it received $450 million from a Japanese investor so it can deliver WiMax coverage nationwide.

Though boasting to have enough money for their ventures, both NZ Wireless and CallPlus face an uncertain road ahead. Woosh, Telecom and state-owned transmission company Kordia hold rights to the 2.3GHz spectrum through 2010 or 2011 and are not required to free them up earlier than that to winning bidders in next year’s auction. Woosh chairman Rod Inglis claimed that the company owns rights to some of the spectrum in five of the eight 10MHz blocks that the government will put up for sale. Telecom is likely to challenge the auction.
Via [stuff.co.nz]