Three years ago Philadelphia Mayor Street announced that he had a dream. He dreamt of a hot city with inexpensive Wi-Fi for everyone whether they were at home or on the go. The city paired up with EarthLink to realize that dream and now, after testing a 15-square-mile area, they say they’re ready to go ahead and tackle the entire 135-square-mile city.
About 385 US cities have announced that they too have similar dreams but Philadelphia is the largest city to attempt the project. And tests so far are good. In the limited region currently covered the promised speed of 1 megabit per second is typically being met and at times it’s even being exceeded.
Naysayers believe that Wi-Fi over such large areas will prove to be much more time consuming and expensive than anticipated and they point to the simplicity of getting Wi-Fi from current cable and phone providers already established in these municipalities as being a better option for consumers. AAA The future is a bit unknown at this juncture but the success or failure of the Philadelphia project should give other cities a glimpse at the possibilities.
Via [philly.com]
Continue reading ‘Time For Wi-Fi To Sink Or Sync’
Clearwire has recently announced that its WiMax wireless broadband service will be offered to subscribers of DirecTV and EchoStar. This cross marketing deal is expected to go into effect by the end of this year and will let each of the three companies create a very strong marketing bundle for their consumers.
WiMax companies are slightly jumping the gun with their technology as the forum designed to certify standards and specifications still has not made an official approval known. They are expected to do so in the next few months.
Via [informationweek.com]
Continue reading ‘Clearwire Enhances WiMax Plan With Satellite Deal’
RSA Security Inc. conducted its annual survey of New York, London and Paris and found that more wireless hot spots are working to secure their networks but a fifth of corporate access points remain open.
In all three cities the percentage of hot spots protected by some form of encryption increased; London went from 76 to 81%, New York only grew from 75 to 76%, while Paris jumped from 78 to 80%. They also found that Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is being replaced by Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), a much more secure method.
The number of businesses without adequate protection is a bit surprising considering what could possibly be at risk for these companies. London and Paris both had about 18% of their companies unprotected and New Yorkers topped the list with a full 21% of their businesses tempting fate.
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘Wireless Network Admins Wising Up’
RSA, the security division of EMC, has found that larger cities have more Wi-Fi than ever and more security but the security is woefully outdated.
Using New York, London and Paris as their target cities, they have found the number of Wi-Fi access points have risen 49%, 44% and 160% respectively. Encryption was found to be up but only by 6% in London and less than 2% in both New York and Paris.
The analysis of the data has shown an improvement in security over previous years but an unbelievable one fifth to one quarter of all businesses have no encryption security at all.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]
Continue reading ‘More Wireless, Not Enough Security’
The Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint Nextel is seeking new ways to fund its WiMax deployment project. The company, in August last year, announced plans to build a $3 billion WiMax network but with high wireless-customer churn rates and a declining stock price, securing capital investment is proving to be a challenge for Sprint. Its options include a spin-off of the firm’s WiMax business and a roaming deal with WiMax service provider Clearwire. Sprint is also studying a possible arrangement with its cable service provider partners on how they will pay for the use of the network.
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘Sprint Nextel Considers How To Fund WiMax Rollout’
The White Space Coalition has developed and submitted another prototype to the FCC. The Coalition is made up of computer giants like Dell, EarthLink, Google, HP, Intel, Microsoft and Philips Electronics and they are looking to harness the unused television spectrum to provide wireless broadband.
The FCC’s largest concern with this leap forward in Wi-Fi is that there is no interference with existing television signals. But the Coalition is confident that this will not be a problem. Instead they’re touting the technology’s ability to produce download speeds of up to 80Mbps.
The timeline sets February 2009 as its endpoint with all analog television transmissions ceasing at this point and, if all goes well, white space broadband service beginning at the same time.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Continue reading ‘New Superfast Wireless Broadband Device Prototype Submitted To FCC’
Is VoIP all it’s cracked up to be? Some users are finding problems with the system and have decided to forego the service entirely.
Users have cited differences between their needs and the actual services they receive as being a major problem. A lack of a stable internet connection can make you miss calls even when you’re at home and able to pick up the line. VoIP also tends to run about $25 a month, which is too expensive for some when they see the service as flawed.
There are other solutions such as Skype and Gizmo but each individual should carefully research their needs and what the providers offer so they can come up with their own personalized match.
Via [jpost.com]
Continue reading ‘Digital World: Divorce, VOIP syle’
Meraki has gone green with Wi-Fi, announcing the first solar powered outdoor Wi-Fi access kit. When used together the Meraki Outdoor repeater and the Meraki Solar accessory can cover entire neighborhoods with Wi-Fi access.
For a minimal outlay of money this new technology lets several households reliably share one high speed connection. The Solar accessory uses the sun to power the repeater, meaning it does not have to be connected to an electrical source and the solar power is distributed throughout the day so you don’t experience blackout periods.
Formally launched just a few months ago the system currently has over 1000 networks in 35 countries and is providing access to approximately 40,000 users.
Via [meraki.net]
Continue reading ‘Meraki Introduces First Solar Powered Outdoor WiFi Access Kit’
Analysts dubbed dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi handsets as the “breakout market segment” in 2007. The devices are seen to grab 20 percent of the total chipset market in two years. Wi-Fi for voice, according to In-Stat analyst Gemma Tedesco, is also gaining momentum this year as a result of T-Mobile’s deployment of fixed-mobile convergence in the U.S. Another segment making waves is the portable media player market, with rising sales of Microsoft’s Zune and the scheduled market release of WiFi-enabled iPod from Apple in the second half of the year. The Wi-Fi chipset market, on the whole, is growing. In 2006, vendors shipped 213 million Wi-Fi chipsets, up by 32 percent from 2005.
Via [vnunet.com]
Continue reading ‘Demand For Wi-Fi Mobiles To Explode’
If you’re in London and looking for free Wi-Fi this is just the site for you. The Londonist has set up a map with the aim of recording all of the bars, pubs, and coffee shops that offer free Wi-Fi access.
While mapping they’ve noticed that some large areas of London seem to have free Wi-Fi services including Upper Street, Leicester Square and the residential area of Marylebone.
It is also to be noted that The Cloud, or London’s version of Muni Wi-Fi, covers the entire area but the service is only free for a month and they you have to sign up and pay a fee to receive service.
Via [londonist.com]
Continue reading ‘Free Wi-Fi In London…Mapped’
Network Neutrality Does Wireless
The issue of network neutrality is now a hot topic in view of the upcoming spectrum auction by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is required to sell airwaves vacated by broadcasters as a result of the digital television transition, mainly to wireless broadband carriers, by the end of 2007. It is due to announce the rules for the auction in the coming weeks.
The worry of many incumbent telephone and cable broadband providers is that the FCC will impose network-neutrality mandates on the spectrum auction. At the June 14 hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, Verizon Wireless’ executive vice president and CTO Richard J. Lynch called on the agency to “set auction rules that allow for full and fair competition by qualified bidders, without artificial and unwarranted constraints.” According to Lynch, “such discriminatory eligibility restrictions are aimed at the companies most ready to deploy next-generation broadband networks.”
Michael Small, CEO of New Jersey-based Centennial Communications and a member of the executive board of CTIA, saw “no economic basis to impose open access or other intrusive forms of regulatory intervention on the wireless industry.” He believes “the auction should proceed with few, if any, encumbrances, and the market should determine which business plans and competitors will prevail.”
Meanwhile, Amol Sarva, one of Virgin Mobile’s founders, hopes the FCC will reserve an “open access” block of spectrum to allow for “innovation at Internet speed.” Sarva is not against incumbents getting large chunks of spectrum so long as bidders with other ideas on how to use the airwaves will still get some.
Via [internetnews.com]
Continue reading ‘Network Neutrality Does Wireless’