Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is hoping to bring WiFi broadband service to smaller cities and rural areas. Schumer’s plan involves extending tax breaks to companies installing wireline broadband equipment. The Broadband Tax Enhancement Act, S1147, has already been approved by the Senate Finance Committee in early July and is awaiting further… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Research
Can High Wi-Fi Boost Space Elevator?
The LiftPort Group is conducting a two-month test to find out if a balloon-based platform can act as a reliable relay of Internet signals in remote regions. The company’s president, Michael Laine, said the Federal Aviation Administration issued a waiver for the trial, which began last week in a rural area near Poulsbo on western… Continue Reading
Closing The Digital Divide With Solar Wi-Fi
Green Wi-Fi is looking to develop cheap solar-powered WiFi networks in the hope of bridging the digital divide in developing countries. The non-profit group has obtained funding from the One Laptop Per Child initiative to enable it to build and test prototype nodes, each of which will include a battery-powered router and a solar panel… Continue Reading
Wireless Net Test Scores For Caltrain
Caltrain declared its trial of uninterrupted wireless Internet access on one of its trains a success. The test forms part of the transit agency’s plan to offer free wireless Internet service on all its trains within a year. Upgraded service, according to Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin, will be available for a fee. The project will… Continue Reading
Mobile WiMax To Choke Out Fixed?
According to a new study by Juniper Research, Mobile WiMax subscribers will exceed 21 million by 2012, a great leap from next year’s estimate of 1.7 million. The analyst firm ascribed the trend to the growing preference for the technology over its fixed counterpart as well as the relative inexpensiveness of deploying mobile WiMax base… Continue Reading
Most Home Users Secure Wi-Fi Networks: Study
A new study by JupiterResearch indicates that majority of consumers — 60 percent — use security applications such as WPA (WiFi Protected Access) and WPA2 on their wireless networks to protect their computers and data. JupiterResearch analyst Ina Sebastian said “security is the number one concern for Wi-Fi network owners” as “they are particularly afraid… Continue Reading
Enterprise Study Reveals Wi-Fi Deployment Plans, Trends
The 2006 Webtorials “WLAN State-of-the-Market” report indicates that companies consider Wi-Fi and VPNs as the most important network technologies to have in the next 18 months. Laptops and PDAs, meanwhile, lead the list of basic client products that are necessary to deploy a WLAN. The survey also reveals that WiFi coverage is no longer confined… Continue Reading
AMD’s ‘Centrino’ Strategy Worries Wi-Fi Vendors
WiFi vendors are expressing concerns over AMD’s plans to acquire ATI Technologies. The perception is that AMD will follow the “Centrino” route, which involved a bundle of an Intel-manufactured processor, chipset, and Wi-Fi card. Dirk Meyer, the president and chief operating officer of AMD, dismissed the concerns, assuring that the company has no plans of… Continue Reading
Langberg: The Overbuilding Of Wireless Networks Lingers In The Air
Too much excitement over wireless technologies is risking the possibility of overbuilding of networks. At present, there are several projects aimed at providing citywide or nationwide WiFi coverage and the question is whether these networks will attract enough customers to remain viable in the long term. Analysts like Andy Seybold, editor of the wireless industry… Continue Reading
Sparking Interest In Wireless Networks
Sparkplug, a Chicago-based provider of fixed wireless connectivity to businesses, has formed a merger with two other wireless operators, Des Moines-based Prairie iNet and Phoenix-based Telespectra. “Each of our companies brings different strengths to the merger,” according to Sparkplug chief executive Bill Malloy. The move, Malloy said, would enable Sparkplug to widen its coverage as… Continue Reading
Study: Wi-Fi Users Are Not Freeloaders
Customers that avail of free WiFi connection in Paris coffee shops do not hog tables, according to a new study by Wi-Fi provider Free-HotSpot. The report indicates that cafes with free WiFi connection have three to five times more customers than their fee-based counterparts and these people use the service for a shorter duration, with… Continue Reading
Wi-Fi More Popular Than iPods, Says Study
A new study by the Wi-Fi Alliance and Kelton Research indicates that wireless networking has more following that iPod. When asked which of the two they would prefer to keep, nearly 80 percent of the respondents chose their home wireless local area networks over the Apple bestseller. The study ascribed the popularity of the technology… Continue Reading
Wireless PCs Motivate Students, Says Study
About 23,000 Michigan school children, mostly sixth-graders, were handed wireless HP notebook PCs, instructed to start a self-directed learning program (complete with highly personalized computer instruction), and left to their own devices. 1,500 teachers also joined the experiment, and a survey shows the teachers found the students were more motivated, had better student-teacher interaction, and… Continue Reading
Study: Wi-Fi Cell Phones Will Hit It Big
WiFi capable cell phones were once considered a threat to cellular telco revenue streams, but that perception appears to be changing. With about 20 WiFi capable phones on the market already, the telco’s and particularly VOIP providers are looking at the convergance of technology to solve some problems and boost other revenue streams. 132 Million… Continue Reading
Muni Wi-Fi Faces Tech Trouble, Analyst Warns
Municipal wireless may deliver too little too late. A leading wireless consultant thinks that a great many municipal wireless projects are doomed to fail because they end up not being free and because they don’t have indoor coverage. He also believes that WiMax will have problems too. He believes that the edge the technology provides… Continue Reading