WiFi

Verizon Business enhances WiFi offering

Lynnette Luna — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:11:03 -0400

Verizon Business introduced a new WiFi interface designed to make it easier for customers to connect to its more than 70,000 Verizon-provided hot spots around the world. Verizon Wi-Fi Connect, part of Verizon's Enterprise Mobility services suite, offers integrated billing and management capabilities, including WiFi usage monitoring. An icon appears whenever a connection to a Verizon WiFi hot spot is sensed. Then the user simply clicks to gain access to the Internet and from there to a corporate network. Verizon also announced that it extended its Enterprise Mobility services to Latin America. Article

Wi-Fi Alliance works to ensure quality voice over WiFi

Lynnette Luna — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:44:44 -0400

Driven by the increasing popularity of Voice over WiFi, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced the Wi-Fi Certified Voice-Personal program to ensure quality voice over WiFi links. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, estimates from analyst firms forecast shipments of WiFi/cellular converged phones to number between 250 and 350 million units in 2011. According to Victoria Fodale, manager with research firm In-Stat, " We are seeing increasing expectations from wireless subscribers that handsets include WiFi technology to handle both voice and data, and carriers are responding in kind with an interesting array of offerings combining WiFi and cellular service." Release

Wireless Silicon Valley project gains some steam

Lynnette Luna — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:07:41 -0400

The massive Wireless Silicon Valley project that aims to cover 1,000 square miles in California's Silicon Valley with WiFi, is finally gaining a bit of steam after several delays. San Carlos' city council approved encroachment permits required for a trial of the network in downtown San Carlos.

In February, Covad agreed to test a network in San Carlos. Covad has been looking at ways to extend its fixed-line broadband services into hard-to-reach areas. Those involved with the Wireless Silicon Valley project hope that this trial deployment will spur nearby cities to become involved.

"The cities are very interested, but they're saying, ‘Look, we're not going to sign up for these services unless we've seen them run, and in our environment-we don't want to go down to Tempe or over to Philadelphia-we want to see it running here, so we can bring in our police cars, our public works people, and try it out and have confidence that we're going to get the quality of service that we need," Seth Fearey, project manager for Wireless Silicon Valley, told Wi-Fi Planet.

For more:
- read Wi-Fi Planet

Related stories:
Covad's experiment with muni-WiFi comes at right time. Covad editorial
Covad to roll out fixed WiMAX this year. Covad story

Utah Transit deploys WiFi

Lynnette Luna — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:17:01 -0400

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is using U.K.-based Nomad Digital's WiFi technology to offer high-speed Internet access to all of its passengers aboard its new FrontRunner commuter rail line. Twelve double-decker trains on the new 40-mile FrontRunner commuter line between Ogden and Salt Lake City are offering connectivity to passengers. According to Nomad, in the six weeks since the railroad opened for business, the number of passengers using the WiFi service has increased from 300 per day at the start of May to 700 per day currently.

"A high-speed and free WiFi Internet connection for passengers is a key part of getting people out of their cars and onto the train. Every day more and more of our customers are realizing that one of the many benefits of riding by train is that they can use their commuting time productively-whether it be for information, entertainment, or work-rather than focusing on the road," Clair Fiet, UTA's Chief Technology Officer, said in a press release.

For more:
- check out Wi-Fi Planet

Related articles:
Startup offers San Fran's BART free WiFi service
EarthLink officially pulls plug on muni-WiFi business. See this EarthLink story

Starbucks settles T-Mobile WiFi lawsuit

Lynnette Luna — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 02:59:53 -0400

Days after T-Mobile filed a lawsuit against Starbucks accusing it of breach of contract because it's allowing AT&T to provide customers with free WiFi access in its cafes, Starbucks announced it has reached an agreement with AT&T and T-Mobile. The AT&T promotion provides two hours of free WiFi to Starbucks customers who purchase a Starbucks Reward Card with a minimum of $5 credit on it. Customers must use their Starbucks Card at least once a month.

T-Mobile, which was the seven-year exclusive paid WiFi provider for Starbucks before the coffee chain transitioned to AT&T, filed a complaint earlier this week charging Starbucks with secretly devising the promotion with AT&T to provide free WiFi in its stores even though T-Mobile still has the right to exclusively sell and promote its WiFi service in Starbucks until the transition to AT&T is complete. Currently only two Starbucks stores have made the transition, the lawsuit said.

It's unclear what type of agreement Starbucks entered into with AT&T and T-Mobile but it appears the lawsuit won't go to trial. According to a T-Mobile spokesperson, "T-Mobile, AT&T, and Starbucks have entered into a memorandum of understanding to resolve their disputes and are committed to providing a high quality WiFi experience for customers.

For more:
- read ars technica

Related stories:
T-Mobile sues Starbucks over free WiFi
T-Mobile USA: WiFi subs can still use Starbucks
Starbucks snubs T-Mobile, signs WiFi deal with AT&T

Meraki unwires affordable housing in San Francisco

Lynnette Luna — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:19:50 -0400

Meraki, whose mission is to bring affordable Internet to the masses using off-the-shelf WiFi equipment and grassroots volunteerism, announced it will bring WiFi to affordable housing in San Francisco. The company has already established free wireless access in Altamont Hotel and Dunleavy Plaza, two of the city's affordable housing communities that provide single occupancy and family housing to more than 100 tenants. During the coming months, Meraki will extend Free the Net to dozens of similar communities in San Francisco. Article

AT&T gives HSPA a boost in time for 3G iPhone

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Just in time for the rumored June 9 iPhone debut, AT&T is giving its HSPA network a big speed boost. The company says that by the end of June it will have deployed HSUPA throughout its 3G markets, giving its customers downlink speeds between 700 Kbps and 1.7 Mbps and uplink speeds between 500 Kbps and 1.2 Mbps.

Also key to this speed increase is the fact that AT&T launched a new bundled offering called AT&T Net Reach, that combines AT&T's wireless and wireline networks, giving subscribers access to both AT&T's landline high speed Internet service and its wireless services such as AT&T's WiFi hotspots or its HSPA or Edge wireless data network. The Net Reach plans start at $79.95 per month and can be purchased by new or existing residential and business customers who subscribe to AT&T's high speed Internet and the LaptopConnect services.-Sue Marek

For more:
- see this Net Reach press release
- and this HSPA press release

Related stories:
AT&T looks to roll out HSPA in time for 3G iPhone
AT&T: HSPA will provide 20 Mbps data speeds

Starbucks' free WiFi promo hits a snag

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:59:53 -0400

Starbucks began offering free WiFi to coffee drinkers who visited its Card Reward web page to either sign up for a $5 rewards card or register an existing gift card. Users who sign up before July 14 get a free drink and everyone who signs up can use two hours of AT&T WiFi in Starbucks shops free every day. The only catch is that Card Reward users have to make a purchase with their card at least once a month.

But this plan was complicated when customers overwhelmed the Card Reward site yesterday causing the company to put up a message saying that they were working on the problem and to please check back later. This morning the site was operational.

This latest offer follows Starbucks' announcement earlier this year that AT&T would start providing WiFi service in Starbucks stores. T-Mobile USA, however, continues to offer the service as well.

For more:
- see IDG News Service

Related stories:
T-Mobile USA: WiFi subs can still use Starbucks. Starbucks WiFi/AT&T story
Starbucks snubs T-Mobile, signs WiFi deal with AT&T. Starbucks WiFi story

Intel-backed startup peddles WiFi PAN technology

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:59:57 -0400

A California start-up is coming to market with low-power WiFi personal area network (WiFi PAN) to bring low-power peripheral connectivity to WiFi platforms and give Bluetooth some competition.

Ozmo Devices, with Intel as one of its backers, is coming to market with technology that doesn't require an additional radio inside the platform or a dongle to communicate with a peripheral, such as a mouse or headset. The technology includes a software driver and an ultra-low power integrated circuit in the wireless peripheral that communicates with the platform.

Ozmo says its WiFi PAN technology is slated for integration in high-volume WiFi platforms and major peripheral manufacturers such as Belkin are sampling the IC for their new designs.

Ozmo's strategy is to target the computer and peripheral market initially, followed by consumer electronic devices that incorporate WiFi. Dave Timm, CEO of Ozmo, says WiFi PAN technology offers performance advantages over Bluetooth, including longer talk time. The price of the technology is also competitive with Bluetooth, he says.

For more about this story:
- check out this release

Centrino 2 with WiMAX coming this summer

Thu, 29 May 2008 06:59:56 -0400

Intel announced it will introduce its next-generation Centrino 2 mobile platform, code-named Montevina, July 14. The platform is expected to offer faster performance and longer battery life, and is long awaited by the WiMAX community as it incorporates both WiFi and WiMAX, although the wireless chips won't be available until August. In addition, the platform is 40 percent smaller so that it can fit in mini-notebooks.

Intel, as you remember, invested $1 billion in the new Clearwire WiMAX business, which includes Sprint, cable companies and Google. Intel is hoping WiMAX incorporated in the new platform will do the same thing incorporating WiFi did, spur adoption. However, Clearwire's rollout will be on a market-by-market basis with 2010 or even 2011 delivering a reasonable footprint in the majority of the top 200 markets. That doesn't worry Intel though.

"When we launched our Centrino WiFi platform, there weren't a lot of WiFi hotspots, but people still bought it even though by itself, WiFi was not ubiquitous," Intel Vice President Sriram Viswanathan said in a recent conference call. "Centrino was still successful. We expect the same with Montevina because there are other value propositions in the platform."

For more about Intel's Centrino 2:
- check out this article from InformationWeek

Related stories:
- New Sprint-Clearwire deal a shot in the arm for mobile WiMAX. See this Clearwire story
- Intel among winners of 2.6 GHz spectrum in Sweden. See this Intel WiMAX story