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SPOTLIGHT: The Best Is Yet to Come
Improved security, notebooks with built-in WiFi, and an eventual boom in mobile VoIP will cause the enterprise WLAN market to more than double by 2009, according to Dell'Oro. WiFi adoption is growing beyond vertical industries such as healthcare, education, and retail. Enterprises in general are starting to invest in WiFi as the cost in client equipment declines and security and management headaches ease. The advance of built-in client gear in most notebook PCs has eliminated the cost of …
ALSO NOTED: Rise of the WiFi thug; Public access WLAN services in Asia; and much more...
> The rise of the WiFi thug -- read and beware. Story
> Public access WLAN services in Asia are now mostly provided by telcos and mobile operators; in North Asia, they are perceived as a value add for subscriber customers. Report
> …
FierceWiFi August 3, 2005
- 802.11n war over, joint standard proposal due
- Massport-Continental battle over free airport WiFi
- UK firm unveils first WiFi Internet radio
- Motorola invests in Trapeze
- Ohio college students set WiFi distance record
- SPOTLIGHT: Not so inscrutable Orient
- ALSO NOTED: Keep an eye on the microwave; WiMax equipment revenue hits €13.4M; and much more...
802.11n war over, joint standard proposal due
La guerre est finie. The two major coalitions battling each other over the standard for 802.11n have agreed to submit a unified proposal to the IEEE. The two groups, TGn Sync and WWiSE, joined by a small third group, MITMOT, said they would merge their proposals in a draft which will be submitted to the IEEE in September, with a final version due in November.
The compromise was not easy to achieve. Each of the groups enjoyed the backing of big industry names. WWiSE was backed by …
Massport-Continental battle over free airport WiFi
In a case with intriguing implications for rapidly spreading WiFi hotspots at airports, Continental Airlines has filed a complaint with the FCC arguing that Massport, the independent authority which develops and manages Massachusetts' airports, exceeded its authority when it demanded that the airline turn off the WiFi service it was offering passengers in its lounges. Massport's action appears to fly in the face of the FCC's June 2004 decision that unlicensed spectrum, the rules governing …
UK firm unveils first WiFi Internet radio
As Orson Welles used to say in those Gallo wine commercials, some things are worth waiting for: WiFi radio, for example. Two UK companies -- Gloucestershire-based Acoustic Energy and Cambridge-based Reciva -- have now come up with one. Acoustic Energy, a loudspeaker and hi-fi manufacturer, is showing the world's first WiFi Internet radio offering Real Audio, WMA and MP3 support. The company says that the WiFi Internet radio is the world's first streaming media device capable of accessing …
Motorola invests in Trapeze
Trapeze, the wireless switch maker, has received a large investment from Motorola Ventures and will use the funds to work on fixed/wireless convergence solutions. Trapeze already is working on VoWLAN, and the funds will allow it to extend its activity to UMA. The amount of funding has not been disclosed, but Trapeze's Bart Tillmans said, "We do talk millions here." Trapeze has been offering Spectralink's handsets with its VoWLAN and will now begin to offer Motorola's converged …
Ohio college students set WiFi distance record
Four Ohio college students set the record for the world's longest unamplified WiFi link at last week's Defcon event (or "shootout," as the participants call it) in Las Vegas. The students, calling themselves Team iFiber/Redwire, combined very large satellite dishes with donated electronic equipment into a powerful system. Atop a 6,200-ft. mountain 22 miles southwest of Las Vegas, they were able to establish a stable wireless connection to a mountain in Utah 124.9 miles away. In last …
SPOTLIGHT: Not so inscrutable Orient
Ming Dong, sales and marketing group general manager at Beijing's Analysis International, says that WiMax and 3G will not compete with each other in China's growing market, but rather complement each other. Some analysts have predicted that WiMax will challenge 3G with bigger potential bandwidth, but much of the short-term focus and investment in bringing 3G technology to market in China means WiMax capabilities will be for improving fixed and mobile Internet rather than cell-phone customers. Report
ALSO NOTED: Keep an eye on the microwave; WiMax equipment revenue hits €13.4M; and much more...
> Remember that, when networking wirelessly, you should keep an eye on the microwave. Report
> Duke University's CIO Tracey Futhy. Interview
> Worldwide WiMax equipment revenue hit €13.4 million and is projected to grow to €101.9 million in 2005, according to market analysis firm Infonetics Research. …
FierceWiFi July 27, 2005
- Editor's Corner
- FCC chair pushes for easing DSL rules
- Linksys makes WiFi security set up easy
- Analysis: Wireless broadband operators face 802.16e, 700 Mhz
- Microsoft develops WiFi-based alternative to GPS
- Bountiful WiFi shows range-enhancing AP
- SPOTLIGHT: WiMax debuts in London
- ALSO NOTED: FIC debuts AquaPAD+;Have 802.11g travel router, will travel; Lenovo launches 802.11g router; and much more...
Editor's Corner
I am pleased to announce that we have added several new speakers for our upcoming executive summit, wVoIP 2005. We have two new keynote speakers: Christopher Logan, VP, On Demand Voice Services for Avaya, and Charles Meyers, Chief Marketing Officer for Level 3 Communications. We have also added new speakers from In-Stat, Texas Instruments, BEA Systems, Symbol Technologies, BelAir …
FCC chair pushes for easing DSL rules
Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is prodding his agency to relax regulations on high-speed Internet service offerings in the United States. Martin has circulated a proposal which treats DSL as an information service. This change in designation would exempt DSL from most traditional rules, such as the requirements to lease network access to competitors. In 2002 the FCC designated broadband Internet service offered by cable companies as an information …
Linksys makes WiFi security set up easy
Good news for those concerned about WiFi security (and who isn't?): Linksys has (finally) released its first network product which features the company's SecureEasySetup Technology. The new system allows users to make their networks more secure by literally pushing a button. The button applies WPA settings to the router and client computer. It encrypts data flowing between AP and client, and configures the network SSID. This one-push button replaces the current system of manually keying …
Analysis: Wireless broadband operators face 802.16e, 700 Mhz
Samuel Johnson said that "the prospect of being hanged in the morning wonderfully concentrates the mind." Similarly, the prospect of the arrival of 802.16e has concentrated the minds of leading wireless providers, forcing them to offer alternatives in the hope that by the time 802.16e shows up, they can build market position which will make them better able to withstand the Mobile WiMax assault. Here is what they have done to …
Microsoft develops WiFi-based alternative to GPS
Microsoft has embarked on an ambitious plan to create a ground-based alternative tracking system to the satellite-based GPS. Microsoft already operates cars in many U.S. and UK cities; these cars trawl the streets to locate WiFi signals. Microsoft has also used light aircraft to take detailed aerial pictures of cities and suburbs across the country. The company says it has already built a database containing the whereabouts of "millions" (the company would not say how many millions) of …
Bountiful WiFi shows range-enhancing AP
Woods Cross, Utah-based Bountiful WiFi (yes, this is the company's name; its motto is: "Abundant and Constant") is showing a new AP which, the company claims, doubles or even quadruples the range offered by available WiFi gear. Bountiful WiFi CEO, David Egbert, used to work for Corco which, three years ago, developed a stand-alone WiFi signal booster for Linksys. When Cisco acquired Linksys two years ago,the boosting idea was dropped, so Egbert decided to pick it up in his new …
SPOTLIGHT: WiMax debuts in London
TODAY'S SPOTLIGH...WiMax debuts in London
Commercial WiMax is coming to London, as wireless service provider Libera said it would deliver a symmetric 2 Mbps WiMax service to businesses in central London this fall. The service will start at £295 a month. The company will compete head-to-head with leased lines from fixed telecom providers such as BT and Cable & Wireless. It will use wireless roof-top antennae to connect to backhaul links provided by Colt …
ALSO NOTED: FIC debuts AquaPAD+;Have 802.11g travel router, will travel; Lenovo launches 802.11g router; and much more...
> First International Computer (FIC) shows new full-function webpad, the AquaPAD+. It is available with embedded Linux, and boasts built-in 802.11g, IrDA, PCMCIA, dual-USB, and an optional Bluetooth USB dongle. Report.
> Travelers may now set up their own portable Internet cafés with Linksys' compact-sized WTR54GS, an 802.11g travel router. …
FierceWiFi July 20, 2005
- EU expands spectrum for WiFi in 5GHz
- Indoor WiMax to rival 802.11a
- UCSD distributes open-source SDR platform
- Terabeam, not Moseley, to acquire Proxim
- Mesh standard proposals submitted to Task Group S
- SPOTLIGHT: Home, sweet home
- ALSO NOTED: Ixia acquires CMC; Dublin airport Ireland's largest hotspot; and much more...
EU expands spectrum for WiFi in 5GHz
A European Commission decision will open up a substantial amount of radio spectrum throughout the European Union for radio local area networks (RLANs), commonly known as WiFi. This decision, quite some time in coming, is part of the i2010 initiative to encourage growth and jobs in the digital economy. It will hasten the opening of a competitive single market for wireless access systems. Access to this spectrum with common rules will make equipment cheaper and ease the growing overload of …
Indoor WiMax to rival 802.11a
Much has been written in the past year about WiMax's promise and potential, and whether the 802.16e would be a competitor or merely complement it. Now Cygnus Communications argues that WiMax may well have another role to play -- as an alternative to 802.11a. Cygnus's Mike Librizzi told Techworld that, "There's nothing that precludes the use of WiMax on the LAN... You will get an improvement in data rate, and a service that can stream to multiple …
UCSD distributes open-source SDR platform
The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) at the University of California-San Diego is distributing for alpha testing a hardware-and-software platform for wireless research and development. The CalRadio 1.0 is an open-source device which offers academic and corporate researchers freedom to develop new RF solutions. The purpose is to accelerate the development of new wireless protocols and networking standards. CalRadio took two years to develop, …
Terabeam, not Moseley, to acquire Proxim
Talk of turning on a dime: A month ago Moseley Associates announced that it was acquiring the hapless wireless kit vendor Proxim for $21 million. Today it was announced that Proxim will be acquired for $28 million by Terabeam Wireless. A joint statement released today by the two companies says that they agreed to the deal "after Proxim declared Terabeam the high bidder in the court-approved auction held in connection with Proxim's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing." The statement also …
Mesh standard proposals submitted to Task Group S
Mesh networks, that is, a network in which each note is used to receive and transmit information so that the individual node does not have to be within distance of the network's AP, have been around for a while. They came onto the scene with much fanfare some four years ago, promising an uncomplicated way to address one of WiFi's major drawbacks -- its limited range. Problems with security and scalability, however, hobbled the technology, and its growth stalled. What did not help was …