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It seems that, like with the effect of iPhones overloading the AT&T network, T-Mobile anticipate clogged 3G networks, and try to prepare for this. Read the full story from eWeek.com here.
People - didn’t you get it yet? you will never get enough base stations up in time… you need Wi-Fi to deliver the mobile Internet these G-Phones are going to demand.
Following WeFi’s appearance in the Symbian Smartphone show - Quote:
“WeFi.com, which also demonstrated its wares at the conference, provides software that, when loaded onto a laptop or mobile device, automatically detects and qualifies all Wi-Fi access points within range and connects the user to the spot with the best Internet connection. If the WeFi software detects a new access point, it allows the user to be the first to map it. WeFi also provides users with instant messaging tools, allowing them to create a buddy list and to see where their friends are currently connected…
WeFi is community-driven, in that each person using WeFi plays a part in expanding the network. It will not take much to create a global network of free Wi-Fi connectivity, he said. And when that occurs, all users will get to enjoy using the Internet whenever and wherever they want”
Read the full story here.
(press release)
Delaware, USA, October 20, 2008: WeFi Inc., creator of the first open, community-based global Wi-Fi network, announced today that the company has been chosen along with only seven others to demonstrate at the prestigious “Forum Nokia” zone as part of this week’s 2008 Symbian Smartphone conference. WeFi will demonstrate a version of its free software for the Nokia S60 mobile phone series, offering users automatic access to the best Wi-Fi connection available. The honor of being included at the “Forum Nokia” booth (#22) – bestowed on the most innovative software developers who maximize the value of Nokia devices - is further proof of WeFi leading the way in providing quick and easy Wi-Fi access to users around the world.
Forum Nokia partners with third-party software developers to maximize the value of Nokia devices by fostering the creation of engaging applications and services that deliver rich new experiences for end users, additional revenue flows for operators, and exciting business opportunities for developers and Web designers. Today, Forum Nokia serves a large, active software developer base with more than 3.6 million registered members, making Forum Nokia the world’s largest mobile developer network.
WeFi is effectively making mobile Internet connection fast and easy-to-use for Symbian users. After downloading and installing the free software from WeFi’s website, www.wefi.com, when asked to choose an access point, users can simply select “Automatic – WeFi”, and WeFi will connect them to the best connection. Users can also program your mobile device so that “Automatic – WeFi” is the default connection for any application.
WeFi always seeks to connect users to Wi-Fi access points where Internet access has already been verified by other WeFi-enabled devices – dubbed “community-verified spots” - in a growing network of over 7 million access points. Symbian users can also register the WeFi software on their personal computers, and then benefit from easy access to WeFi’s social networking tools, including a map of Wi-Fi access points on which they can pinpoint their friends in real-time, send messages and share photos and other information.
In addition to the WeFi service for Nokia S60 users, WeFi also offers mobile application providers advantageous integration opportunities which enable maximized user experience, faster Internet access and the reduction of data costs, by utilizing WeFi’s Global Virtual Wi-Fi network.
T-Mobile rolled out its latest device, the G1 phone which uses Android (Google’s open-source OS). Now that the hype has finally died down, here’s my take on the phone:
- it’s pretty ugly with a cheap plastic keyboard and it looks too much like all the other old devices with their cheap plastic keyboards
- the device is not really open because you can’t run VOIP apps on the 3G connection and it is SIM locked
- price: $179 with a two-year (!) contract
- the data plus voice subscription plan is convoluted and pricey
- there’s a data cap of 1GB; if you exceed this limit, T-Mobile bumps you down to the slowest speeds imaginable, turning your G1 into an ugly brick (update: T-Mobile says it is simply “reviewing” the cap).
Read more here.
iPass, the Wi-Fi hotspot aggregator for people who work in enterprises, has released the results of its annual survey of Wi-Fi use by its customers. The iPass Mobile Broadband Index shows that business use of Wi-Fi hotspots (in the iPass network) grew by 46% between the first half of 2007 and the first half of 2008. 3G data use in the US increased by 59% between Q2 2007 and Q2 2008.
The biggest jump in Wi-Fi use occurred in Europe. For the first time, in the first half of 2008 European business use of Wi-Fi exceeded that of the US; it now accounts for 47% of global use of Wi-Fi, up from 36% in 2007; 70% of the growth in worldwide Wi-Fi use came from Europe.
Read more by clicking on the link below:
Business use of Wi-Fi hotspots grows by 46%, 3G use increases by 59%
Boingo Networks, the hotspot aggregator, has just added Swisscom’s hotspots to its roaming network. Swisscom has hotspots in major airports, railway stations and over 500 hotels. This is very significant news for Boingo members who travel to Europe because Swisscom is known for charging a lot of money for Wi-Fi access. Unfortunately, the roaming agreement only applies to Swisscom’s hotspots in Switzerland — not in other European countries.
Read more on Muniwireless:
The Meraki PR machine is working overtime, but so is Mayor Gavin Newsom’s. Meraki’s “Free the Net” initiative, whose goal is to bring free Wi-Fi to San Francisco, is installing access points in the Tenderloin, a neighborhood in San Francisco where one will find a lot of homeless people, drug dealing and crime. Gavin Newsom, who wanted to bring free Wi-Fi via EarthLink (except EarthLink bailed out), is taking advantage of Meraki’s initiative to continue to position himself as the mayor who wants to bring free wireless broadband to the city. I am not criticizing the mayor’s desire for free Wi-Fi (I also want free wireless in many places) but I have two problems with these recent announcements:
(1) The Meraki press release sent out to me and other online publications says that Meraki has free Wi-Fi in 80% of San Francisco. This is not true at all, as I pointed out on Muniwireless. All you have to do is look at the Meraki coverage map. Other online publications such as CNET simply repeated the Meraki press release figure without checking.
(2) While it is an admirable goal to bring free or cheap broadband to neighborhoods where families cannot afford to pay the rates charged by the incumbents (cable / telco), why not start in areas where, right now, people who do use broadband via iPhones, Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones, laptops can use them intensively? Arnon Kohavi, one of the founders of WeFi, pointed out in a comment to my article that the Embarcadero in San Francisco would have been a perfect place to set up a free Wi-Fi network: from Fisherman’s Wharf all the way to the ball park. On any given day, there are dozens of people sitting outside in cafes, walking, many are tourists trying to figure out where things are on a map, where to go; others are locals and many people have iPhones. Why not start at the Embarcadero? I would like to see Mayor Newsom inaugurate a fast, free amazing Wi-Fi network that provides robust coverage from the Aquatic Park all the way to the ball park, along the Embarcadero.
A survey conducted by Oxford and Oviedo universities on behalf of Cisco has shown that most countries’ broadband speeds are not keeping up with current applications. The study, which measured the bandwidth needed for watching YouTube, video chatting and using light P2P applications says that today one needs at least 3.75 Mbps (down), 1Mbps (up), with a latency of under 95 milliseconds. Of all the countries surveyed, only Japan meets that requirement consistently. In five years, we will need 11 Mbps (down), 5Mbps (up), latency under 60 milliseconds. Read more about the international broadband survey.
John Dvorak, long-time columnist and curmudgeon at PC Magazine, has posted his long list of disappointments over Wi-Fi. The ones I share with him are:
Let me add that in Europe, Wi-Fi access in hotels is very expensive so I find myself always hunting around for cafes that have free Wi-Fi service and excellent coffee.
And indeed, at WeFi, the goal is to make the Wi-Fi experience BETTER by allowing them to find open Wi-Fi networks (via the WeFi map) and making it easy to log onto an open network (via the WeFi software, which you can download to a number of devices such as the Mac, Windows PC, Nokia S60 phones). As more people carry around Wi-Fi devices such as the iPhone, demand for open Wi-Fi access will grow. Already we see companies like Meraki making it easier and less expensive to roll out large Wi-Fi networks across cities.
According to Meraki, the mesh equipment provider, the iPhone now accounts for 20% of devices using the Meraki network in San Francisco, up from 6% a year ago. Not only are there more iPhones out there, many people also prefer to use Wi-Fi given the frequent AT&T outages and the slow cellular network, which isn’t really optimized for heavy data use. Indeed lawsuits have been filed against Apple and AT&T for misrepresenting the capability of both the phone and the network.
