Hotspots

Report: WiFi hotspots will grow 40 percent in 2008

Sue Marek — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:44:20 -0400

ABI Research says that by the end of 2008 global WiFi hotspots will grow by 40 percent over 2007. The research firm says that the largest amount of growth will be in Europe. While the U.K. has usually led growth in that region, ABI says there has also been strong growth in France, Germany and Russia. But the business model is changing. The free hotspot model is growing as business operators and retailer see WiFi as a cost of doing business and an operational expense rather than a profit center. Release

Related articles:
Chrysler turns cars into WiFi hotspots
Can long-range WiFi challenge WiMAX?

Sierra ends CradlePoint acquisition

Sue Marek — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:34:29 -0400

Sierra Wireless has decided to pull the plug on its plans to acquire wireless networking firm CradlePoint. The company said that certain conditions were supposed to be met prior to closing and one of those conditions had not been met so the deal is off.

Sierra announced last April that it would buy CradlePoint in a $30.2 million cash and stock deal. The company expects to book $700,000 in expenses related to the deal in the second quarter of 2008.

Last December CradlePoint introduced a personal hotspot that it said enabled an EVDO USB modem or handset to create a WiFi hotspot that would extend Internet access to any WiFi-enabled device. This patent-pending technology would be supported by modems such as those made by Sierra Wireless.

For more:
- see this story

Related stories:
CradlePoint offers WiFi hotspot to go
SPOTLIGHT: Revenue leaps at Sierra Wireless

Chrysler turns cars into WiFi hotspots

Sue Marek — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:08:32 -0400

Soon motorists will be able to check email and surf the Web without finding a local Starbucks or Internet cafe. Beginning in August, automaker Chysler is going to outfit cars with a dealer-installed system called UConnect Web that turns vehicles into WiFi hotspots. The system will be offered in most 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeap vehicles. The in-vehicle wireless router will cost $449, plus installation of up to $50. Mobile Web access will cost about $29 per month after a $35 activation fee. Service will be provided by Autonet Mobile.

The UConnect Web device, which will be hidden within the car, will work only when there is a key in the ignition. It will use a cellular 3G network and promises download speeds between 600 and 800 kbps with upload speeds of 200 kbps.

For more:
- see this LA Times story

Related story:
WiFi-enabled cars arrive

BT urges U.K. workers to come out of the darkness

Lynnette Luna — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 10:22:13 -0400

U.K. telco BT is urging millions of those who work in the city to switch to occasional remote networks, thus using BT's WiFi hotspots. BT called the workers "bound by darkness," and said that figures reveal that the majority of workers are at their desks and soak up natural light less than one hour per day. It said that 22 percent of workers see less than 20 minutes of sunlight per day. Article

"Free" WiFi at Starbucks comes with a price

Sue Marek — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:22:31 -0400

Yesterday Starbucks began offering free WiFi to coffee drinkers who visited its Card Reward webpage 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 this story

Related stories:
T-Mobile USA: WiFi subs can still use Starbucks. Read about T-Mobile's WiFi deal with Starbucks.
Starbucks snubs T-Mobile, signs WiFi deal with AT&T. Read about Starbucks WiFi deal with AT&T

ALSO NOTED: Free wireless broadband; Nikon, Panasonic launch WiFi-enabled cameras; and much more...

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:59:50 -0400

> Congresswoman proposes free wireless broadband. Article

> Ruckus Wireless makes aggressive push into enterprise WiFi market. Article

> Nikon, Panasonic announce WiFi-enabled cameras. Article

> Russia requires registration for hotspots and WiFi devices. Article

> Did European iPhone sales make the Q4 target? Article

> WiMAX progresses in France and Italy. Article

And Finally... A Treo wrapped in bubblegum and deep-fried--or would you prefer cookie dough and deep-fried? Video (via Textuality)

Novatel releases HSPA modems, software to boost data speed

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:14:06 -0400

Novatel Wireless launched two new HSPA modems, one for the European market and one for North America. The modems offer peak download speeds of 7.2 Mbps.

The company also introduced what it calls an industry-first network traffic prioritization software that enhances the speed and performance of its wireless broadband modems. The solution, called NovaSpeed and is patent-pending, is capable of a 400 percent speed and performance boost while enabling simultaneous upload and download data transfer.

Brad Weinert, president of Novatel Wireless, says the software is part of a way the company can differentiate itself from competitors. Ã¢â‚¬Å“Hardware form factors are great, but there is only so much you can do to differentiate that way,Ã¢â‚¬Â he said.
By enabling the modem to monitor network conditions and regulate the concurrent uploads and downloads in real time, NovaSpeed enables the user to run multiple applications simultaneously. NovaSpeed is the technology that Novatel and AutoNet Mobile announced they will use to provide a nationwide CDMA EV-DO Rev.

A infrastructure to connect vehicles to the Web, turning automobiles into traveling WiFi hotspots of sorts. AutoNet developed an in-vehicle module for the service. The two companies are working with auto manufacturers and after-market OEMs to get the technology distributed more widely.

Wireless penetration will reach 300 percent

Andrew M. Seybold — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:16:21 -0400

Today there are about 3 billion people in the world who are wirelessly connected, most by voice and some by data services. In the United States there is a concern that the growth will slow down because we are at about 250 million wireless customers out of a total population of 303 million. That is equal to about 83 percent of the U.S. population. There is a fear that as we approach 100 percent penetration, the industry is going to experience a slow down. But I think 100 percent penetration is just the beginning.

Why do I say that? The answer is that we are entering a new era where it is not just one device per person. Already some of us have three. For example, I carry a Blackberry, a phone and my notebook computer is equipped with a high-speed wireless broadband modem. I also own a Kindle, the Amazon electronic book reader that uses the Sprint EV-DO network to download books, and I only pay for the book, not the airtime. In fact, there is no subscription to Sprint and many people think that the books are delivered over free WiFi, but the reality is that it is Sprint's EV-DO network.

Next up is the Chumby, a clock radio that connects to my Wi-Fi network at home. It permits me to display (but not interact with) stock prices, pictures, several news broadcasts, weather and more. In the future, it will be tied into real-time traffic and it will adjust itself according to the weather and the traffic reports, giving you a few extra minutes of sleep or waking you early. It will also control my coffee pot, and the temperature of my house so that the heat will come on a few minutes before the alarm goes off.

I estimate that we will hit 300 percent penetration in the next five years. I don't think that this is unreasonable, since we are now in an era where wireless is not just about wireless. It is also about extending the capabilities of other devices. Anything we use today that could benefit from being connected. Think about your navigation system, the points of interest is old before you even buy it. Try finding a gas station along your route, many of them have been closed long ago. What if the road is under construction for the next year (as they all seem to be) but there is no data in your files to show that? Well with two-way communications via a simple wireless chip, your navigation system will be more up-to-date, traffic information will be relayed to it, and construction zones will show up on your screen.

You want to program your Tivo Digital Video Recorder? You can already do that today over the Verizon Wireless network, it will just cost you more. Want to get your dog home in time for dinner? Just go to your computer and look at the GPS they have on their collar and then using voice command them to come home. Think I am being funny here? I am not. All of this is either available or coming soon. Want to monitor your heart rate or your glucose values? Have the results sent to your PC for charting or to your doctor. We have phones that will do that too, today.

We are crossing the divide, not the chasm, but the divide. We are entering a time when there will be two types of devices: Those whose primary function is communications and those who use communications to add value to the device. My Kindle is not about communications, it is about electronic books. It just so happens that they are delivered via Sprint's EV-DO broadband network rather than to my computer.

There is still the question of if we have enough wireless bandwidth for all of us to do whatever we want, whenever we want to do it. The new pricing plans-- which are no longer based on unlimited data but rather on unlimited data usage--will help us be more aware of the bandwidth limitations of wireless.

So we are easily headed for 300 percent penetration and Sprint's WiMAX business model of charging us by the individual and the family and not the device is making more sense every day. We have just seen a shift in pricing, all you can eat voice for under $100, and data limits on a monthly basis. Can price per customer or family be far away? I don't think so.

In the meantime enjoy what we have available to us and think about having your favorite consumer product enabled with wireless. That is where we are headed.

Andrew Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide.

FEATURE: Wireless penetration will reach 300 percent

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:59:53 -0400

Wireless penetration will reach 300 percent

By Andrew Seybold

Click here to continue reading...

Ericsson: WiFi hotspots on the way out

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:59:55 -0400

Are the mobile vendor giants of the world back to bashing WiFi? At the European Computer Audit, Control and Security Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Johan Bergendahl of Ericsson said the WiFi hotspots like the kind in Starbucks and hotels could become the telephone booths of the broadband era--you know, very out of place, if not completely extinct. However, those comments come not long after AT&T announced a new WiFi deal with Starbucks, and announced that its broadband customers could use its public WiFi hotspots for free. In addition, AT&T has entered the municipal WiFi market, building a network for the City of Riverside, Calif. If AT&T's moves are any indication, telcos may be warming up to WiFi strategically after years of only dabbling in it through resale. Meanwhile, the days of expensive public WiFi access may be coming to an end, but mobile broadband roaming, coverage and quality is still lacking.

The most bizarre part of this story is the final sentence, in which Bergendahl suggests some hotels may be blocking mobile radio signals to give themselves more opportunity to reap revenue from lobby and guest room WiFi. -Dan

For more:
- see this story at InfoWorld

Related articles:
- AT&T announced the Starbucks deal last month