Author: Wayne Slavin

Five months ago, Mayor Greg Nickels flawlessly demonstrated a new city-run wireless Internet system in Columbia City as part of a program to see if free access could boost business in certain neighborhoods. Via [seattletimes.nwsource.com]

As they often do when they're not happy with the way things are going, a collection of tech-heavy hitters led by Intel may be trying to take control of an important Wi-Fi standards process. Via [news.zdnet.com]

Plans are afoot in Philadelphia and Huntsville, Alabama, as well as my hometown of San Francisco, to provide residents with low-cost or free wireless internet access. It's a great idea whose time has come, like drinking fountains, public toilets and park benches. But last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that my city's mayor expects...

While hotel guests complain about being charged as much as $13 a day for Wi-Fi Internet access, Tantus Networks has come up with a way to make wireless Internet access free to everyone—through Wi-Fi advertising. Via [redherring.com]

Sony Ericsson has updated its flagship P-series smartphone line by announcing a model with 3G, 802.11b. The manufacturer has also beefed up the camera and display, and finally added BlackBerry Connect and VoIP support in the bundle. Via [theregister.co.uk]

For EarthLink, the Philadelphia contract isn't just about starting a new business line. It's also about deploying the latest technology. Cole Reinwand is EarthLink's director of next generation broadband, covering WiMAX, broadband over power lines (BPL), fiber to the home (FTTH), and other technologies. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Google’s recent bid to offer free Wi-Fi at 300 kilobits per second across the city of San Francisco struck some as being far outside the company's area of expertise. So what's this company up to, anyway? Via [commsdesign.com]

In the high-tech city of Oulu, Finland, anyone with a wireless laptop or mobile device won't go hungry or stay lost. Via [boston.com]

Intel, Broadcom, Marvel and Atheros have sidestepped the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers' process to work on a draft of the new 802.11n standard, which the vendors plan to submit to the IEEE's working group for consideration, sources say. Via [zdnet.com.au]

American Airlines, the biggest carrier at Logan International Airport, is accusing Logan officials of ''strong-arming" to crush competitive alternatives to the airport's new high-speed Internet access service. Via [boston.com]

Although mobile WiMax has captured most of the headlines, and a series of trials by mobile carriers highlights the future of wireless broadband, fixed WiMax “remains the technology’s bread and butter through 2009,” according to a report from Visant Strategies. Via [wi-fiplanet.com]

Nortel has announced plans to offer fixed and mobile WiMAX products based on the latest industry standards, and to work with WiMAX companies Intel and Airspan Networks in bringing these products to market. Via [neasia.nikkeibp.com]

One of the earliest pioneers of the mobile communications industry, Marty Cooper, warned that the sector still has many disruptions in its wake and warned that participants need to separate the technology from the marketing hype during a session he chaired at the Broadband Worldwide forum here. Via [eetimes.com]

Boingo Wireless is adding more muscle to its Boingo Roaming System, thanks to a newly signed deal with British Telecommunications' (BT) BT Openzone Wi-Fi Internet service provider. Via [wirelessweek.com]

Maspro Denkoh, a Japanese manufacturer of wireless communications equipment, has developed a transmission system that can send Wi-Fi signals as far as three miles. Via [pcworld.com]