Author: Wayne Slavin

Recently, parties lacking experience and facts have suggested that municipalities should not promote or fund broadband wireless networks. Their arguments ignore a growing number of successful municipal deployments and rely on incorrect assertions. Via [news.zdnet.com]

Comms watchdog Ofcom has played down the level of overcrowding in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band of the spectrum. Via [electronicsweekly.com]

Broadcom Corp. has announced what it claims is the first Wi-Fi chipset that supports the PCI Express bus architecture. Via [eetimes.com]

UK Wi-Fi network The Cloud has become Germany's third-largest WISP by acquiring local player Airnyx, the company said today. Via [theregister.co.uk]

Here's something to think about: What if wherever your cellphone worked you also could set up a high-speed Internet network? Via [seattletimes.nwsource.com]

Setup of the HomePlug Ethernet Adapter Kit from Actiontec was pretty simple and well within the grasp of a consumer. Speed is more than acceptable; it's rated at 14Mbps and I observed at least 10 during my residential tests. That's about the same as the older 802.11B standard and plenty for Internet use. Via [newsfactor.com]...

For those basketball fans in the audience, March is best known as March Madness and the NCAA tournament. But, for the WiMAX sector, the last few days should be called Merger Madness. Via [commsdesign.com]

The use of VoIP (voice-over-Internet-protocol) on wireless networks is a threat to mobile operators, according to a report by research firm Analysys. Via [electronicsweekly.com]

The dual-mode iPaq H6315 lets users switch between GSM/GPRS and Wi-Fi networks as they travel. "The device automatically notifies you as you enter a Wi-Fi hot spot and switches to the fastest network available, allowing you to maintain your Internet session as you travel from your home, to Starbucks, to the airport, to a business...

Consumer broadband adoption is accompanied by purchases of access points and adaptors. Wi-Fi adoption has been slower in the enterprise sector. Prices for consumer equipment have been falling faster than those for enterprise-grade systems. SOHO and consumer spending has outpaced that of enterprises.

In an interview with Japanese weekly Nikkei Business, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata reveals the next generation Nintendo console will have built in WiFi and innovative controllers. Via [news.designtechnica.com]

Colubris Networks joined this week's telecom merger-fest by acquiring Kiwi Networks, a supplier of advanced cellular technologies for next-generation Wi-Fi and WiMax deployment. The deal strengthens its portfolio of Wi-Fi and WiMax-based wireless local area network solutions. Via [eetimes.com]

Anyone who tells you that moving to 802.11i is simple "is not telling you the straight story," says Kenneth Dulaney, an analyst at Gartner. "You're adding two encryption methods and one authentication scheme. That's not simple." Via [wireless.newsfactor.com]

Wireless broadband equipment vendor Airspan Networks said Tuesday that it is purchasing an Israeli company that specializes in voice-over-IP technology. Via [internetweek.com]

The market for fixed wireless, WiMax, and WiFi gear will be worth some $12.4 billion by 2010, a researcher reckons. Via [theinquirer.net]