Author: Wayne Slavin

Alcatel and Samsung Electronics said they have agreed to harmonise their mobile wireless broadband technologies to allow both companies to speed up product launches, which will be targeted for the second half of 2006. Via [forbes.com]

A new study from Senza Fili says WiMAX soon will dominate the fixed broadband wireless market, but its future in mobile isn't as clear. Via [wirelessweek.com]

IBM plans to announce today that it has created a prototype chip that can enable wireless networking at 10 times the speed of today's standard WiFi chips. Via [mercurynews.com]

Business travelers are increasingly reliant on fast and easy wireless internet, or Wi-Fi, connections when managing their affairs from their laptops on the road. As a matter of fact, hotels report that one of the most frequently asked questions among potential guests is whether they offer Wi-Fi access. Second question: whether that access is free....

Fon, of Spain, got $21.7 million in investor funding from Google, Skype, and other investors. Fon plans to create a global network of a million shared Wi-Fi hot-spots by 2010, using the same download, install, and share model that created the Skype network. Via [informationweek.com]

Aspen Communications hopes to deploy WiMax to 36 buildings in Dallas this year and offer the technology to wireless broadband service providers. Via [informationweek.com]

Municipal Wi-Fi maker Tropos said it’s in talks with cable companies about using the company’s wide area outdoor Wi-Fi networks, marking a potential turnabout from the cable companies’ opposition to these networks as they compete with their already deployed cable broadband networks. Via [redherring.com]

Resiliency is a key attribute of mesh networks. A mesh network supports multiple paths among network nodes, hence there is no single point of failure, and nodes can be added to increase redundancy. Mesh networks also can load-balance traffic to prevent congestion and reroute traffic around congested nodes. Via [cio-today.com]

Municipal Wi-Fi networks are making headway in the United States, with Philadelphia closing a major contract for citywide wireless service, and a couple of California cities announcing their plans for free municipal Wi-Fi. Via [pcmag.com]

Cambridge has found a partner in its effort to provide free wireless Internet access: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Via [boston.com]

The resurgence of 802.20 wireless broadband access technology could represent serious competition for WiMAX, although the current momentum behind WiMAX will help, according to analysts. Via [electronicsweekly.com]

Kyocera Wireless Corp. has signed a strategic alliance with Marvell to develop a dual-mode Wi-Fi/CDMA handset platform. Via [eetimes.com]

A typical WiMAX operation will be comprised of WiMAX base stations deployed in a cellular fashion to provide ubiquitous coverage over a metropolitan area. WiMAX base stations can be connected to the edge network by means of a wireless point-to-point link or, where available, a fiber link. Via [newsfactor.com]

Bangalore, the Silicon Valley of India will soon turn into a WiFi Zone that will provide easy and seamless Internet access to enterprise, government and private users. Via [cxotoday.com]

The Chinese government is expected to officially recommend on February 1 that local organizations that receive funding by its Ministry of Information should buy wireless equipment based on a domestic wireless network standard. Via [cbronline.com]