Category: HotSpots

AirCell's newly-acquired radio spectrum license might change the world of in-flight Internet access for passengers aboard US commercial airplanes. The new spectrum would allow "affordable" broadband service without conflicting with the federal ban on in-flight cell phone use. The calls, which would travel over a different frequency, wouldn't pose a threat to aircraft navigational systems....

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is expanding wireless Internet access throughout the airport to make traveling more convenient for their flying customers. BWI joins airports in Canada and across the US in offering Wi-Fi as a free customer service rather than the paid concession it once was. Holdouts in the wireless conversion are major...

Startup company M2Z Networks plans to offer free wireless access with speeds at 384 Kbps across the U.S. once it secures a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). For higher speeds, users will have to pay a fee, five percent of which will go the government, according to the firm's application to FCC. To...

Hotspot operator Boingo has expanded it's reach with the purchase of Concourse, giving it a presence in 12 major US airports and over 100 locations in the US and Canada. The purchase should not cause any job losses and should hopefully expand Boingo's ability to support WiFi handsets. Via [wirelessweek.com]

BT Group intends to install a network of Wi-Fi hotspots in 12 U.K. cities, including Leeds, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cardiff and London's Westminster area, by the end of 2006. Steve Andrews, BT's chief of converged services, clarified that the plan only constitutes the first phase and that the company expects to expand its coverage. In...

Researchers at the the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a new technology that will allow neighbors to share bandwidth without having to worry of security or privacy threats. The 1MB Practical End-host collaborative Residential Multihoming (PERM) software file is now downloadable and can be accessed by users with broadband subscriptions. Haiyun Luo, an...

In the good old days of 5 years ago, WiFi was touted as the 'it' product that would provide internet service to thousands and start a revolution. Well, it did'nt really happen that way. Alot of early municipal wireless installations never got the market penetration that was expected. However not all was lost as many...

People seem to want to use the internet everywhere, and businesses are listening. In California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system has put out a request for proposals on WiFi enabling the 105 mile system. No excuse not to have your presentation for the morning meeting now. Via [mercurynews.com]

Fort Wayne, Indiana, is now a "hot zone," thanks to the Indiana Data Center, an ISP that serves Fort Wayne and its surrounding communities. The wireless distribution system, developed by Colubris Networks, uses dual-radio access points, situated on water towers, hospital rooftops, and fire stations, to cover the downtown area as well as the local...

Bellsouth is pushing thier WiMax service, setup after Hurricane Katrina, as backup for broadband service in New Orleans. The $29.95 service is bundled with landline broadband service. Via [wirelessweek.com]

The city of Pune, India is going to be unwired by Intel over the next year. The plan is to use WiFi and WiMax technologies to cover 400 square kilometers of the emerging tech hub city with wireless net access. The area is riddled with high tech companies who definatly know a few things about...

UK Marriot hotels are set to roll out Wireless net access for guests across 9000 hotel rooms. The deal with vendor iBahn covers 60 hotels for wired and wireless solutions. Hotel guests almost demand that hotels have broadband now. This roll out should keep guests happy with Marriot for a little while anyways. Via [vnunet.com]...

London Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Southampton airports will all soon have WiFi available for travellers. The partnership between 'The cloud' and BAA allows the BAA to provide for the ever increasing demand worldwide for WiFi service in airports. Via [vnunet.com]

National Express has launched a trial wireless access systems on its coaches travelling between between London and Cambridge. Via [computerweekly.com]

Gaming giant Nintendo announced yesterday that its wireless gaming service has crossed the one million unique user mark in less than four months of operation. Via [vnunet.com]