Linksys has released their new 802.11g wireless VoIP phones, the WIP300 and the WIP330. Both WiFi phones require a broadband connection and activated VoIP service to operate. The WIP300, with a 1.8-inch color display and standard features such as call forwarding, call transfer, and call history, has an estimated street price of $219.99. The WIP330,...

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...

Altera Corp. and Sequans Communications announced the availability of mobile WiMax chipsets. Using FPGA technology, they seem very certain that they will be able to upgrade the chipsets for future improvements to the WiMax standards. No word yet on any customers. Via [eetimes.com]

John Muleta (former head of the FCC's wireless bureau) and cable executive Milo Medin (creator of AtHome Networks) have founded M2Z Networks Inc. with the goal of offering nationwide high-speed Internet service via a vacated slice of airwaves. The unused airwaves, 2155 megahertz (Mhz) to 2175 Mhz, have been allocated for advanced wireless service, and...

The wireless industry, which was down to just three major players, is on the verge of expanding. The FCC kicks off its wireless spectrum auction in June -- now named Auction 66, and worth an estimated $8 billion to $15 billion -- and more than the usual suspects are expected to line up for a...

As companies compete for any advantage, some unlikely names are showing interest in radio spectrum. The FCC is set to auction off 90Mhz pieces of the 1.7GHz to 2.1GHz bands. Names such as Google and Time Warner and Verizon are all being listed as possibly interested in pieces of the spectrum. The theories on what...

Hewlett-Packard is introducing a Wi-Fi switch module for its ProCurve 5300 edge switch. The company believes its Wireless Edge Services Module (WESM) is more tightly integrated than the Wi-Fi Services Module (WISM) from rival Cisco. HP plans to sell WESM, which will initially include support for 12 access points or "Radio Ports", for 3,699 euros...

Google is working with Nokia to launch a handheld device that will include Google's instant messenger and Internet calling service called Google Talk. The plan envisions users to tap a wireless Internet network instead of cellular signals to make calls. The service will be restricted to people with Google Talk on their PCs or Nokia...

With an expected compound annual growth rate of more than 268 percent, the WiMAX market is taking the lead in the mobile wireless race. According to market research analyst firm Semico Research Corp., WiMAX is "poised to do for broadband what cellular has done for phones -- make broadband mobile." Investors such as Intel and...

Researchers at Imperial College, London have launched a project called MEMBRANE (Multi-Element Multihop Backhaul Reconfigurable Antenna Network), which seeks to come out with an integrated set of antennae and wireless networking technologies. The $3.6 million project is supported by Intel, Lucent Technologies and Telefonica as well as the European Commission. The group hopes to have...

Alienware, a soon-to-be-acquired-by-Dell niche PC maker, has targeted chipsets made by Airgo Networks to power two of the Alienware game-focused laptops. The notebooks -- Aurora m9700 and Aurora mALX -- will come equipped with Airgo's Gen3 True MIMO technology (multiple input, multiple output), combining mobility plus Wi-Fi connections at speeds fast enough for high-performance gaming....

Downtown Phoenix is jumping on the municipal WiFi bandwagon. While not as ambitious at San Francisco, the plan will try and cover all of the Copper Square area. The plan does not include a free service option. The plan seems to be aimed at business people on lunch and tourists. The project is still at...

No one ever said it would be easy. The plan to blanket San Fracisco with wireless is not a matter of flipping a switch. San Francisco is full of hills and tall buildings, things that usually are problems for wireless networks. The network will probobly require $15 million and 36 nodes per square mile. It...

Meru Networks has added wireless backbone support to it's lineup. The technology allows for accesspoints to no longer be chained to a wire. The technology bonds multiple WiFi channels together to allow for more bandwidth on the backhaul, while reserving channels for clients to use. This should allow for more bandwidth in between building backbones...

Silex Technology unveiled a new device that will require fingerprint identification to gain access to a WiFi network. According to a Silex spokesman, the Silex Bio-NetGuard will likely be sold for $499. It contains a Fujitsu MBF200 fingerprint sensor, which when touched, will prompt the device to scour its database of 27,000 unique fingerprint key...