Vendors looking to increase ever-eroding margins on commodity 802.11a, b, and g gear have been pushing for higher speeds and a faster ratification of 802.11n. Tired of the wait, Airgo Networks designed its own 802.11n-like chip set to be used first by Netgear in its RangeMax 240 router, announced last week, which has a maximum...

Philadelphia's wireless Internet for the masses initiative has given big telecommunications firms fits, but it has also won another plaudit for city chief information officer Dianah Neff. Via [philly.com]

A study from ABI Research estimates the global market for 802.11 mesh products to be $116 million and that it will soar to $1.3 billion five years from now. Much of that will be spent by municipalities or service providers to offer low-cost wireless Internet access, says Sam Lucero, ABI senior analyst. Via [newsfactor.com]

If nothing else, 2005 was an entertaining year for many a town, city or even county -- though the entertainment sometimes came at the expense of incumbent telecommunications companies. Via [govtech.net]

Korea Telecom, the top fixed broadband service carrier here, and France's Alcatel said they will establish a joint research center in a move to gain the top position in a recently-certified mobile wireless broadband service called WiBro. Via [eetimes.com]

Many analysts feel that it will be only a matter of time before other states join Nevada in adopting laws to accommodate gambling in casinos with WiFi devices. In fact, Aimee Marcel, gaming analyst at Jefferies & Co. recently said: " This has the potential to be a huge growth vehicle for the manufacturers." Via...

Kurt Peterson knows how to pick his Wi-Fi. "I go anywhere I can get it for free," he says. "Why should I pay? Enough people do it for free." Via [usatoday.com]

Mobile WiMax trials and certification testing based on the new IEEE spec are expected to start in the first quarter of 2006, organized by the WiMax Forum. Via [informationweek.com]

Continued delays in the WiMax certification process are posing a "real challenge" to the rollout of the long-range wireless broadband service in Europe. Via [networks.silicon.com]

Nintendo Co. Ltd. said on Wednesday that nearly 200,000 unique users worldwide have tapped its three-week-old Wi-Fi Connection wireless service available through the Nintendo DS video game player. Via [today.reuters.com]

A WiMAX wireless broadband network covering 8000 square miles of southeastern Alberta will be rolled out in 2006, equipment vendor Nortel and a Canadian governmental body said Wednesday. Via [commsdesign.com]

Both fixed and mobile WiMAX will be important to cellular operators to help them relieve congestion from their cellular data networks and to prepare for data technologies beyond 3G, a study released Tuesday by ABI Research claims. Via [eet.com]

The vendor has joined the Wi-Fi Alliance, saying it wants to make sure its 3G products are compatible with what the group is doing. Qualcomm is one of largest providers of cellular chipsets. Via [informationweek.com]

Jennic is working with Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry (III) to provide a ZigBee stack on its JN5121 microcontroller for Asia-Pacific market. Via [eetuk.com]

The Wi-Fi Alliance on Tuesday is set to attack one of the main problems with wireless LAN phones by certifying features to extend battery life. Via [pcworld.com]