Comments on: Wi-Fi Looks to Keep the Mobile Internet Dream Alive

By: While Everyone Watches Groupon Boingo Files for IPO : Tech News and Analysis «

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:39:11 +0000

[...] The Wi-Fi provider is also positioning itself as a partner for cellular carriers as they look to offload some of their data needs on Boingo’s network. The company said some of the risks it faces is its dependence on venue [...]

By: Qualcomm’s Atheros Buy and the Importance of Wi-Fi: Tech News and Analysis «

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:02:02 +0000

[...] The most important protocol in that network will be Wi-Fi, which is why Atheros, an early Wi-Fi company, is so important for Qualcomm. Other radio standards won’t go away (Atheros makes chips for many of them) and Qualcomm will likely begin offering even more highly integrated chips that combine application processors, cellular radio technology, Wi-Fi and other flavors. Mollenkopf mentioned that even cellular operators will rely more on Wi-Fi as they deploy their 4G networks, to meet the demand for bandwidth while saving their scare spectrum resources. For example, Towerstream said it has seen days where usage on a single metro Wi-Fi hot zone in Manhattan has exceeded a terabyte of traffic. [...]

By: Wi-Fi Hotspots, Only Going To Get Hotter: Tech News and Analysis «

Wi-Fi Hotspots, Only Going To Get Hotter: Tech News and Analysis « — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:25:37 +0000

[...] coverage. More Wi-Fi coverage is leading to heavier use: Wi-Fi provider Towerstream recorded 21 million connections in one quarter earlier this year for its mid-town New York Wi-Fi zone. The fact is Wi-Fi will be a critical piece [...]

By: Wi-Fi Direct Promises Device-to-Device Connectivity: Tech News «

Wi-Fi Direct Promises Device-to-Device Connectivity: Tech News « — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:14:16 +0000

[...] again shows the resilience and flexibility of Wi-Fi, which is being deployed for everything from wider area coverage and cellular network offloading to building personal area networks. As we wrote about earlier, 70 [...]

By: 4 Ways Carriers Are Fighting Wireless Data Demand: Tech News «

4 Ways Carriers Are Fighting Wireless Data Demand: Tech News « — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:48:44 +0000

[...] as an example. According to Jeff Thompson, CEO of Towerstream, which monitored the hotspot, the Wi-Fi zone experienced single days with more than 1 terabyte in usage, not to mention 21 milli…. Every “bit” on the Wi-Fi network helps reduces demand on the carrier’s 3G [...]

By: Loic

Loic — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 23:31:42 +0000

If only all those ISP and cable providers could just partner with Fon (http://www.fon.com/en/) like it is done in Europe and Asia (BT, SFR, etc.), it would be simpler for all customers.

By: tom

tom — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 22:05:37 +0000

i understand the benefits of wifi at my home, workplace, etc. and also can see why cable companies might want to offer city wide wifi as an incentive for customers.

but is does it really make more sense for the carriers such as AT&T or verizon to use WIFI instead of deploying picocells, mircocells or whatever is the latest fad in tiny cellular towers? it would certainly keep things a lot simpler for their customers. as smartphones become more commonplace the customers will be less sophisticated and many may not even understand how the wifi capability on there phones work. also with the proliferation of MIFI devices and tethering becoming more common a lot of wifi connections are going to loop back onto the cell networks anyways.

By: Scott Easterday

Scott Easterday — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:30:52 +0000

Too bad 1200 feet is only .2 miles. It would take a lot of hotspots to cover areas. Definitely works great at a stadium with a ton of people to handle the bandwidth. I do enjoy the free wifi at Starbucks and such, but being on a public wifi can be a little dangerous. I agree Wifi is here to stay, that is until something else that could potentially take it over, but that is not the case yet.