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802.11 continues to justify the 'Unwire' hype
Maury Wright, Editor-in-Chief -- EDN, 8/27/2003
The momentum of 802.11 wireless-LAN technology is one of the true bright spots of the tech industry right now. As we've discussed frequently in EDN's Digital Den, Wi-Fi's proliferation in homes has been incredible, and its deployment in public hotspots is really starting to take off.
The next month promises to bring more believers onto the bandwagon, as Intel presents "One Unwired Day" on Sept 25 and IDG holds its DemoMobile 2003 forum, Sept 17 through 19 in La Jolla, CA. Moreover, a major IC vendor and a startup both have major product launches planned in the coming weeks (we'll detail that news in future issues).
Meanwhile, the number of sources for public-hotspot-grade (read: ruggedized) Wi-Fi products also continues to grow. D-Link, for instance, just introduced its $600 Airspot access point, which features a DHCP server, router, and firewall. The company claims the device allows businesses to create public hotspots right out of the box.
Ironically, at last year's DemoMobile, the analysts and venture capitalists that I spoke with were giving the public Wi-Fi startups like Boingo no shot for success. The wireline RBOCs (regional Bell operating companies) and cellular carriers were also claiming that the technology had no chance. My guess is that those folks will be singing a different tune this year. Indeed, the large wireless and wireline carriers are all hustling to develop their own public Wi-Fi strategies.
Intel is certainly doing its part, first with its Centrino ad campaign and now with One Unwired Day. The event will feature public festivals in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, where anyone will be able to experiment with public Wi-Fi for free. Thousands of hotspots around the country will also offer free Wi-Fi service that day. Intel organized the event in conjunction with partners including IBM, Panasonic, T-Mobile, Toshiba, Verizon, and Warner Brothers, among others. For more information, see www.intel.com/unwire .
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