Boulder - WiFi For You

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.internetnews.com/wireless/article.php/3525941' target='_blank'>http://www.internetnews.com/wireles...cle.php/3525941</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Things have suddenly gotten very busy at Lumin Innovative Products in Boulder, Colorado. On July 15th, 18 months after the company formed around co-founder Ben Adams’s concept for solar-powered Wi-Fi networks, Lumin deployed its first access points at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Since that successful launch, the four-person staff has been deluged with inquiries from press, people looking for work, potential investors, and prospective clients."</i><br /><br />Using solar-powered WiFi, Pearl Street in Boulder will be endowed with Internet Access. Somehow I think this is something we're going to be seeing a lot more of. Who knows - in 10 years, maybe we'll all just use Voip and shun cell networks ;)

[Sven Johannsen]

OK, so how does it actually get internet access? Over the cat5 wire that runs back to the router that is plugged into...? We can already deliver power over Cat5. I understand there are repeater/extender systems available, but the article just glosses over the important part of how it connects into the WWW.

I guess now all we need is solar powered PPCs or laptops so people in those electricity deprived remote locations can enjoy the internet.

[wth101]

The article didn't sem to cover it but perhaps its a mesh system, with only 1 or a few nodes having wired internet connections.

[Zidane]

XMission (a leading ISP here in Utah), just announced their WiFi access in downtown Salt Lake City (400 South to be exact). In fact, I got the email about it late last night. So, it looks like this is becoming a popular trend.

[stevelam]

Who knows - in 10 years, maybe we'll all just use Voip and shun cell networks ;)

We can dream - you think the cell phone networks would be happy about that??

[Cybrid]

"Things have suddenly gotten very busy at Lumin Innovative Products in Boulder, Colorado. On July 15th, 18 months after the company formed around co-founder Ben Adams’s concept for solar-powered Wi-Fi networks, Lumin deployed its first access points at the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. Since that successful launch, the four-person staff has been deluged with inquiries from press, people looking for work, potential investors, and prospective clients."

Using solar-powered WiFi, Pearl Street in Boulder will be endowed with Internet Access. Somehow I think this is something we're going to be seeing a lot more of. Who knows - in 10 years, maybe we'll all just use Voip and shun cell networks ;)
Unlikely.
Simply because to cover an entire nation would still be an investment over and above the average users budget.
secondly that doesn't magically provide internet. It eventually gets plugged in somewhere. Whereupon the real cost of bandwidth kicks in. Hosting a free wi-fi hotspot would at present require enough bandwidth to make your ISP "suggest" a business account. I cannot even imagine the cost of hosting a Wi-Max.
Maybe it is different in Great Britain but here in Canada, Telus is our landline, owns Telus mobility (cell phones), provides DSL, also runs it's own branded hotspots. It is a subsidiary of Verizon. Which is America's big ugly phone company and similarily has it's fingers it all the pies.
To misquote Verizon "All your bandwidth are belong to us!" :roll:

I envision a world where Wi-Max means A single integrated communicator is going to do all the PPC, smartphone, mobile entertainment, etc and will have your local telco branding and you will buy time much like we do today. There will be little differentiation between wifi, voip, landline, cable, sattelite, voice minute and or data plans. It will be a simple bill and you will pay through your nose anyway. :|