FatPort opens its first Whistler, BC, location: FatPort, a Canadian wireless ISP, has opened a hot spot at the Westin in Whistler, BC. Whistler is one of the greatest ski resorts on the planet -- I've been there, but not to every other resort...this is hearsay -- and I had some long talks with a Net cafe owner when up last April about Wi-Fi. There are three other companies that also either already have or plant to be rolling out more extensive Whistler access. Captive audience of thousands of people already paying roughly $40 per day to ski? Not a bad market.

12:44:41 PM    comment   

Open source mesh networking: People keep pointing me over the last few days to LocustWorld, a company using and creating open-source software and selling inexpensive boxes to perform mesh networking, which allows multiple routing paths for wireless data instead of single point-to-point or point-to-multipoint connections. I'm not sure why interest peaked again over the last week: they've been shipping software and hardware for months. Any community networking and neighborhood networking project should look into MeshAP as a cheap and interesting evolving solution.

12:40:00 PM    comment   

Evoution Number Nine: EvDO cell data: The EvDO cell data system (horribly markety name of Evolution Data Only) provides high-speed, high-quality data over cellular systems. Several journalists I know have been favorably impressed by demonstrations, and this Washington Post writer is no exception. The only hitch is that deploying EvDO requires billions of dollars of tower equipment upgrades. The article also notes a good number for hot spots: 100,000 hot spots would provide about the same big-city ubiquity as current cell coverage. I'd buy that. If Vivato works out, that 100K number might go down substantially or be deployed more quickly. Alan Reiter brings his expert opinion to bear.

EvDO is more important to places where broadband density is an issue. So, as a Cable/DSL alternative in NYC, it would be a resounding failure. However, for places like India, China, and Latin America, it may be quite successful.
12:23:12 PM    comment   

Everest base camp wireless: The grandson of the last living Sherpa who accompanied Hilary on his jaunt up Everest is bringing wireless relayed satellite network access to Everest's base camp, among other projects. This fine article, written by my friend and colleague Nancy Gohring, conveys the critical importance of communication. I love the sense of community also by Gordon Cook, Dave Hughes, et al., where their long association and their deep generosity provides this kind of outcome. (Just a sub-reference here: Tenzing Communications in Seattle, an airplane Intenet access system provider, named themselves after Tenzing Norge, another Hilary Sherpa, and the one who possibly stepped on the summit before Hilary.

12:12:43 PM    comment