Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    Public WLANs Take Root

    By
    Carmen Nobel
    -
    June 24, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Plans by several mobile computing vendors to deploy pay-per-use and subscription-based WLANs in public spaces across the country are spurring development of software and hardware for service providers, as well as new devices for users.

      Hewlett-Packard Co. this week in New York will launch a public wireless LAN initiative that includes new equipment, implementation and hosting services, as well as management and billing software for customers looking to launch their own WLAN services.

      “You want to be able to make things that easy,” said Michael Flanagan, worldwide WLAN solutions and programs manager at HP, in Santa Clara, Calif. “Youve got to be able to set up the billing structures on the back end and the subscription issues on the front end.”

      Novice WLAN service providers agreed that having a ready-made solution sped their time to market.

      “It made things easier, especially for a startup,” said Anindya Ghosh, founder and CEO of Kubi Wireless S.L., a “hot spot” service provider in Barcelona, Spain, that launched last month in several Spanish hotels. “We were able to host our back-end stuff in the HP facilities.”

      HP estimates a cost of about $10,000 for a public WLAN pilot, depending on the complexity of the site. This is a far cry from the $199 “hot spot in a box” solution that Toshiba America Information Systems Inc. is announcing this week, along with its own hosting services.

      Officials at HP said setting up a public WLAN takes more than a single piece of hardware but added that the company will be offering its own hot spot in a box within a few months.

      IBM Global Services is also interested in the WLAN hot-spot business. It has joined with Nokia Corp. to launch a solution later this year that combines services and equipment.

      According to a recent report from In-Stat/MDR, it is estimated that the number of locations available for public access will grow worldwide from 2,000 last year to 42,000 in 2006, with service revenues experiencing a corresponding growth, reaching $642.6 million in 2006, up from $11.3 million last year.

      Counting on a jump in demand for client-side equipment, HP this week will also launch six notebooks in its Compaq Evo, Compaq Presario and HP Pavilion lines that support 802.11b. The Evo and Presario notebooks include the Multiport, an integrated wireless module that resides in the top of the notebook. The company is also launching the PocketPC H3900, which features Intel Corp.s new Xscale processor and includes 802.11b support.

      Initially, the success of public WLANs depends on business travelers, who depend on network security.

      To that end, HP, of Palo Alto, Calif., is teaming with iPass Inc., a Redwood Shores, Calif., company that focuses on integrating VPNs (virtual private networks) into hot spots. iPass technology includes a one- click solution, which allows credentials to be passed automatically to most major VPN clients, and an “auto-teardown” feature, which will disconnect if the VPN tunnel is lost.

      iPass also focuses on the issue of roaming. Company officials last week in Miami met with members of the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance to discuss the Generic Interface Specification, a proposal for an HTTP-based authentication protocol between clients and gateways that is compatible with existing Web browser authentication protocols.

      For the future, companies in the public WLAN space hope to take it to the next level, offering services that support WLAN and wide-area, third-generation cellular networks.

      There is a catch. “The carriers must be involved for a variety of reasons,” HPs Flanagan said, but they have been wary of WLANs for competitive reasons. “The telcos are still going, OK, how does this not cut into our revenue?”

      Still, HP reports that the company is close to signing deals with two U.S. wireless carriers and will announce its intent for services that combine WAN and WLAN support before the end of the year.

      Related stories:

      • WLANs to Get More Secure
      • Toshiba Talks Up Hot Spots
      • Internet Insight: Hot Spots
      • 802.11a and 802.11g Evolve the WLAN Space
      • Sniffing Out Rogue Wireless LANs
      Carmen Nobel

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×