BT and FON launch Wi-fi sharing plan in UK

Hi

Quote:

The UK's wireless net credentials have been boosted with the launch of a wi-fi sharing community by BT. BT has backed a global wireless sharing service called Fon, billing it as the "world's largest wi-fi community". The firm's three million broadband customers will be able to share their wi-fi with others in the Fon community.

Full story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7027871.stm

It will be interesting to see T-Mobiles and the others answer to this.

It looks as if the cost of Wifi will now be driven down to almost zero ...

Ian

Reply from BOPrey on Oct 10, 2007 - 04:45 PM

Well. Someone has to pay, either the consumers or BT. However, I see this as the first step of a disruptive business model to existing mobile networks.

BTW. Does any know if a new wireless router is needed for the extra secured channel that's share?

Reply from ianplain on Oct 10, 2007 - 05:15 PM

Hi Details are here

http://www.btfon.com/support/faqs#point03

as to

Quote:

I see this as the first step of a disruptive business model to existing mobile networks.

No I dont think it is, disruption to the likes of the Cloud and T-mobile wifi services then yes it is that. The signal will be fairly poor after it "escapes" from your house to make calls over it would be foolish as the signal quality will very low.

I think its too easy to forget that the vast majority of users want and need a service that works and that they do not have to fiddle with. they want to turn it on and make calls or recieve them, with no intervention. Yes there are 1% who want to fiddle, and their voice is louder than the other 99% .

Ian

Reply from BOPrey on Oct 10, 2007 - 06:56 PM

It seems to me that you are saying coverage is the issue here, not technology. As with all technolgy, it always boils down to the chicken and the egg issue.

Reply from ianplain on Oct 10, 2007 - 08:12 PM

But the reason the coverage will be poor is down to simple physics.

and you are going to place you AP in your house for best coverage for you and not for people outside.

For example my house has walls that at their thinist are 18" thick going upto 36" at the side and upstairs at the back( downstairs at the back the wall is over 2 miles (Im dug into a hillside)) so coverage outside is NIL to the sides and rear and only possible in line of site of windows or doors.

But even forgetting the coverage the bandwidth will be an issue. Lets say you have good coverage from a BTFON point and you want o make a call, are they going to have for example a steady 80K for your call avalible, I doubt it and dont forget your not going to get QOS or TOS so you will be fighting with everyone else.

The IDEA is grat for picking up your emails on the Go and a quick bit of surfing.

but I hope in a way im wrong.

Ian

Reply from BOPrey on Oct 10, 2007 - 09:06 PM

I understand your point. However, if owners of the APs are properly compensated for bandwidth usage, they might be more inclined to place the APs where coverage is best outside of their premises. Contents of websites are usually paid for through other means other another by the visitors themselves; so should bandwidth usage in hotspots.

Reply from ianplain on Oct 10, 2007 - 09:40 PM

Quote:

if owners of the APs are properly compensated for bandwidth usage, they might be more inclined to place the APs where coverage is best outside of their premises.

But you wont get compensated. Well other than being able to use other APs for free.. So TBH its better to sign up make sure no one can use yours and use as many others as you can.

Im sure that will happen but the idea begind fon is simlar to ours, Its a community and there is give and take fom all sides. you let someone ue yours and that lets you use theirs.

I think its good of BT to get behind this, It shows they are confident of their market share with openzone.

Ian

Voip User Forum Index » The World of VoIP » Wireless Mobility and Convergence