The Change Mariner

Grassroots Wi-Fi Is 'Potentially Monumental'

The New York Times:

Meanwhile, thousands of free hot spots have been established by public agencies, mom-and-pop businesses hoping to attract customers and individuals working to build a grass-roots based network. A handful of city governments, some in cooperation with local businesses, are deploying free Wi-Fi networks in parts of Jacksonville, Fla., lower Manhattan and Portland, Ore., among other places.

"It's going to be hard for commercial carriers to make a profit," said Dewayne Hendricks, the chief executive of Dandin Group, a wireless Internet service provider based in Silicon Valley, who serves as technical adviser to the Federal Communications Commission on wireless Internet issues.

Mr. Hendricks said the remarkable spread of free networks was forcing commercial carriers to rethink their strategies.

"The infrastructure is being built from the bottom up," Mr. Hendricks said, referring to a municipal and grass-roots effort to deploy wireless connections. "How that plays out is potentially monumental," he said in affecting the way Internet access is provided.

Posted by Timothy Fredel at June 6, 2004 05:53 PM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Area - Tech - Wi-Fi | Industry - Internet | Industry - Telecommunications | Quadrant - Technological

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