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First National 802.11b ISP

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the they'll-never-make-it-to-me dept.

JScarpace writes "The chairman and founder of Earthlink, Sky Dayton, will introduce his newest company today, a wireless ISP called "Boingo" which will resell 802.11b access being provided by smaller ISPs around the country. Sky hopes to build up Boingo the same way he built up Earthlink -- by buying or partnering with enough smaller providers to offer a national service." An overdue idea and a stupid company name. Course it'll never get to me... the downside of living in the sticks. Those of you in real cities may be one step closer to the dream. update yup, another duplicate. Pre coffee story posting should be forbidden. Ah well, maybe the flamers will get it out of their system early ;)

5 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. latency by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    I asume this works on the cell principal - what is the latency going tobe like?

  2. In the sticks is where this should go! by RedHat+Rocky · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Wireless to me is ready made for all those places that have been left out of the higher bandwidth game. No wiring, no messing with the phone company, just contract an agreement to stick an antenna on the local water tower and rent a closet at the local city building du jour.

    Sit back and watch the subscribers sign up.

    --
    Anything is possible given time and money.
  3. Sticks by rmadmin · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I live 'in the sticks' (Iowa). The city I work in only has 30,000 people. It somehow managed to nab @home while it still existed, 3 wireless providers, and 8 dialup ISPs (Including Earthlink via Buyout). I live in a town of 3,000, and next april the DSL goes live, and will start to annialte the 3 wireless providers there (what a waiste). One of which is Prarie Engery Cooperative.

    Basically what they do is partner with all the power companies around here, and make deals to provide Dialup and Wireless. But somehow I don't see the math working out. They have 5 customers paying $50/month (ouch) for 128k, thats $250/month income. 128x5=1.5Mbit~. Obviously not everyone is on at the same time, so they probably are getting by with a 512K line, which in Norht Iowa is around $600 a month.

    Another ISP is offering 3mbit wireless... they only have 2 T1's, which is 3mbit roughly, so how can they offer 3 mbit to each customer? Oh, thats right, beacause their equipment only tags up about a 600k throughput! Sad.

    Anyway, I don't see how anyone can efficiently provide high speed access affordably in 'the sticks'

    --


    Can all fish swim?
  4. Maybe they'll buy me? by Kostya · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I plan to set up a wireless ISP on the Washington state peninsula. Maybe they'll buy me eventually ;-)

    I don't really want to run an ISP, but when you are 5 miles up a mountain road with no hope of cable or DSL, you have to start getting creative. As it is, some guy down the street tried to convert his cabin (burned down and then rebuilt as a much nicer place) into an executive retreat. As a part of his master plan, he had QWest drag up some lines for high speed access (probably a T1 capable line). His plans fell thru, but they might be my hope for something better than 33.6 ;-)

    --
    "Doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs." -- Switchfoot, Ode to Chin
  5. security? [ was Re:Dream?] by mysticbob · · Score: 3, Interesting
    security isn't an issue. for those people expecting link-level security, dream on. it doesnt exist with ipv4, and it doesn't magically exist on 802.11b either. even if it sucks, you're silly unless you're using a higher-level security model (ala ssh).

    security is always your responsibility, not the hardware vendor, or isp, or anyone else. your responsibility.

    be empowered, take control of your destiny, use ssh. :)