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IBM, AT&T and Intel Plan National Wireless ISP

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the wireless-topic-coming-soon dept.

dailywireless writes "Cometa Networks (formerly The Rainbow Project), a joint venture by IBM, Intel and AT&T, plans to merge Wi-Fi and cellular networks. 'Cometa's vision and plan for this is to offer a single sign-on, single authentication, seamless-roaming nationwide network,' said Michael Mass, vice president of marketing for the Communications Sector at IBM. 802 Plant reports 'AT&T will provide the network infrastructure and management, IBM the wireless installation and back-office system, and Intel the Banias processor. The company plans to have ubiquitous coverage - no further away than 5 minutes walk in an urban area or 5 minutes drive in a rural area - by 2004. which will require the deployment of more than 20,000 hotspot access sites across the U.S.' What fate awaits "free" networks like NYC Wireless, Seattle Wireless or Portland's PersonalTelco? Will AT&T use CoMeta's blanket coverage, with 20,000 "hotspots", to crush the "free" rebellion like a bug?"

4 of 160 comments (clear)

  1. Fears by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Okay, time for a PhD EE + MD to tell us that having gigs of porn zipping through our brains every second won't cause any damage.

    1. Re:Fears by Scaba · · Score: 4, Funny

      This brings up something ive always wondered

      first of all.. let me just say that NO.. i am NOT wearing a tin foil hat.. However...

      what are the conciquences of having all these waves being beamed and bounced around the world? Radar.. Radio.. TV.. Microwaves.. Cell Phones.. Wireless Internet.. and God knows what the military is REALLY using up in alaska [fas.org].. ect.. ect.. ect..

      what are the long long term effects to the earth? the us? dose any one know?

      I believe bad grammar and chronic misspellings are the first signs of irreversible brain damage caused by radio waves. You should have worn the hat...

  2. Where to put the antennas by commbat · · Score: 3, Funny

    My house! I'll only charge them $500.00 a month plus unlimited access.

    --
    'Intellectual Properties' are uncontrollable in the wild. To base an economy on them is just stupid.
  3. Waaah by Junky191 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Blah blah corporate rule take over the world why isn't everything free blah blah evil empire conspiracy.

    Nonsense.