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Niue Gets Island-Wide WiFi
NinjaPablo writes "Business Wire is running a story about the polynesian island of Niue. Niue has just completed an island-wide wifi network, making it the first country with nationwide free wifi access. This comes after countrywide email was started in 1997, dialup access in 1999, and broadband this Spring, all free for anyone."
So you want to change the definition of "nation"? Or you want to declare UC Berkeley as a nation?
I'm dying to know the details. From companies perspectives there are enough 'problems' with the flat rate model that many are switching to caps or per GB charges, so would free bandwidth be even 'worse'?
Basically, what's the speed, and how do they deal with serious users?
Tierce
Tierce
Who sponsors your feelings?
RTFA, and give me some of whatever you're smoking
The island has less than 2000 residents. That means 1 degree of separation at most, I'd guess. If you're not one of them, you kinda stick out.
Besides, wifi has terrible bandwidth. Why fly all the way there to get what you can get at many unis for free? Hell, there are unis where you can just walk into the library, plug in your laptop, and use the school's massive bandwidth.
As cheesy a plot as flying to Niue to spam from a secret cave hideout might be, it's an idea that 10 seconds of thought would reject.
Gates' Law: Every 18 months, the speed of software halves.
I wish the proceeds from the sale of all .com, .org, and .net domains went to giving US citizens free (and anonymous) net access.
That's really amazing. A single TLD is enough to support free internet access for an entire island. Really puts into perspective how much value Network Solutions has.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
"nu" means "now" in Swedish - and most .nu domains I've seen are owned by Swedes. .se opened up for free registration just recently - partly to "combat" .nu.
it's in my head
What the heck are you talking about?
$150 for a wireless bridge that will work at several miles with a $50 antenna and you'll get about 3 Mb/sec.
Lets see, $200/year vs $50/month for DSL?
This is such a nobrainer its not even funny. I could put an Omni on my roof and 20 households could share the connection by putting a bridge in their front window.
They could access the internet, they just didn't get it for free.
.nu domains. Which is much better than just dropping the cost on the taxpayer and calling it "free", but the point is, the money has to come from somewhere.
TANSTAAFL. It does have to be paid for, in this case the money comes from sales of
This reminds me of Neal Stevenson's book Cryptonomicon. What's next for Niue, it's own online currency and free van eck phreakers for everyone? I think that it's a great idea and the US should follow suit (like that would ever happen), but it certinly reminds me or Neal's book.