London recently became the latest in a long line of cities to unveil citywide Wi-Fi, many of them choosing to offer a free service. Yet for cities that have unveiled this citywide Wi-Fi, the results haven’t necessarily been as positive as expected – something we’ve discussed in our newsletter previously. A recent article in Network World, however, looks at another side of the municipal Wi-Fi debate: statements from Earthlink, which has built 13 municipal Wi-Fi networks in the United States. Earthlink notes that these projects haven’t enabled them to make a profit: “Until we’re confident that we can build new networks and get an acceptable return, we will delay any further new buildouts,” said president and CEO Rolla Huff. The problem, notes Earthlink, is that most cities expect everything for free and refuse to pay for service. Monica Paolini, of Senza Fili Consulting, observed the free model just doesn’t work: “Usually, you get what you pay for, and Wi-Fi is no exception to that.” Read the full article: “EarthLink’s caution reflects shift in muni Wi-Fi.”.

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) recently released its list of the top 10 innovations in the world of e-commerce. SIIA president Ken Wasch noted, “These developments reflect the unique nature of the Internet, which has allowed creativity, ingenuity and entrepreneurship to flourish.” To read why the following were chosen, check out “The top 10 developments in the world of e-commerce.”
• Google (September 1998)
• Broadband penetration of U.S. Internet users reaches 50 percent (June 2004)
• eBay (September 1997)
• Amazon (May 1997)
• Google AdWords (2000)
• Open standards (HTML 4.0 released 1997)
• Wi-Fi (802.11 launched 1997)
• User-generated content (YouTube 2005)
• iTunes (2001)
• BlackBerry (1999)
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A year after Boeing announced it would phase out its Connexion wireless Internet capabilities, American Airlines has announced it will offer Wi-Fi on domestic flights. One of the first U.S. airlines to do so, American Airlines will partner with AirCell, a provider of cellular-based aviation communications systems that are said to be much cheaper than Boeing’s satellite-based service. The airline will begin testing the service on its 767-200 aircraft in 2008, which typically fly transcontinental routes. Southwest Airlines has also been working on how to bring in-flight Internet to its customers. According to AirCell’s CEO Jack Blumenstein, the equipment runs about $100,000 per plane, and airlines can offer the service for about $10 per flight.