^^spelling might be off but idgaf....

http://www.FON.com

Backed by Google, Skype, others.... Gives people access to your wifi bandwidth at your house and allows you to use that of other users when you are away from home...

Looks like I am the first user in raleigh...

2/7/2006 11:12:21 AM

cool, good to finally see something like this on a large scale. i'm signing up

2/7/2006 12:03:25 PM

it's not backed by google or skype btw. it's their big balling competitior right now.

And it definitely sounds like an AWESOME idea, but that fact you have to flash the firmware on your router is going to be a major downside for the masses. I'll probably do it just because I have like 3 linksys wrt54g's

2/7/2006 1:19:46 PM

what do you mean its not backed by google and skype...

Did you read the blog or faq? I also heard on the radio that it was backed by them, so thats 2 sources from which Im getting my info....

2/8/2006 9:17:50 AM

http://en.fon.com/info/fon-in-the-news.php

Quote :

"Heavyweight firms such as Google and internet telephony outfit Skype are to invest in an embryonic plan to share wi-fi access around the world. They have joined with venture capital firms to plough $22m (£12.6m) into Fon, a three-month-old Spanish startup. Fon, which has already attracted 3,000 subscribers, aims to build a network of broadband users to share connections wirelessly when away from home"

2/8/2006 9:33:53 AM

looks like FON is more or less a managed club of wireless users who share signals, what does it need 22 million for?

...the base software is already created, I guess updates, server(s), some bandwidth for the site and authentication, assuming the routers will check with the webserver to see if username and password are listed..

I mean, I'm sure they'll find something to do with it, but 22 mil?

2/8/2006 10:26:28 AM

great idea - will need more backing - it'll work if they get bought out by someone larger

2/8/2006 11:13:14 AM

^^ Advertising, hiring additional people to deal with customer support problems, hiring people for additional developement (what I read briefly was that only linksys machines are supported now?), etc.


22 mil is pennies.

[Edited on February 8, 2006 at 12:02 PM. Reason : Also, did neon end up flat out wrong yet again?]

2/8/2006 12:01:51 PM

Yep, I am wrong.

Did you notice that cash infusion announcement was made YESTERDAY? I had heard about Fon a few weeks ago, and it was presented as the big challenger to google/skype.

Good to see they are joining forces, it makes a lot of sense.

2/8/2006 2:18:03 PM

22 mil... They mentioned using it in disadvantaged areas to sponsor free access.

They will definately need a great deal more than 22 mil, but that will get them started, as was said, in making more devices usable and developing the backend structure so that it will last.

2/8/2006 4:19:30 PM