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Spanish start-up Whisher promises free Wi-Fi for all
By Larry Hendrick | January 30, 2007
Over the last few years, several companies have introduced software to create large wifi networks utilizing the existing access points in homes and businesses. I am unaware of any that generated enough users to effectively create a base large enough to make them credible.
I don’t know if this one will succeed or not, but it shows the persistence of entrepreneurs to try again and again to get something going.
Spanish start-up Whisher promises free Wi-Fi for all | CNET News.com
A small Spanish start-up called Whisher is thumbing its nose at U.S. broadband providers as it prepares to launch a new service that lets people share their broadband connections via Wi-Fi.
Whisher, based in Barcelona and backed by Switzerland’s leading phone company, Swisscom, and the venture firm Benchmark Capital, is one of several emerging start-ups that is taking broadband to the people by providing access through existing residential Wi-Fi networks.
Starting Tuesday, users can download the beta version of the company’s software from its Web site. The service and software are free. Users aren’t required to offer up their own Wi-Fi access to use other Wi-Fi networks around the world.
The problems that stem this technology in the United States is mentioned later in the article. Internet providers are charged with giving service to their paying customers, and this type activity can quickly deteriorate the service to unusable.
Of course, there is one small snag in Moreno’s utopian view of free Wi-Fi for everyone. In the U.S., it’s illegal.
“Sharing broadband access outside of your dwelling is a violation of our subscriber agreement,” said Maureen Huff, a spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable, the second largest cable operator in the U.S. “We’ve taken steps as a company to inform our customers that passive or active theft of our services is illegal, and people who violate these agreements can be prosecuted on a criminal and civil basis.”
There are formulas used to determine over-subscription numbers that still allow for a good user experience. Depending on the ISP, those numbers range from sixty to one hundred, with the higher the number increasing profit, but lowering customer experience. It is a delicate balance, and opening up the network to unknowns creates customer issues for the ISPs.