Author: Wayne Slavin

Partners in the nation's largest city-run wireless Internet service said Tuesday that they are helping residents. But a telephone-industry official urged Congress to bar such projects, saying they compete unfairly with private companies and stifle innovation. Via [seattlepi.nwsource.com]

Nokia announced a host of initiatives in seamless connectivity between cellular and WiFi networks as well as cooperation with other handset makers on interoperability of DVB-H compliant handsets and networks on the opening day of the 3GSM World Congress here. Via [commsdesign.com]

BT is reportedly considering a bid for Pipex in a move that would give it one of the scarce WiMax licences currently held in the UK. Via [computing.co.uk]

I bought a WiFi card for my laptop a year ago, then waited around for one of my children to install it. They spent most of the year watching pirated downloads of the Fox cartoon ''Family Guy," so last month I decided to read the directions that came with the card: Insert in slot on...

Few start-ups encapsulate the desperate utopianism of the times so much as Fon Technology. Via [theregister.co.uk]

A friend of mine has an aunt who lives in Los Angeles. Recently she decided that she would like to have wireless networking in her home, and although she is not a techie, went out and bought a laptop and a Wi-Fi router, set up the base station and plugged it into her ADSL modem....

A growing focus on portability and consumer electronics has bolstered demand for wireless technologies in the western European automotive industry, according to newly published research. Via [vnunet.com]

Schools are turning to wireless networks - especially WiMax - as a more cost effective way of providing internet access to more locations. Via [networks.silicon.com]

The City of Boston, long conspicuous by the absence of any municipal-wide effort to supply Wi-Fi access, is moving to support a citywide rollout of the wireless technology that is expected to be outlined in a report next week from a non-profit organization. Via [informationweek.com]

BT surprised the City on Thursday morning by announcing third-quarter figures that were better than analysts had predicted. Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]

Networking vendor D-Link has announced plans to switch its development focus to the recently approved draft 802.11n technology, which it expects to become ratified as a wireless standard in 2007. Via [vnunet.com]

PortalPlayer, the company best known for making processors for iPods, has announced two new technology partnerships. Via [pcpro.co.uk]

The sale of U.S. wireless communications licenses is projected to raise about $25 billion between 2007 and 2009, $7.8 billion higher than last year's estimate, according to President Bush's 2007 budget released Monday. Via [money.cnn.com]

Chipmaker Royal Philips Electronics confirmed that a U.S. cellular carrier will launch voice-over-Wi-Fi technology this year, based on Philips' new Nexperia 6120 chipset. Callers should be able to make calls on their home Wi-Fi networks for "a couple of bucks a month, flat rate," according to Philips' Carsten Schimanke. Via [pcmag.com]

Calypso will show off its new WiFi-GSM Dual Mode VoIP smartphone at the 3GSM World Congress next week in Barcelona. The Miami Lakes, Fla., company says that the phone will run on Intel PXA series processors and the WinCE 5.0 operating system. Long-distance calls will be made via Skype. Via [mobilemag.com]