Rikitianskaia, M. (2022). “The real ethernet”: The transnational history of global Wi-Fi connectivity. New Media & Society, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221103533 (original) (raw)

The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi

2010

Wi-Fi has become the preferred means for connecting to the Internet-at home, in the office, in hotels and at airports. Increasingly, Wi-Fi also provides internet access for remote communities, where it is deployed by volunteers in community-based networks, by operators in 'hotspots' and by municipalities in 'hotzones'. This book traces the global success of Wi-Fi to three key events: the landmark change in radio spectrum policy by the US Federal Communications Commission in 1985; the initiative by NCR Corporation to start the development of wireless local area networks; and the drive for an open standard IEEE 802.11, released in 1997. It also singles out and explains the significance of the initiative by Steve Jobs at Apple to include wireless LAN in the iBook, which moved the product from the early adopters to the mass market. The book explains these developments through first-hand accounts by industry practitioners, and concludes with reflections and consideration of the implications for government policy and firm strategy.

The “WiFi4EU” in light of the European Competition regime

UNIO – EU Law Journal, 2018

The “WiFi4EU” initiative is a proposal for regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, which amends Regulations (EU) No 1316/2013 and (EU) No 283/2014, each of them on the promotion of Internet connectivity in local communities. This initiative aims to ensure that all Member States of the European Union create high-quality wireless internet access points throughout their territory to combat digital illiteracy and ensure access to healthcare, administrative services, and online commerce. With the following resolution, hospitals, libraries, monuments, museums, and parks will have a public signal available. Therefore, the proposal has a very strong social dimension, since it aims to broaden the internet signal to citizens who live near municipal areas and whose economic statuses are lacking. With a three-year implementation period, the initiative falls within the scope of the Single Digital Market, which is a major political objective and a way for the European Union to a...

Unlicensed Innovation: The Case of Wi-Fi

Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, 2008

In this paper we describe the genesis and development of Wi-Fi as a combined result of (1) a change in the US communications radio spectrum policy in the 1980s, (2) the industry leadership provided by NCR, its corporate successors and collaborators, to create a global standard and to deliver compatible products under the Wi-Fi label, and (3) the influence of the users that moved the application of Wireless-LANs from the enterprise to the home, from indoor to outdoor use, from a communications product to a communications service, and from operators to end-users as the provider of that service. In concluding we assess the implications of this case for the formation of government policy and firm strategy. The case exploration and analysis is based on contributions by experts from the field, having been involved ‘first hand’ in the innovation journey of Wi-Fi.

Legal Challenges Posed by Wi-Fi Networks

2009

Nowadays, the electronic communications market is in a high development, and this trend will not be diminished even by the newly world economic crisis. Studies show a significant growth in people's interest for Information Society (IS) services, with emphasize on the mobility of the resources. On the other hand, Internet has become more than a "network of networks", but a way of life, and user's addict to computer systems and IS services often reveal interesting aspects and controversial in the same time. Modern forms of electronic communications rely more and more on the wireless Internet connections (Wi-Fi), and this conclusion could be eventually based on the following realities: 1) Users continue to migrate to wireless technology; 2) Users prefer wireless connectivity; 3) Users are attracted by costless Internet connections; 4) Users are fascinated by the possibility of hiding their online activity and behaviour. Although certain security measures can be easily...

The 802.11 Technology Gap - Case Studies in Crime

2005

Much has been written discussing the security vulnerabilities with 802.11 based networks, and what constitutes legal and illegal activity within the area. However, there is little academic literature available discussing whether this technology is being exploited for criminal purposes, and if it is, for what purposes. This paper investigates all public prosecutions where the accused have misused 802.11 wireless networks and the consequent outcomes. From this, it can be observed how similar crimes are being investigated, and possible future crimes may be examined.

Wireless Pasts and Wired Futures

Thibault, G. (2014). Wireless Pasts and Wired Futures. In J. Hadlaw, A. Herman, & T. Swiss (Eds.), Theories of the Mobile Internet. Materialities and Imaginaries. (pp. 126-154). London: Routledge.

IJERT-Public Wi-Fi: The Untold Story

International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology (IJERT), 2021

https://www.ijert.org/public-wi-fi-the-untold-story https://www.ijert.org/research/public-wi-fi-the-untold-story-IJERTV10IS040284.pdf While living in this well-advanced world, it is pretty much necessary to know how much secure we are and how can we make ourselves more secure. Almost everyone can see a physical attack done by someone and it can be prevented or we can escape from that attack somehow, using not much effort. But in the case of a cyber-attack, it is very difficult to even understand whether we are attacked or not. It is not because of the complexity of the architecture of technology, but because of the lack of knowledge. In this paper, we will be discussing about one of the most dangerous attacks, Man-In-The-Middle attack, which is a network attack. This attack is that much dangerous so that an attacker doesn’t need the victim to install or click on anything, but only needs to connect in the same network.