Another business model
seems to be making its way into the news. The idea is that users will share
their bandwidth through their personal wireless routers, which are supplied with
specific software. An example is FON, a Spanish start-up created in
November 2005. It aims to become the largest network of hotspots in the world by
the end of 2006 with 30 000 access points. The users are divided into three
categories: linus share Internet access for free; bills sell their personal bandwidth;
and aliens buy access from bills. Thus the system can be described as a
peer-to-peer sharing service, which we usually relate to
software.
Although FON has received
some financial support by companies like Google and Skype, it remains to be seen
whether the idea can actually work. There are three main challenges for this
service at the moment. The first is that it needs much media and community
attention first in order to get through the phase of "early adoption" and into
the mainstream. Then comes the fact that sharing your Internet connection is
often against the terms of use of your ISP. This means that in the next few
months we can see ISPs trying to defend their interests in the same way music
companies united against free MP3 distribution. And third, the FON software is
still in Beta-version and it remains to be seen if it presents a good solution
of the imminent security issues.
Although FON has received
some financial support by companies like Google and Skype, it remains to be seen
whether the idea can actually work. There are three main challenges for this
service at the moment. The first is that it needs much media and community
attention first in order to get through the phase of "early adoption" and into
the mainstream. Then comes the fact that sharing your Internet connection is
often against the terms of use of your ISP. This means that in the next few
months we can see ISPs trying to defend their interests in the same way music
companies united against free MP3 distribution. And third, the FON software is
still in Beta-version and it remains to be seen if it presents a good solution
of the imminent security issues.
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