AT&T, IBM, Intel plan nationwide Wi-Fi network

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December 5, 2002 (Computerworld) -- AT&T Corp., IBM and Intel Corp. are expected to announce plans to deploy a nationwide network of public access wireless LAN hot spots, code-named Project Rainbow, at a news conference later today.
Daniel Francisco, an Intel spokesman, declined to comment directly on Project Rainbow but told Computerworld that Intel's goal is to pump-prime public access WLAN deployment and development to the point that there is a hot spot no more than a five-minute walk from any spot in urban America and no farther than a five-minute drive in the suburbs.
Intel's next-generation processor for use in laptop computers, the Banias chip, will eventually include Wi-Fi WLAN technology right in the chip.
WLANs adhering to the 802.11b, or Wi-Fi, standards provide 11M bit/sec. throughput for data. That compares with the 20K to 70K bit/sec. speeds offered by cellular carriers such as AT&T Wireless. But the range of WLANs is limited to between 100 and 300 feet.
A nationwide network of public access hot spots of the kind envisioned by Intel's Francisco would allow mobile workers and fleet operators to easily and quickly find a location that offers high-speed data.
The existence of Project Rainbow was first leaked in July (see story), and since then, a number of vendors have been working to lock in various segments of the Wi-Fi market. Last month, WorkingWild Inc., a small Santa Fe, N.M.-based public access WLAN company, announced a deal to roll out 15,000 public access WLANs at Circle K convenience stores operated by Conoco Corp.
WorkingWild buys "hot spot in a box" hardware priced at $199 from Toshiba America Information Systems, which also provides WorkingWild with the back-end billing systems. John Marston, director of business development at Toshiba America, said his company envisions the development of a nationwide public access WLAN network during the next three years. Marston estimated that 100,000 hot spots would be enough to cover the country.
SiriComm Inc. in Joplin, Mo., is also planning a nationwide WLAN network that will be based in full-service truck stops and designed to serve large fleets. Hank Hoffman, CEO of SiriComm, said he plans an initial deployment of 400 hot spots in truck stops. Richard Tisdale, CIO of Petro Stopping Centers LP, an El Paso, Texas-based truck stop operator, said he has received at least three sales pitches for public access WLAN service from different vendors in the past month.

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