The Innovation Journey of Wi-fi

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 the landmark change in radio spectrum policy by the US FCC in 1985, the initiative by NCR Corporation to start development of Wireless-LANs 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 implications for government policy and firm strategy. 'The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi: The Road to Global Success involves almost a score of contributors, including many influential voices in the Wi-Fi world ... Virtually every chapter combines anecdotes, analysis, and lessons. This is the book's biggest strength. Many of these stories had never before been put into print, and many of the lessons are novel ... It collects and preserves several great ideas, stitching them together in one place. That makes the gems accessible, turning them into something very useful for many readers. It should become a focal point for all subsequent developments.' Shane Greenstein, Computing Now '... a thoughtful, theoretically informed account that ranges from technological roadblocks to critical government policy decisions, the vital role of standards-setting committees, and numerous success stories of grassroots Wi-Fi networks in Europe. Unusual in an edited volume, the style is consistently clear throughout ... there is enough in this work to please technologists, historians, business and economics specialists, and the general reader who wants to know where Wi-Fi came from. Summing up: highly recommended.' ChoiceList of figures; List of tables; List of contributors; Introduction Wolter Lemstra, Vic Hayes and John Groenewegen; Reading guide; 1. The case and the theoretical framework Wolter Lemstra, John Groenewegen and Vic Hayes; Part I. The Wi-Fi Journey: 2. NCR - taking the cue provided by the FCC Wolter Lemstra, Donald Johnson, Bruce Tuch and Michael Marcus; 3. Creating a wireless LAN standard - IEEE 802.11 Kai Jakobs, Wolter Lemstra, Vic Hayes, Bruce Tuch and Cees Links; 4. Crossing the chasm - the Apple Airport Wolter Lemstra, Alex Hills, Vic Hayes, Dorothy Stanley, Albert Heijl and Bruce Tuch; 5. Hotspots - the Starbucks initiative Wolter Lemstra, Els van der Kar, Gerd-Jan de Leeuw and Leo Brand; 6. Wi-Fi community networks - wireless Leiden Wolter Lemstra, Leo van Audenhove, Huub Schuurmans, Marten Vijn and Gerard Mourits; Part II. The Wi-Fi Journey in Perspective: 7. Wi-Fi in developing countries - catalyst for network extension and telecom reform William Melody; 8. The Dutch connection to US-based NCR, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Agere Systems Wolter Lemstra, Marianne van der Steen, Ronald Brockmann, Jaap Haartsen, Cees Links, Richard van Nee, Bruce Tuch and Allert van Zelst; 9. Wi-Fi as community based innovation Ellen van Oost, Stefan Verhaegh, Nelly Oudshoorn and Wolter Lemstra; 10. The governance of radio spectrum - license-exempt devices Peter Anker, Wolter Lemstra and Vic Hayes; 11. Exploring the future of Wi-Fi Pierre Rossel and Matthias Finger; 12. Reflections and implications for policy and strategy formation Wolter Lemstra and John Groenewegen; Part III. Annexes: Annex 1. Glossary Wolter Lemstra; Annex 2. Timeline of major events related to Wi-Fi Wolter Lemstra and Vic Hayes; Annex 3. Overview of IEEE 802.11 Wireless-LAN standards Vic Hayes; Annex 4. The Wi-Fi ecosystem Gerd-Jan de Leeuw; Index.