[LINK] ACT's iiNet Wifi to Block Lots of Traffic?

[Jim Birch]

Fon or Fon-like systems have a number of significant advantages, which
actually seem close to my ideal of how shared wifi would work.

Any enabled router (with suitable software) can join the network and become
a provider.  This could be an existing business, a home router, or a router
set up specifically for public service.  Firewalling rules could block the
guest users from accessing local resources.  This means, for example, that
anyone visiting - or indeed walking past - your house or business could use
your wifi without blowing your usage out.  Contention rules could be
applied to give better QoS to actual in-house users and applications, if
this is a problem.

Usage is charged back to the users account at normal isp rates,
maybe/ideally  with a small premium.  It does not have to be given away,
though it could be if this suits the router owner.  This means that the
usage does not have to be gated or rate limited, if you have an ID you are
seamlessly negotiated into the network.

The router owner can be paid a small percentage on the traffic value for
providing the service.  I'm not sure if the Telstra version does this.
This would allow the network to grow where it is profitable.

While the phone companies obviously would prefer to charge people mobile
data rates than isp data rates, this has the public advantage of taking
demand off the phone network and spectrum and putting the traffic in local
wifi cells.  This reduces the need for expensive and contentious phone
towers.

I haven't looked at this much, but it appears that Fon is heading for a
first coloniser advantage.  Telstra have signed a deal with Fon which might
give Australian exclusivity so lock out iinet, etc.  The Telstra/Fon system
will "charge back" to the users home Internet account.  It also has the
potential of routing "mobile" phone like calls through the internet which
is I think what iinet were looking at.  Not sure if the Telstra
implementation will block or degrade Skype like services.   The system need
a reliable ID and charging system.  It would be great to see some
interoperability enforced.  With some guaranteed openness and defenses
against gouging the whole thing could provide a great self-funding and
efficient public good.

Jim








On 25 September 2014 09:40, Dr Bob Jansen <bob.jansen at turtlelane.com.au>
wrote:

> Tom,
>
> Having just returned from Seoul, I am all in favour of public wifi. In
> Seoul, every cafe/restaurant/etc provides free wifi and this enables me to
> roam around Seoul and receive calls on Skype or the very successful
> Kakaotalk system the Koreans love-all at no cost and do all my emails and
> other web stuff. Yes, for most wifi you need a password but after a few
> days you've got all the ones in your area and you're away. Also central
> Seoul has a free gov provided wifi network which works very well.
>
> So I agree, public wifi is not new but by heck it is useful and saves you
> from having to get a prepaid sim for which calls are expensive (I have one
> of those as well but find most of my communications is via Wifi).
>
> Dr Bob Jansen
> Turtle Lane Studios
> PO Box 26 Erskineville NSW 2043 Australia
> Ph (Australia): +61 414 297 448
> Ph (Korea): +82 10 4494 0328
> Skype: bobjtls
> KakaoTalk: bobjtls
> http://www.turtlelane.com.au
>
>
> > On 25 Sep 2014, at 09:21, Tom Worthington <Tom.Worthington at tomw.net.au>
> wrote:
> >
> >> On 24/09/14 07:24, Karl Auer wrote:
> >> ... Not worthy of the same rights
> >> and freedoms that we would demand for ourselves?  ...
> >
> > No, my point was that the ACT Government's public WiFi project is just a
> > PR exercise, not a serious communications project. There is no point
> > worrying about the details, as hardly anyone will use it and it will not
> > last long.
> >
> > The provision of WiFi in public places in cities is not a new idea, not
> > innovative and the sooner the ACT project is scrapped the better. I
> > suggest worrying about how schemes which are likely to be more widely
> > deployed at be more long term. As an example, Telstra's implementation
> > of "Fon" looks more significant:
> > http://www.telstra.com.au/broadband/wifi/
> >
> >
> > --
> > Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
> > The Higher Education Whisperer http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/
> > PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
> > Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards
> > Legislation
> >
> > Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
> > Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
> > --
> > Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
> > PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
> > Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards
> > Legislation
> >
> > Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
> > Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/
> >
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