Wi-Fi doesn't exist
\nby Guido Villa (lidis.it) \u2013 Two years have not been enough to open the market for one of the most important and promising connection technologies, which is already evolving and becoming something else.<\/b><\/p>\n
08\/03\/05 \u2013 Comments \u2013 Rome \u2013 Almost two years have passed since the Ministerial Decree of 28 May 2003 of the Ministry of Communications, regarding the "provision of Wi-Fi services for public use". As many will remember, The publication of the text sparked much controversy, as one of the services that most attracted (and still interests) operators was excluded from the regulatory provisions. The decree, in fact, introduced a general authorization to provide Internet connectivity via Radio-LAN (2.4 and 5 GHz bands), but at the same time the provision of such services was limited to "places open to the public or in confined areas frequented by the public such as airports, railway and maritime stations, and shopping centers." Therefore, the provision of wireless connectivity, for example, to the homes of citizens of a municipality without ADSL coverage, to a mountain school, etc., was not regulated.<\/p>\n
The wireless connectivity market can be divided into two macro-markets: "Public Wi-Fi" and "last mile" markets. The former is aimed at those who, for work, study, or leisure, find themselves in areas such as conference rooms, airports, and train stations, and need to connect to the Internet via their notebook, PDA, smartphone, or other devices. The latter, on the other hand, is aimed at those who want a high-speed Internet connection in their home, office, or other locations, especially in areas not covered by traditional broadband (XDSL technologies).<\/p>\n
Following the controversy that followed the issuance of the decree due to the lack of regulation of this second market, the Ministry of Communications convened several hearings with operators in the sector, following which it granted them the possibility of requesting authorisations to test the last-mile wireless connectivity service.<\/p>\n
Thanks to these experiments, hundreds of schools, hospitals, municipalities, offices, and private homes have been able to benefit from broadband even in areas not yet covered by DSL.<\/p>\n
To date, a year and a half after the first trials began (beginning in September 2003), there are no clear signs of the evolution of the relevant legislation, and the operators, who have invested time and money without being able to obtain immediate financial returns (since the experimental services must be provided free of charge), risk seeing their work wasted.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, technological evolution has not stopped, and while new standards (such as WiMax, which we'll discuss later) have appeared on the horizon, our cities have become populated with "access points." In the center of Rome, for example, it's difficult to find a place that isn't covered by a wireless network. Most of these aren't public "hot spots," but corporate or home networks. The latest-generation notebooks and PDAs also come with integrated wireless connectivity.<\/p>\n
RadioLAN technology is undoubtedly experiencing exponential growth, and its practical applications are virtually limitless. The uncertainty caused by the lack of regulation in the last-mile market, however, is causing significant delays and concerns among many operators, who obviously want clear rules before investing resources in this sector.<\/p>\n
At the time, the "polemics" had insinuated that the lack of regulation of the wireless last mile (and in any case of all Radiolan applications not included in the Ministerial Decree of May 28, 2003) was the result of a protectionist policy favoring mobile operators who had purchased UMTS licenses. Well, now that the four mobile giants have long since launched their own 3G offerings, they are facing a new threat: Wi-Max, a recent wireless connectivity standard (IEEE 802.16) that allows data to be sent within a 50-kilometer radius and at a transmission speed of approximately 70 megabits per second, and is poised to compete directly with 3G mobile technologies, as well as with traditional last mile services. And there's already talk of licensing.<\/p>\n
Guido Villa
\nSarzana & Partners Law Firm
\nwww.lidis.it<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"