Entire cities getting free WiFi used to be quite the sensation, but now the real hotness is in connecting up an entire nation. According to IndiaTimes, the government is proposing that all citizens of India receive complimentary 2Mbps internet by 2009, and the service would be provided by the state-owned BSNL and MTNL. Officials backing the plan are hoping that giving all residents access to high-speed internet would "boost economic activity" as the citywide free WiFi implementations apparently have in America. The nation's department of telecom will purportedly be laying "an extensive optic cable network across the country, permitting the resale of bandwidth, setting up web hosting facilities within the country, and asking all internet service providers to connect to the National Internet Exchange of India." Unsurprisingly, this issue has created very polarized camps, as consumers cheer on the idea, current telecom providers are shaking at the mere thought of all future telephone calls being converted into free VoIP dialogue.

[Via Slashdot]

While we've already seen methods to bring subscription-based outdoor WiFi into the home, and the miracle of finding gratis internet access is quickly covering more and more of the world, there's still quite a few places (and companies) who feel that browsing the world wide web is a privilege reserved for the impulse buyer. In an effort to distribute pay-per-use WiFi to anyone sans cost, and to potentially get yourself in hot water all the while, the WiFi Liberator Toolkit is a open-source hardware / software tandem that opens up "private wireless nodes to encourage the proliferation of free networks and connectivity across the planet." The primary goal is to essentially force pay internet providers to offer up their services for free, and by installing a free application (OS X users only, for now) and connecting a USB-based WiFi adapter, you too can release locked WiFi from its chains while possibly getting yourself locked up. So if you're looking to nab a bit of free wireless after T-Mobile shuts off its promo here in just a few months, click on through to the read link and free free to get a little rebellious.

[Via BoingBoing]