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Free WiFi provider admits to making up 90 percent of its revenues
If you live in San Francisco or New York, you likely know you can connect to free WiFi in certain locations. Your cities' governments partnered with Madrid-based provider Gowex to make that happen -- the same company that has recently admitted to doctoring its accounts for the past four years. Gowex might be an unknown to most of us, but it was considered a success story in Spain and performed really well at Madrid's Alternative Equity Market, a stock exchange for small companies. A few days ago, though, a short seller named Gotham City Research published a report that claims 90 percent of the company's revenues are falsified and that it actually earns only 10 percent of what it says it does.
NYC plans free public WiFi expansion in all five boroughs by December 2013
A handful of neighborhoods in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens and the Bronx will have high-speed WiFi access available for businesses and residents by the end of this year. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced an expansion today that'll roll out over the next few months, lighting up parts of downtown Brooklyn, lower Manhattan, Harlem and other areas by December 2013. Companies have invested $3.4 million in the new infrastructure, and the city has contributed $900,000 to get the job done. We're still a long way from having a city blanketed in completely free high-speed wireless internet, but with widespread availability in key areas, thousands of residents and smaller businesses should be able to drop their current internet providers before the ball drops to welcome 2014. [Image source: AP/Frank Franklin II]
GOWEX now beaming free WiFi to San Francisco from 450 smart zones
Starting today, San Francisco residents will have something else to brag about besides their quality of life and hosting tech extravaganzas: free WiFi. The silicon valley hub joins New York and parts of France in receiving the service from provider GOWEX, which is now live in districts like Union Square and Marina thanks to 450 smart WiFi zones. As with the Big Apple, residents and tourists will see download speeds up to 1Mbps, while GOWEX will see dollars from carriers (via network offloading) and advertisers in return. To use it, you'll need to download the free iOS or Android apps from their respective stores -- which we might just do ourselves, considering a certain little developer's conference in town at the moment.
GOWEX turns on free WiFi network in New York City, curbs coffee-shop hopping
The Big Apple already has a candy coating of free WiFi, between permanent providers, transient offers, and the million coffee shops (et al) with a router inside. If there were any dead zones left in the city, GOWEX probably has them covered, with its 1,953 free WiFi hotspots now live throughout Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn and the Bronx. Repeat: this isn't a plan, the network is up and running right now. Each connection gets 1Mb of bandwidth, and you can jump on access points with GOWEX's app (also free) for iOS and Android, which also hosts content like a hotspot map and other city-specific info not related to WiFi. The company has other major cities in the US on its to-do list, and expects to bring free internets to two additional locales during 2013. Not that it matters to users, but GOWEX ain't doing this for fun -- it'll be profiting from advertising, its "Smart City services," and charging carriers for lightening traffic on their data networks. Who needs a data plan, anyway? It'll soon be impossible to find anywhere in NYC without a free WiFi hotspot, or seven.
GOWEX bringing free WiFi to French rail stations, starting with Marseille
We take free WiFi at our transportation hubs for granted here in the US. (Heck, we've even got it deep in the bowels of NYC.) In other countries, it's not a given that you'll have high-speed broadband at your disposal while waiting for a train or plane. France is working on it though, with GOWEX signing a deal with the National Society of French Rail (SNCF) to bring wireless internet to rail stations across the nation. The first part of the puzzle will be the bustling Marseille St. Charles in the south of France. At some point in 2013 (though, the company refused to specify when) the switch will be flipped and tourists in and around the Marseille station will be able to enjoy 512Kbps internet for free. For a few more details check out the PR after the break.
