News - Google and Microsoft to supply free Wi-Fi in UK white space?

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Senior UK government sources say both the US tech giants are extremely interested.

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Read more.

Yes please!

Being a fairly loyal Google user the prospects of free mobile Wifi are pretty good IMO.

Hmmm. Again - for Microsoft to release a 'Surface' iPod touch variant (no phone connection, WiFi only), then push it as a Skype handset...

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Originally Posted by Biscuit

Yes please!

Being a fairly loyal Google user the prospects of free mobile Wifi are pretty good IMO.

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Presumably the mobile networks will want to kill this stone dead, it would slash their income if nobody needed data. The fixed line company providing backhaul would be very happy though I'm sure!

Only one way to resolve it... fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

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Originally Posted by kingpotnoodle

Presumably the mobile networks will want to kill this stone dead, it would slash their income if nobody needed data. The fixed line company providing backhaul would be very happy though I'm sure!

Only one way to resolve it... fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

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I would have thought the broadband suppliers will have something to say about it aswell. Given that a lot of users simply use the net for checking facebook, they would have no need for any fixed line broadband with this.

It would certainly shake things up in the UK mobile broadband market as with the strict limits and high prices, its been stagnant for a while. I have a bit of hope that when the competition for 4G heats up, 3G will drop and become more reasonable.
I would happily get a mobile broadband sim and a different tablet to support it if could get a sensible 'pay as you go' package. Gaff Gaff do something decent, still not quite there IMO.

Currently i can tether for free from my phone and the FUP only applies to downloads and streaming so im in no rush to find anything till the suppliers catch up to peoples requirements and the demands of modern technology.

If past history in the US is anything to go by, there will be heavy opposition from the mobile networks and broadcasters.

However, it'd certainly be great to have another option for wireless data, and it's taken a while to reach this point where they are talking about it. Although I would like to see other companies offer this too (British or even European), someone other than Google and Microsoft (though I do like Google's services), as the future is looking increasingly monolithic!

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Originally Posted by Biscuit

I would have thought the broadband suppliers will have something to say about it aswell. Given that a lot of users simply use the net for checking facebook, they would have no need for any fixed line broadband with this.
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I would happily get a mobile broadband sim and a different tablet to support it if could get a sensible 'pay as you go' package. Gaff Gaff do something decent, still not quite there IMO.

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Good point, some people are already dumping ADSL for a 3G stick... depends even more on tethering, coverage, speed, latency etc on replacing ADSL though.

The problem with GiffGaff is their O2 hosts, not a good network for mobile data in my experience, 3 or T-MOrangEE seem better for that.

Sod the existing phone/broadband companies, this is just competition like any other. Google may offer it for free, but it still costs them money. If google can find a way to profit from a move like this, so can they.

So.. why doesn't this cause interference the same way TV signals transmitted in these frequencies would?

Im not fully up to speed on white space technologies, something i think i need to read up on, but i suspect the antennae wont have the same kind of power that television broadcast/relay towers have. They tend to cover wide areas from large high powered towers however i suspect the plan is to use larger numbers of lower powered antennea. I guess its probably more like a Wimax system than a Wifi?

Paper money is crashing (check currency charts), digital money is going to replace it, for that you need free wi-fi and everyone with smart phones and power efficient tech... i see that already happening..

Digital money = Slavery (Think paper was bad? just wait)

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Originally Posted by heXuser

Paper money is crashing (check currency charts), digital money is going to replace it, for that you need free wi-fi and everyone with smart phones and power efficient tech... i see that already happening..

Digital money = Slavery (Think paper was bad? just wait)

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erm... what?

I didn't understand any of that.

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

erm... what?

I didn't understand any of that.

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They're planning to use empty bands between public broadcasting frequencies normally reserved to stop cross-talk interference between services, to fill in metropolitan wireless data networks.

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Originally Posted by aidanjt

They're planning to use empty bands between public broadcasting frequencies normally reserved to stop cross-talk interference between services, to fill in metropolitan wireless data networks.

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Yeah it wasn't the white space radio spectrum I was meaning, it was the post above mine by heXuser. I should have quoted. Fixed now :)

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

Yeah it wasn't the white space radio spectrum I was meaning, it was the post above mine by heXuser. I should have quoted. Fixed now :)

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Ah right.. Yeah that is silly alright. 'Digital' money is still just fiat currency, and google already has simple NFC transaction methods over existing PoS clearance systems so wireless internet isn't needed for that at all. You can even privately transfer bitcoins without the internet. So I don't 'get it' either I guess.

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Originally Posted by aidanjt

Ah right.. Yeah that is silly alright. 'Digital' money is still just fiat currency, and google already has simple NFC transaction methods over existing PoS clearance systems so wireless internet isn't needed for that at all. You can even privately transfer bitcoins without the internet. So I don't 'get it' either I guess.

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I know this is off topic and will be last post, sorry.

so something you don`t understand must be or is silly, erm OK. Just take a look at Greece, Ireland, Spain, USA, UK and many more all over the world and tell me the world currency isn't crashing or coming to an end.

Bitcoins is a trial run and is just that. does anybody even know who created it and why the BANKS and Governments have not stopped it already? Bitcoins is a direct threat to banks and governments but yet has a free run why?.

Just look at Saddam and Gadaffi or Iran now and see what happened or is happening to them when they tried to use gold and silver as money. Bitcoins is exactly the same concept, Aka going against the system but yet has a free ride. when something crashes you don`t replace it with the same again.

/Rant finished

Ah, so you mean national currencies, not paper money at all.

I don't get your conspiracy theory, meltdown has been predicted for the last three or more years. Still hasn't happened. I won't be holding my breath for it.