Congratulations to Martin Varasavsky, CEO of Fon. Maryam and I were invited up to his house when we were in Paris and he was a gracious and interesting host. Fon sounds like an interesting concept that lets you share your wifi with other people (and add services for your friends). It was funded for $21 million by a group that includes Google and Skype. Om Malik has more info. Martin has more info on his blog.
So, are you a “fonero?”
Well, no, I am not a fonero because I don’t want to leave my wifi open for anyone else to use it and do “who knows what” with it. I have big problems with that and no one’s answering.
However, major ISPs play a crucial role. Mine doesn’t let me knowingly share my wifi, what should I do then?
My vote would go to an open source innitiative targetting that same thing. I said if before somewhere: FON sounds like a Napster of wifi, now, where’s the bitTorrent of wifi? The concept is very attractive but in practice I still see a lot of holes.
Regardless, with that kind of money and backers, they’ve got a lot of room to play around. And I mean, a lot!
Well, no, I am not a fonero because I don’t want to leave my wifi open for anyone else to use it and do “who knows what” with it. I have big problems with that and no one’s answering.
However, major ISPs play a crucial role. Mine doesn’t let me knowingly share my wifi, what should I do then?
My vote would go to an open source innitiative targetting that same thing. I said if before somewhere: FON sounds like a Napster of wifi, now, where’s the bitTorrent of wifi? The concept is very attractive but in practice I still see a lot of holes.
Regardless, with that kind of money and backers, they’ve got a lot of room to play around. And I mean, a lot!
I have made two post that should address your concerns about ISP’s and Security…
On working with ISP’s
http://blog.fon.com/en/archive/business/working-with-the-isp.html
On handling security
http://blog.fon.com/en/archive/technology/wireless-security.html
I have made two post that should address your concerns about ISP’s and Security…
On working with ISP’s
http://blog.fon.com/en/archive/business/working-with-the-isp.html
On handling security
http://blog.fon.com/en/archive/technology/wireless-security.html
On working with ISPs: Glad you’re working on it but no, the issue has not been addressed. You go and talk to them, you tell them is a win-win situation. In the meantime, either I do as the EULA says, or I risk going shopping for another ISP, or worst. Not to mention if I want to profit from sharing my bandwidth (what you call Bills). I don’t even know how illegal that may be at this point. Like using Napster a few yeras ago and charging for people downloading the files I’m saring? Oh my.
Your greatest uphill battle is with the ISPs and you know it, because the concept itself is brilliant. When/if you win the battle, then the issue would have been addressed. Not now. We’ll be watching you
On handling security: I’m not concerned about other people accessing my home network (well, I am but that’s not what I’m talking about). For my ISP, whatever bandwidth is used through my connection, that’s me using it. Truth is, with FON, it isn’t. And maybe I’m difficult, but I have a serious problem with that. The fact that FON declines any responsibility with regards to this - and other things - doesn’t put my mind at ease either.
Regardless, thanks for your response, and congratulations on the funding and backing.
On working with ISPs: Glad you’re working on it but no, the issue has not been addressed. You go and talk to them, you tell them is a win-win situation. In the meantime, either I do as the EULA says, or I risk going shopping for another ISP, or worst. Not to mention if I want to profit from sharing my bandwidth (what you call Bills). I don’t even know how illegal that may be at this point. Like using Napster a few yeras ago and charging for people downloading the files I’m saring? Oh my.
Your greatest uphill battle is with the ISPs and you know it, because the concept itself is brilliant. When/if you win the battle, then the issue would have been addressed. Not now. We’ll be watching you
On handling security: I’m not concerned about other people accessing my home network (well, I am but that’s not what I’m talking about). For my ISP, whatever bandwidth is used through my connection, that’s me using it. Truth is, with FON, it isn’t. And maybe I’m difficult, but I have a serious problem with that. The fact that FON declines any responsibility with regards to this - and other things - doesn’t put my mind at ease either.
Regardless, thanks for your response, and congratulations on the funding and backing.
FON sounds great, but will it work?
It’s nice to hear that FON, the share-your-Wi-Fi network founded by entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky, has gotten an investment from Google, along with Skype founders Niklas Zenstrom and Janus Friis - but while that is a huge vote of confidence, it …
With FON you can limit how much bandwidth you share. On this point we make sharing easier.
With FON you can identify every user that connects and uses your network. If there is an issue with how your network is being used we can track it back to a individual user. So on this point, we make sharing safer.
And just to be clear, it is not agaisnt the law to share your internet connection. Some ISP’s prohibit it, but many allow it. And since the announcement many more have approached us.
With FON you can limit how much bandwidth you share. On this point we make sharing easier.
With FON you can identify every user that connects and uses your network. If there is an issue with how your network is being used we can track it back to a individual user. So on this point, we make sharing safer.
And just to be clear, it is not agaisnt the law to share your internet connection. Some ISP’s prohibit it, but many allow it. And since the announcement many more have approached us.
FON grows stronger
I wouldn’t have believed it could be done if I didn’t watch it happen first hand for myself. FON is working with Google and Skype/Ebay. Martin Varsavsky has announced on his blog that we have just closed an investment with Index Ventures (early Skype…
http://del.icio.us/foneros
there you will find a lot of stuff concerning this project
gerhard
http://del.icio.us/foneros
there you will find a lot of stuff concerning this project
gerhard
Google, Skype, Sequoia et Index Ventures : un tour de table de rêve pour FON !
Créer un réseau Wifi mondial. Le rêve devient réalité… Martin Varsavsky, après avoir créé un des leaders de l’Internet en Espagne (www.ya.com) et le second opérateur télécom espagnol coté en bourse (www.jazztel.com), a imaginé le projet…
Any questions for Martin Varsavsky?
Martin Varsavsky is the founder and CEO of FON (as well as being the founder of highly successful companies such as Viatel, Jazztel and Ya.com). FON is a community of people who share WiFi. If you sign up with FON you share your WiFi broadband access …
It’s easy to work around the ISP terms-of-service.
All ISPs allow end users to run VPN software. All the firmware has to provide is an encrytped VPN tunnel to some central routers provided somewhere, and it’s suddenly none of their damn business what is travelling over that tunnel.
Bandwidth is cheap, so this is cheap to do.
It’s easy to work around the ISP terms-of-service.
All ISPs allow end users to run VPN software. All the firmware has to provide is an encrytped VPN tunnel to some central routers provided somewhere, and it’s suddenly none of their damn business what is travelling over that tunnel.
Bandwidth is cheap, so this is cheap to do.
Count me in as a Fonero, as soon as I get my 25€ FON ready router
Count me in as a Fonero, as soon as I get my 25€ FON ready router
It just showed up here on the BBC website.
It just showed up here on the BBC website.
[...] Lo de la gente adecuada en el consejo, Martín se lo curró a base de bien, porque es un tío inteligente y perceptivo como ha demostrado muchas veces en el pasado, y es capaz de ‘leer’ por donde van los tiros antes que muchos. Se aseguró de tener en el consejo americano de Fon a gente influyente de la comunidad técnico-bloguera, inversores, etc… fundamentales para que alguien se decidiese a invertir de verdad en Fon. Joé, si hasta invitó a Scoble a su casa en París y a Ricardo Galli a la de Menorca! [...]
Hey Robert,
A better question is are YOU a “fonero”?
Molly
Hey Robert,
A better question is are YOU a “fonero”?
Molly
Statistics about the Fon’s growth : http://Maps.FrancoFon.Fr
Statistics about the Fon’s growth : http://Maps.FrancoFon.Fr