We're taking a bit of a break to be with our loved ones over the holiday, and we hope you are too. A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, and we'd like to pass along a heartfelt "Thank You" for your readership. We'll be back posting again tomorrow once we can burn off some of the egg nog!

We've talked here many times about how folks should take every step necessary to protect their own home wireless networks from predators and freeloaders who will steal your personal information outright or use your network to do some unsavory things. Consider the story of two Florida woman whose wireless network was hacked into by someone at a local community college and was using their access to subscribe to porn sites. Pretty embarassing and unnerving, don't you think?

The linked story has a few more tips to help you keep your wireless network secure from intrusion. Obviously, there's no way you can be totally protected 100% of the time, but the point is that if you take just a few steps, the chances of being hacked will diminsh greatly.

The controversy over the sharing of calling records by phone companies with the National Security Agency (NSA) has reached a new high (or low, depending on your perspective) with the announcement that the state of New Jersey has issued subpoenas to AT&T, Verizon, Qwest, Sprint Nextel, and Cingular Wireless to see if they violated the state's consumer protectiong laws by sharing information with the NSA.

The NSA has instituted a strategy to track possible terrorist activities by compiling phone records of people they deem "suspicious," but critics say this program is ripe for abuse and that innocent people could have their cellular and landline phone activity, as well as their general rights to privacy, scrutinized without clear probable cause.

Obviously, this issue has been debated back and forth, and it'll be interesting to see if the federal and various state governments can come to a consensus as to how this program can proceed with it being abused.

It's been another busy week for us at The Wireless Report, so here are five stories that will demonstrate our "sweat equity" to you. Enjoy!

1. The Wireless Report Podcast -- June 1, 2006
   We are pleased to bring you the fifth installment of The Wireless Report Podcast. We'll be talking about the upcoming FCC wireless auctions (some of the most important auctions to come along in quite some time), North Dakota being the first state to have more wireless telephone numbers than landline telephone numbers, the deal with E911 and why the major wireless carriers still have not implemented this technology -- and finally, we'll cover the need for wireless connectivity options for stereo and home theater equipment.
2. Is your business cellphone your main business communications device?
   Most businesspeople rely on their wireless phones to carry out all kinds of business -- whether inside or outside the office sometimes. IDC reports that  telecom managers inside companies believe 28% of employees are using mobile phones as the main business conduit for daily business.
3. JetBlue wins wireless license auction bid to offer in-flight WiFi
   The offering of WiFi services to passengers while in-flight is still not a given, but if the FAA and FCC ever come to some sort of consensus on the idea, then look for JetBlue Airways to quickly become one of the market leaders in this area.
4. The rogue WiFi hotspot -- dangers abound
   With all the talk about the dangers of WiFi security, you'd think that information managers would have battle plans directly inside their war chest for employees. It's amazing that this article mentions that almost up to 25 percent of business WiFi networks in the London area of the UK were unsecured. Not home WiFi networks, but business networks.
5. Chicago issues wireless network RFP
   Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced today that the city has issued a RFP for bids to develop and deploy a wireless network. As would be expected, a large number of responses are expected within the next few months. The mayor also announced the formation of a wireless Internet advisory council that will hold public hearings on the network as well as examine RFP responses.
   

As we charge into the Memorial Day weekend and right into the glorious summer season, here are five stories from the past week that will get your juices flowing. Enjoy!

1. The Wireless Report Podcast -- May 24, 2006
   We are pleased to bring you the fourth installment of The Wireless Report Podcast. We'll be talking about all the recent developments in citywide WiFi -- including talking about Phoenix, Philadelphia and New York City. Additionally, we'll cover New York City's "Central Park" WiFi experiment -- and we'll cover the recent National Security Agency (NSA) situation regarding possible wiretap illegalities, and how this could encroach into wireless carriers here in the U.S. -- but we sure hope not.
2. EarthLink wins approval to build wireless network in New Orleans
   The rebuilding of New Orleans continues as EarthLink has won approval from the City Council to build a wireless network within a 15-square-mile area. As with similar networks they are building in cities such as Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Anaheim, the network will have a free service and a paid service tier. The free service will be available for a limited time at speeds up to 300kbs, and the paid service will offer speeds up to 1 mpbs.
3. Will customers buy -- and watch -- mobile TV?
   We've said it before -- for mobile television to take off, there must be a unified standard and the cost must be priced right. Looking at the current situation, we're not even close. With MediaFLO and DVB-H standing out as the two standards, and will many mobile television standards sitting around waiting for business, when will the industry get it together and make things easier than this?
4. Secure your home wireless network or else this will happen to you
   We've warned you before about the perils of wireless signal piggybacking and how if you do have a home wireless network, you should take every step necessary to protect it from being hacked by "piggybackers" aka burglars. Here's another example of why you should.
5. Egad! Wireless complaints dropped in first quarter of 2006
   We generally hear about the rise in complaints against the wireless companies -- particularly against the top players like Cingular and Verizon Wireless (probably because they are easy targets). But in the first quarter of this year, wireless complaints and inquiries both dropped from the fourth quarter of 2005.
   

We've warned you before about the perils of wireless signal piggybacking and how if you do have a home wireless network, you should take every step necessary to protect it from being hacked by "piggybackers" aka burglars. Here's another example of why you should.

A New York State man is being held by police and is being accused if using his neighbor's home wireless network to harass his ex-wife.

Apparently, after his wife kicked him out of the house, he began sending her co-workers e-mails from a stolen rented laptop while using his neighbor's wireless network without permission. Of course, this led to an investigation that most likely involved the person who rented the laptop (as well as the company who rented it) to the neighbor who's network was hacked into and so on and so on.

So there you have it. The moral of the story is that if you don't protect your wireless network, you'll end up in an embarrassing situation such as this one. Need any more proof?

There was a rally at a New York City Council hearing yesterday by parents who feel that the policy that bans kids from bringing their cellphones into school and having them confiscated is unwise and keeps moms and dads from staying in touch with their children.

School administrators say the cellphones are distractions that will keep students from focusing on their schoolwork, but parents and their advocates say it's an issue of public safety because the devices are the only way for working parents to keep tabs on their kids during the day.

However, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is pretty adamant about the ban, says the bringing of cellphones into schools could also be a security risk, which is a bit of a stretch to say the least.

Whatever happened to teachers employing a little discipline in their classrooms and just telling their students to turn off their cellphones and put them away during class? If they don't follow the rules, THEN you confiscate the phone until the end of the day. Doesn't seem that difficult of a solution, does it?

The Northern California chapter of the ACLU, along with other privacy advocate groups, recently sent a letter expressing concerns over privacy issues to the Joint Venture/Smart Valley Initiative that is seeking to develop and deploy a wireless network to over 30 municipalities in Silicon Valley.

At the heart of the issue is that since the network is expected to be a free one, it will be funded by advertising and sponsorship programs, so in order for these companies to recoup their costs, they need to market their goods and services to the users. To do that, they need to be able to send them information, and that requires the gathering of user information, which means capturing registration data.

Some of the questions raised by the letter writers include whether users will be tracked from session to session, and if they will be made aware of how their personal information will be used.

Privacy advocates tend to overreact to things like this, especially since this is all so new and they are expecting the worst. Most internet users are savvy enough these days that they will take every step necessary to guard their personal information from being co-opted. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will protect yourself entirely from any attacks, but just doing a few simple tasks will go a long way.

Although New York City has yet to make any real inroads in the development of a citywide wireless network for its residents, Mayor Michael Bloomberg did announce today that the city is seeking to establish a Citywide Mobile Wireless Network (CMWN) designed specifically for emergency responders. As we all remember, during the tragic events of 9/11, emergency communications broke down as fire and police personnel were attempting to evacuate and rescure people who were trapped in the burning Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

According to the Mayor's office, the network will give the city's fire and police departments the ability to access and download city maps, building plans, and federal and state counter-terrorism and crime databases while in the field, which is the very type of platform these departments need. A six-month pilot program is scheduled to take place between two competing companies--Northrop Grumman and Motorola--to judge whose platform will work best for the city.

This is an incredibly important development for New York City and it is essential that one of these platforms proves successful in testing. For any city, both big and small, the ability for emergency personnel to communicate while on the go should be a top priority.

With security increasingly becoming of importance when it comes to enterprise wireless networks, a series of webcasts/podcasts is now available on SearchNetworking.com that may help CIOs and CTOs understand all of the issues involved.

The Wireless Security Lunchtime Learning Series focuses on securing wireless networks by examining:

• How to identify and understand wireless threats
• Alternative methods in defending wireless attacks
• How to save your company time and money while implementing a wireless defense strategy

Each of the webcasts/podcasts run about 15-20 minutes in length, and are enhanced with a series of tips that will help listeners apply what they have learned.

It's been another wild and wooly week here at the home office. Submitted for your approval are the five stories that made things interesting around these parts over the past seven days. Enjoy!

1. Let New Orleans build a wireless network without outside interference!
   I am eagerly looking forward to going to New Orleans. It's a city filled with history and culture, and I can't wait to walk up and down Bourbon Street. And, as "weird" as this sounds, I am looking forward to spending money down there, such as buying gifts for my wife and daughter and dining in some of the restaurants. I figure that, in my small way, I am helping New Orleans get back on its feet after the horror of Hurricane Katrina. I only wish that companies like BellSouth Corporation and Cox Communications would follow that same path.
2. Don't forget to adopt and deploy that E911 wireless system
   The FCC is proposing a meaty $750,000 fine for Dobson Communications for failing to deploy an enhanced 911 system on its wireless network in a timely manner. While we're not sure what "timely" means, its possible that a few years from the initial asking period has probably elapsed -- indeed, the Phase I completion deadline was in 1998.
3. Law requiring businesses to secure their wireless networks to take effect in Westchester County
   There's a proposal under consideration in New York's Westchester County that will require local businesses to secure their wireless networks to prevent identity theft and other types of hacking from unauthorized users.
4. So, where is mobile television headed?
   We've posted quite a few times recently about the quandary that seems to surround what has become known as "mobile television". Now, this can take many forms from the customer's eyes -- it can mean:
   * Watching television clips while mobile using your mobile phone device or handset
   * Watching real-time, streaming television from multiple sources -- on demand -- anytime you wish using your mobile device
   * Watching pre-recorded television and/or video downloaded from your wireless device directly, or transferred from a PC
5. Whatever happened to Wireless 411?
   If you remember back about a year to 18 months ago, there was a raging controversy over whether the establishment of a "wireless 411" directory would impose on the privacy of cellphone users.

Here's another story on how easy it is for hackers to steal vital information from any unsecured wireless network. The securing of these networks is becoming a cottage industry, and companies are charging big bucks to assist companies in locking hackers out from enterprise networks.

Of course, the everyday person can't afford to pay those kind of prices to have a consultant come in and secure a home wireless network, so it goes without saying that user education is essential. You've got to take the time to learn how to secure your network, or your most sensitive information will be open for the piggybackers to see and steal.

The morale of the story is that if it can be done in Oshkosh, it can be done anywhere.

The Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England is investigating the application of RFID technology to track visitors and increase park security.

Visitors will be offered wrist bands embedded with RFID chips which will allow park personnel to watch them as they traverse through the area as well as be filmed while on rides. Park officials say the system will mainly be used to track lost children which, as any parent knows, is always a fear when visiting large theme parks. In addition, the thought is that the system could also cut down on crimes such as break-ins and vandalism.

In a unique twist, visitors will be given the option to buy the filmed footage from their time spent on rides in a DVD. The system is expected to be introduced next year.

It's Saturday, and that means it's time to present you our Top 5 stories of the week in the world of wireless. Enjoy!

1. Telcos lobbying to shut down New Orleans' downtown wireless network
   As we all know, it's been a rough go for New Orleans over the last seven months. It's going to take a lot of time and effort to bring the city back to something close to what it was, and it's going to take the cooperation of many people to do it. However, BellSouth and other telcos in the region only want to be part of the problem, not the solution.
2. Do 3G phones change social habits?
   In this story from the BBC, newer 3G wireless services and handsets are said to change social habits. Clubbers and bloggers can benefit from the cameras, video cameras and higher-speed data networks. Well, duh. Clubbers are obvious targets - I see more cameraphones in clubs than real cameras at the Grand Canyon. Bloggers? Well, those who have taken up moblogging as a sort of life documentation science are guilty as charged also. I regularly send photos while mobile to my Flickr site using a simple and secret email address.
3. Wireless "piggybacker" compares behavior to borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor
   Just came across this op-ed piece from someone who compares the practice of "piggybacking" wireless services from others to borrowing a cup of sugar. Oh really?
4. Newbury Networks announces wireless asset tracking and location-enabled "presence" platform
   One area we see quite often here at The Wireless Report are bungled implementations of good and great wireless solutions. A great idea can be toasted if not implemented in the most customized way for the customer using it. This entails studying the workflow of the customer, tailoring the solution/software to their needs, testing the solution and tweaking as needed, and also planning for changes and other paths so that the solution is flexible and adaptable.
5. Mobile casino gambling now legal in Nevada
   This was pretty much a foregone conclusion anyway, but it's still a significant piece of news. Yesterday the Nevada Gaming Commission passed a regulation that allows for the use of handheld devices (similar to PDAs) for gambling in any public area of casinos located in the state. Simply put, you can play blackjack, poker, and other assorted games while lounging at the pool or another place in the complex where you can be supervised. At this point, you can't use these devices in your hotel room or any other place where you can be left alone.

Just came across this op-ed piece from someone who compares the practice of "piggybacking" wireless services from others to borrowing a cup of sugar. Oh really?

This guy thinks it's acceptable, for example, for someone who moves into a new apartment building and logging onto an open wireless network so he can do whatever he wants with someone else knowing about it. Maybe this "borrower" would feel it's perfectly fine to go through the owner's personal files because it's "open" for everyone else to see. Why not? He's only "borrowing" the signal, so it's too bad for the owner if the borrower sees something sensitive by chance.

Of course, anyone who has their own wireless network should take every step necessary to secure it. There's enough information out there for network owners to leverage, so if their network is compromised, it is their own fault. However, for someone to be so flippant about piggybacking to say "what's the problem?" is reprehensible. And for this guy to attempt to point out "perfectly legitimate reasons to borrow access" is laughable.

It's Saturday and time for our weekly roundup of The Wireless Report's Top 5 stories of the week. It's been a potpourri of news this week, so here are some highlights of what we've been keeping our eyes on. Enjoy!

• Bill Gates mocks the MIT $100 wireless laptop project
  Well, Gates has done it before - mocked certain technologies and products only to see them try to overwhelm Microsoft, who then has made it a habit of rapid-fire catchup to ensure the franchises that add billions to the Microsoft coffers are covered. But, what has he to gain by making fun of a $100 laptop with built-in wireless mesh networking meant to assist low-income countries and villages into sharing information among themselves and even globally? Remember, many of these people have never seen a computer, much less Windows.
• New Orleans' growing dependance on wireless communications
  One of the few things left intact after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans was the wireless mesh network used in the downtown area by local police to support communications and respond to crime scenes much quicker.
• U.S. Senate hears more arguements about wireless spectrum
  From opening up analog TV airwaves for unregulated broadband internet to giving smaller cellular players more bandwidth over the enter country, the Senate this week is hearing a mouthful about how the airwaves and the bands of radio spectrum that govern all wireless industries needs changing to keep up with the torrid pace of wireless offerings from many industries continues.
• Government agency to test wireless communications systems for miners
  Responding to the tragedies that took place earlier this year that claimed the lives of over a dozen miners, the Mine Safety and Health Administration is about to test a number of new wireless two-way communications devices that will help emergency responders locate trapped miners. The testing will take place in Moundsville, West Virginia by the end of this month.
• The age of the RFID virus?
  Well, we knew this was coming - it was just a matter of time before someone announced that RFID chips, as they stand now, could be "infiltrated" by a virus. With hardly any memory (at least current commercial designs), why would anyone want to infect an RFID chip with a virus? What is the motivation?

If you've been reading this blog the past couple of days, you've been seeing some stories about the growing practice of "piggybacking," whereby people are accessing another home or business wireless connection without authorization. As you can imagine, security of your personal or business data from intrusion by hackers and piggybackers is of the utmost importance.

To that end, WiTopia Inc. is making available its new SecureMyWiFi service packages for home and business wireless networks. The company claims the service allows users to secure and manage their WiFi network using Enterprise-grade technology previously not available to these types of users. SecureMyWiFi is designed to work with virtually any WPA-Enterprise or WPA2-Enterprise capable WiFI access point, router, or device. The service can also support 802.1x and 802.11i capable hardware.

The service is available in two packages--one for home/SOHO users starting at $9.99 a year with a one-time $20 activation fee, and one for businesses with up to 100 employees starting at $99 per year with a $99 one-time activation fee. Wireless Report readers can get a 15% discount on all services from WiTopia by going to their website--www.witopia.net--and applying the discount code "thewirelessreport".

We here at TWR are not endorsing the product, but we wanted to make our readers aware of it and if you choose to purchase it, please comment to this post and let us know if the service does what it claims to do or not.