Find out all about the Fon revolution.

Dictionary: Fonero |fän er o| 1. a member of the Fon Wireless Internet ‘roaming’ network, involved by sharing his or hers Internet Connection using a Wireless Internet Hotspot with other registered Foneros.

Everyone is familiar with the concept of “mobile phone roaming” - you arrive in a foreign airport, turn on your phone, and you are connected to another mobile phone network. Roaming. Everyone does it.

Now, think about Internet access. Being able to get Internet access anywhere, in the café, on the train, without having to pay through the nose or in your house/office without having to install a telephone line.

Along comes Fon.

Fon is a company with a large community of supporters who are building a “wireless Internet roaming network”, built with the help of “Foneros” - people who open their Internet connections for Wireless access, so other Foneros, and Internet users can use it.

Anyone can become a Fonero. Just decide on how you want do it: Linus, Bill and Alien.

Linus, named after Linus Torvalds the inventor of the open source operating system Linux, puts a Fon Hotspot on their Internet Connection, and allows others to use it for free, and in return they will be allowed to “roam” throughout the Fon network, anywhere in the world.

Bill, named after Microsoft’s founder Bill Gates, puts a Fon Hotspot on their broadband and shares it with others who pay a certain charge.

Aliens are all other users who do not operate a Fon Hotspot, and will have to pay for all Internet access they use, again a certain charge.

The most important point is that FON is built by Internet users for Internet users; a community of users who agree to share their Internet access with others.

One concern people have is that some ISPs don’t allow connection sharing. FON is working with ISPs worldwide to explain FON and to show how it benefits ISPs.

In Ireland, Fon is talking with major ISPs to explain why allowing Foneros to share their Internet connection is a good idea.

A community effort like Fon, with financial backing and secure authentication for users will give ISP Hotspots a future and will make them more valuable and more useful.

FON can only succeed with help from Internet users like you and I. Our part is quite simple:

Either a) buy a Fon enabled Wireless Internet Hotspot device, or b) if you have access to a supported device (currently the Linksys WRT54G series of WiFi routers are fully supported. Check here for other devices), install to required software on it, and plug it into your Internet connection. You can speak to Foneros, who will assist you at the Fon boards.

What can you do with your Fon Hotspot? Anything! As Wi-Fi equipped mobile phones become more available, just imagine the possibility of using WiFi to make your phonecalls! Combine the possibility of uploading your holiday photos to your website via your WiFi enabled camera.

At the moment there are three Fon Hotspots in Dublin alone, one near the Morrison Hotel, another on Grand Canal St. Lr. and another on O’Connell St near the Spire.

It’s a good start, but Fon needs more: Plug it into your Internet connection and go! Simple as that!

Currently there are over 9,000 registered Foneros all over the world. This is an amazing number, considering that Fon was only officially launched in November last year.

Last week FON raised €18M from Internet giants such as Skype and Google. These Internet companies obviously see the tremendous potential in Fon. More people will be able to have access to the Internet now. Fon are now
able to grow rapidly. They have the investment they need, but equally as important they need help from people.

A community effort like Fon with the backing they have now received will transform WiFi Internet access into access for everyone. Everywhere.

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Bernard Tyers works in the IT sector in Ireland, is running Ireland’s first Fon Hotspot near the Morrison Hotel and blogs at http://www.runningwithbulls.com/blog.
You can contact him regarding Fon at: fon_lower_ormond_quay@runningwithbulls.com

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