EarthLink has won the right to build out a wireless network in the city of New Orleans, the company said Friday. The network will be free for the time being as the city continues to rebuild, however EarthLink plans to offer fee based services as well. The free service would be throttled at 300kbps, while paid users would be permitted to use up to 1mbps of bandwidth.

As in other cities, the company would allow open access to the network in order to spur competition. EarthLink has assisted the city in keeping its municipal Wi-Fi network running since March. For many in the city, it has remained the only method of communication: many areas are still without phone service some nine months after Hurricane Katrina hit.

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EarthLink is close to receiving final approval from Philadelphia's City Council to mount its equipment from light poles, company representatives said on Wednesday. Some council members expressed concern over parts of the deal, delaying construction.

The joint committee for education and technology wanted EarthLink to ensure it would comply with city ordinances that require contractors to ensure diversity in their workforces. Additionally, council wanted more oversight of Wireless Philadelphia, the non-profit group that is overseeing the project.

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A draft version of the proposed 802.11n wireless networking standard failed to pass Tuesday, leading some to criticize "pre-802.11n" products that have begun to flood the market. Only 46 percent of voters approved the draft, far short of the 75 percent needed for ratification.

It should be noted, however, that the group did not expect the draft to pass on first vote; typically it will take several revisions before the necessary majority approves a draft. In fact, an official roadmap does not predict final ratification until September of next year.

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Rhode Island is in the process of setting up a wireless network that would provide statewide coverage. The $20 million project is expected to be completed by 2007, and would focus on commercial, emergency, and government uses.

The move is an effort to lure businesses away from the Boston metropolitan area, some 50 minutes away from Rhode Island's capital of Providence. Office rents in the Massachusetts city are some of the highest in the country, and a Wi-Fi network may be enough to lure many away.

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Netgear said Monday that it would begin accepting pre-orders for its Skype Wi-Fi phone. At a price of $249.99 USD, the candy bar-shaped phone would allow for free Skype calling, as well as calls to landline and mobile phones, over both secured and open Wi-Fi networks.

The phone is the first mobile unit to receive Skype certification, Netgear said in a statement. The device will come preloaded with Skype software and a color display. Calls to landline and mobile phone numbers would require a plan and additional fee. Those interested can pre-order the phone through Netgear's partners and the Skype online store itself.

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Yahoo could soon begin offering wireless access to users of its instant messaging client through an add-on service much like its VoIP offerings. Indications of such a service first appeared after the company polled its users about their interest. Yahoo's moves follow those of Google, which is also turning to wireless access to promote its services.

The service called Yahoo Messenger On-the-Road would be made available for free to those who wish to only use instant messaging. For customers wanting Web access, Yahoo is considering charging $2.95 USD for a two-hour connection, or $7.95 USD per month. A company spokesperson acknowledged that it was polling users, but declined to say whether such a service would eventually be introduced.

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The city of Portland, Oregon announced Wednesday that Mountain View, Calif., based MetroFi had been awarded a contract to build a public Wi-Fi network in the city. The startup beat out two competitors, including EarthLink.

The Portland contract will mark the first time that EarthLink has lost a bid to build a municipal wireless network.

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EarthLink said Thursday that its joint proposal with Google to build a Wi-Fi network in San Francisco had been approved by the city's TechConnect Committee Wednesday night. The two companies submitted a joint proposal in February.

In the proposal, EarthLink and Google proposed a two-tier solution: a slower, open network operated by the search giant and a faster fee-based service to be run by the ISP. Previously, the two companies had submitted separate proposals during a six-week period in August and September 2005.

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D-Link on Wednesday said it planned to deliver its first 802.11n capable wireless devices by the end of April, heralding the arrival of the next-generation wireless standard. Although 802.11n has not yet been finalized, hardware manufacturers are using draft specifications with ratification expected soon.

802.11n promises wireless speeds of up to 100Mbit per second, with the potential for much higher throughput in future updates. Using a technology called MIMO, or multiple-in, multiple out, an 802.11n device could have multiple antennas that handle more than one data stream at a time, thus speeding the transfer of data tremendously.

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Toronto will soon join a list of Wi-Fi enabled cities, as city utility Toronto Hydro will announce a plan in conjunction with municipal officials to offer wireless Internet access across the city. If all goes well, service in the downtown region could be available as early as this fall, sources told the Toronto Star newspaper.

New Orleans, Chicago and San Francisco are all considering plans to similarly blanket their towns with wireless Internet, with a project in Philadelphia currently the most advanced. The initiative is seen as a way to both boost tourism and attract businesses to those cities.

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T-Mobile USA has announced a promotion to give subscribers of its cellular phone service free access to its HotSpot Wi-Fi network during Saturdays and Sundays. The company runs some 6,500 hotspots, most notably in Borders and Starbucks locations nationwide, as well as in FedEx Kinkos, some Hyatt hotels, and in the airline clubs of American, Delta, United and US Airways.

The promotion is open to both prepay and postpay customers, as long as they can receive an SMS message containing a passcode for the service. The passcode would be good for the entire weekend, T-Mobile said. According to the HotSpot Web site, the promotion would be available for a "limited time," however no specific end date was provided.

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The City of Philadelphia said Wednesday that both it and Wireless Philadelphia, a non-profit group, had signed agreements with EarthLink to begin construction of a wirlesss network that would cover the city. Mayor John Street urged City Council to approve the deals, which would last for ten years.

Under the terms of the deal, EarthLink would rent space on 4,000 city light posts to install its equipment at a cost of $74 per light post. The network would cover approximately 135 square miles, making it one of the largest Wi-Fi networks in the world.

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EarthLink said Wednesday that it had joined forces with Google to submit a proposal to build a public Wi-Fi network in the city of San Francisco. The plan calls for a two-tier business model, with a free network operated by the search giant, and a faster fee-based service operated by EarthLink.

Both companies had submitted proposals during a six-week period in August and September of last year. However, EarthLink planned to offer a paid service, as it will in Philadelphia and Anaheim, while Google proposed a free citywide network.

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EarthLink has finalized a contact to blanket the city of Philadelphia with wireless Internet access, the city said on Monday. Pending approval by City Council in February, construction of the 135-square-mile wireless hot spot would start shortly after signing of the contract.

A test area would be built out over a 15-square-mile area of Northeast Philadelphia to prove the system's effectiveness. If the test is successful, the entire city could be wireless by the spring of next year.

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The IEEE on Thursday approved the first draft of a proposal for the 802.11n wireless standard at a meeting in Hawaii. Last week, the group set aside the last of their differences, adopting a proposal put forth by the Enhanced Wireless Consortium, a interest group headed by Atheros, Broadcom and Intel.

While it is not final just yet, chipmakers will likely begin to rush out chipsets compatible with the soon-to-be standard. However, the IEEE warns that until 802.11n is finalized, the products carry no guarantee of interoperability.

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