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  • free mobile broadband?

    Skype co-founder wants to give you free mobile broadband
    http://cnet.co/ze1RCu

    Niklas Zennstrom changed the telephone industry when
    heco-founded VoIP juggernaut, Skype. Now he's
    preparing to attack the industry again with the
    introduction of free mobile broadband from
    FreedomPop.
    FreedomPop today announced that it would partner
    with Clearwire for its upcoming mobile broadband
    service. Backed by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom,
    FreedomPop aims to disrupt the mobile broadband
    industry by providing mobile Internet to consumers
    free of charge.
    FreedomPop had previously named LightSquared as its
    launch partner, but it appears that relationship has
    stalled due to mounting complications in the
    LightSquared camp. The FCC yesterday suspended
    LightSquared's waiver to build a national wireless
    broadband network using satellite spectrum. Tests
    have indicated that the beleaguered company's
    technologies interfered with GPS and other devices.
    Clearwire isn't without its own problems. The company
    is currently scrambling to build out an LTE network to
    supplement its WiMax offerings in an effort to
    improve its coverage in high profile areas like the Bay
    Area, Chicago, and Manhattan. The transition is doubly
    logical as wireless providers like Verizon and AT&T are
    betting heavily on LTE and LTE threatens to become a
    global standard. WiMax, for its part, has few
    substantive presences outside of the U.S.
    Zennstrom has a reputation for disrupting industries:
    Kazaa was among the most prominent peer-to-peer
    media sharing services when it was shredded by
    lawsuits. It now exists as a wholly unremarkable
    subscription music service.
    Similarly, Joost launched big in 2007 to revolutionize
    online video and then proceeded to fall. By 2009, it
    had failed at every pivot and landed in Internet
    purgatory. It's now only mentioned in pieces like this.
    Nevertheless, Rdio, Zennstrom's other subscription
    music service, has been compelling and competitive in
    a scene that includes players like Spotify and MOG.
    And, with 65 million daily users, there's no arguing
    Zennstrom has had spectacular success with Skype.
    Beyond Zennstrom's affiliation, few details, such as
    how it intends to monetize itself, are known about
    FreedomPop. Conventional wisdom (and speculation)
    indicates that the service will be ad-supported, but it
    could adopt a freemium model, allowing subscribers to
    avoid ads for a fee.
    What we do know is that FreedomPop intends to
    launch at some point in 2012. Here's hoping it's more
    Skype than Joost.
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