Wi-Fi has become the preferred means for connecting to the internet - at home, in the office, in hotels and at airports. Increasingly, Wi-Fi also provides internet access for remote communities where it is deployed by volunteers in community-based networks, by operators in 'hotspots' and by municipalities in 'hotzones'. This book traces the global success of Wi-Fi to the landmark change in radio spectrum policy by the US FCC in 1985, the initiative by NCR Corporation to start development of Wireless-LANs and the drive for an open standard IEEE 802.11, released in 1997. It also singles out and explains the significance of the initiative by Steve Jobs at Apple to include Wireless-LAN in the iBook, which moved the product from the early adopters to the mass market. The book explains these developments through first-hand accounts by industry practitioners and concludes with reflections and implications for government policy and firm strategy.

A Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2011

'The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi: The Road to Global Success involves almost a score of contributors, including many influential voices in the Wi-Fi world … Virtually every chapter combines anecdotes, analysis, and lessons. This is the book's biggest strength. Many of these stories had never before been put into print, and many of the lessons are novel … It collects and preserves several great ideas, stitching them together in one place. That makes the gems accessible, turning them into something very useful for many readers. It should become a focal point for all subsequent developments.'

Shane Greenstein Source: Computing Now

'… a thoughtful, theoretically informed account that ranges from technological roadblocks to critical government policy decisions, the vital role of standards-setting committees, and numerous success stories of grassroots Wi-Fi networks in Europe. Unusual in an edited volume, the style is consistently clear throughout … there is enough in this work to please technologists, historians, business and economics specialists, and the general reader who wants to know where Wi-Fi came from. Summing up: highly recommended.'

Source: Choice