Group items tagged

The Emanuel administration today is unveiling the first portion of a much-anticipated initiative to position Chicago for the digital age with expanded access to ultra-high-speed broadband links. The two-pronged plan, dubbed the "broadband challenge," seeks private partners to bring relatively low-cost, gigabit-speed Internet to 15 emerging business zones, most of them academic centers outside the Loop, and to offer free Wi-Fi in every park in the city.

Once we connect 50 billion devices to the web, as Ericsson's CEO thinks will happen by 2020, what will those devices talk to? Chicago Startup Tempo hopes those sensors will take to its database as a service - depositing their tiny bits of time series data inside its custom database. The company, which was a Structure 2012 Launchpad finalist, has built a specialty database for data that consists of two items, time and a data point.

"U.S. Cellular has added Wi-Fi to its mobile data toolbox. But rather than build or lease time on expensive managed hotspot networks, the Chicago carrier is working with Devicescape to tap into its virtual network of nearly 8 million open access points."

merican ISPs have convinced us that Internet access is expensive-getting speeds of 100Mbps will set most people back by more than $100 a month, assuming the service is even available. Where I live in Chicago, Comcast's 105Mbps service goes for a whopping $199.95 ("premium installation" and cable modem not included). Which is why it was so refreshing to see the scrappy California ISP Sonic.net this week roll out its new 1Gbps, fiber-to-the-home service… for $69.99 a month.