Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, had a vision which he could never realize. His dream was to have a common, shared guest network, which could be accessible to everyone for free. Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone has a Wi-Fi data option, which automatically detects all the networks in range, but Jobs felt that the need of a password to access those networks was a big problem. Walt Mossberg, Re/code co-executive editor, talked on CNBC about the free internet and consumers sharing their bandwidth.
Jobs dreamed of making a free, safe and accessible to all Wi-Fi networks shared from homes and small business places. His idea was to build in a guest network, which is well secured from the rest of the home networks with a unique name. He hoped that industry would share their bandwidth through this guest network. With this setup a smart phone user can get Wi-Fi network as he gets the signal from a cellular tower. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAP) has also built a guest network option into their product, hoping that Jobs’ dream would be realized one day.
Mossberg said that most of the users are hesitant to disturb their router settings. He feels that this problem is solvable, since the guest network option is available in most of the routers. He thinks that one concern that has to be addressed is the security part of it.
Mosberg added that a safe firewall which secures the home network from a guest network has to be provided. In addition to that he thinks that power has to be given to the home network owner on how much bandwidth he/she is willing to share in the guest network.
Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and a few other companies around the globe are moving in the right direction by setting up the guest network, but they charge a subscription fee instead of a free usage and make it a business model. Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) thinks that this type of networks will take it even beyond LTE to the next level.
Jon Fortt of CNBC pointed out that the only problem with this is the free part of it. Mossberg added that he is not against Comcast Corporation or other companies who try to charge subscription fee for their guest network setup.
“[…] I have always been a pro-consumer guy, I just think, let’s also, not necessarily only or mutually exclusive, but let’s let consumers who are already paying decide if they want to share some fraction of their bandwidth,” Mossberg said.
He added that through this user might be able to walk in the street, use the shared/free guest network and keep checking mails and other stuffs in his smartphone.
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