Wall Street investment banks are prepping for a nice rebound in tech IPOs this year. And yes, they are already filing offerings. One of the first is Boingo Wireless, which is a leader in wi-fi access. The company hopes to raise $75 million.

In all, Boingo has 211,000 wi-fi locations in over 100 countries. Many are found in places like airports, malls, coffee shops, stadiums and hotels. Over the past 12 months, Boingo has seen more than 1.3 million Net users purchase its service.

Continue reading Boingo Tries for an IPO

Boingo Tries for an IPO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In a breakthrough for tech firms, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) approved a plan to open unused TV channels for wireless broadband. FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski said the move would offer "unique opportunities for innovators and entrepreneurs."

Companies like Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Dell (DELL) have been pushing the FCC for this decision. The unused TV channels are called "white spaces" because signals can carry long distances and through buildings.

Continue reading FCC Grants Access to Unused TV Airwaves

FCC Grants Access to Unused TV Airwaves originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's been a few weeks now that Google (GOOG) and its Street View mapping service has been in the spotlight after it was discovered that the search giant collected and stored personal data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. Now, Google's intentions are in question.

"This was a failure of communication between and within teams," the BBC quotes a Google spokesperson. It is the first line of defense in what has already become an international scandal striking directly at the heart of Google and allegations of serious misconduct by that company. The BBC report indicates that Google's actions of collecting and recording the personal data is in violation of the data interception laws of as many as 30 countries.

Continue reading Google Intentions over the Street View Data Collection Now Questioned

Google Intentions over the Street View Data Collection Now Questioned originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Out of the kindness of its ginormous heart, Google (GOOG) is giving holiday travelers a bit of cheer this season, providing free Wi-Fi in 47 U.S. airports starting today and running through January 15. As a bonus to Virgin America passengers traveling within the continental U.S., Google is providing in-flight Wi-Fi as well.

Of course, the Web search giant has an ulterior motive. In a statement, a Google spokesperson said: "This is one of our holiday gifts to our users, and when you connect, we also hope you'll take the opportunity to try some of the latest Google products."

Continue reading Happy holidays! Google giving away free Wi-Fi

Happy holidays! Google giving away free Wi-Fi originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The FCC is looking at using part of the TV signal spectrum to provide wireless high-speed internet. It is a brilliant idea that is being opposed by a large part of the television industry.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The Federal Communications Commission will have the final say in the battle between the broadcasters -- which fear interference on the airwaves they'll still be using -- and the companies including Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG). and Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) that want to share the television airwaves."

The fight is a classic example of old media not wanting to give up something that it has "owned" for years because it may help new competition.

Tough luck. Broadband adoption in the U.S. is behind several countries in Europe and Asia, and if the FCC can offer an inexpensive solution to that, it should. The new over-the-air system would have many of the benefits of Wi-Fi, but would be more broadly available.

TV broadcasters say that the new technology could interfere with their signals, but testing can demonstrate whether that is true or not. The FCC has the chance to move broadband adoption forward with one spectacular decision. It should not balk at the chance.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Google and Motorola to supply Wi-Fi for the masses? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week, EarthLink Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) announced its Q4 results. There was a loss of $9.5 million, or $0.08 per share, which included a $31.1 million write-off from its wi-fi assets.

And, yes, now the company wants to offload the segment. So what does this mean for EarthLink, as well as the space?

Well, I had a chance to interview Craig Settles, who is the author of After Muni Wireless Comes to Town. According to him:

Probably the most common question this sale generates is, why would anyone want to buy the business? It ultimately depends on how much is the asking price, and what actual assets come with the deal. If you look back at Metricom, who marketed Ricochet, they didn't get a whole lot when they sold their business out of bankruptcy court.

Continue reading EarthLink puts its wi-fi division on the block

EarthLink puts its wi-fi division on the block originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 10 Feb 2008 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Frequently, the difference between a successful investor and one less so is all timing. Making money in the market requires not only picking the right companies to invest in, but also deciding when (or when not) to invest in such companies.

I rediscovered Earthlink (NASDAQ: ELNK) last year while running a value screen. Like many stocks that end up in the proverbial value barrel, this company was once a high flier, trading at a split-adjusted $50, while now trading around $8. There were highs and lows, culminating in Earthlink's founder being charged with fraud and money laundering. I recalled that Earthlink was in the now-dying dial-up ISP business during the bubble days of the internet and decided to dig a little deeper.

What I saw, when I looked under the hood, caught my attention. While Earthlink was indeed seeing dial-up customers dial-out of their contracts, Earthlink was converting a good percentage of these customers to DSL service. It was working well -- while the company wasn't growing much, it was producing a lot of cash from operations and instead of just building a cash horde, like many companies would do in a situation like this, the company was looking to reposition itself with two major, seemingly sexy initiatives.

Continue reading Earthlink (ELNK): Why-Fi?

Earthlink (ELNK): Why-Fi? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

There is some news out of the U.K. that Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE)'s PSP, the PlayStation Portable, may actually get turned into a phone with BT Group (NYSE: BT), formally known as British Telecom. There is already a clip-on mini-camera available for it, and the advanced communications just takes it that much further into a PC and total communications device with video, voice, and wi-fi.

One small problem. Last weekend I was at GameStop looking for a gift for my nephew and when I asked the people working about the PSP, they told me that it was a disaster. They said the Nintendo DS was far better, and this was a bit surprising considering the sleekness of the PSP. Even a buyer at the register that owned a PSP said he wished he didn't buy it.

So maybe as a phone and full-on communications center it may be better, but if the people selling it are going to directly discourage this, then how successful can it be? Sounds like they'll need to convince at least some more of the sellers of the PSP that improvements have been made.

Jon Ogg is a partner at 24/7 Wall St.; he does not own securities in the companies he covers.

Sony and BT turn PSP into a phone originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 23 May 2007 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MAJOR PAPERS:

• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is about to purchase 13 hotels from All Nippon Airways for about $1.2B, doubling the number of hotels the investment bank owns there, reported the Wall Street Journal.
• The Financial Times reported that Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced it would delay shipping its new Leopard operating system until October, due to the summer launch of its iPhone.

• According to the New York Times, citing people briefed on the discussions, Sallie Mae (NYSE: SLM) is in talks to be acquired by private equity for more than $20B.
• The Guardian reported that exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky is planning the "violent overthrow of [Russian] President Putin".
• The New York Post reported that Dubai is looking at buying Jones Apparel Group Inc's (NYSE: JNY) Barneys New York for $950M. Contrary to previous reports, the suitor is not linked to Qatar's royal family, but is Istithmar, a private equity firm owned by the Dubai government.

• According to sources familiar with the matter, Apple has plans to release new iPods with Wi-Fi, reported DigiTimes.com.

Newspaper wrap-up 4-13-07: Happy Friday the 13th! originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Earthlink, Inc. (NASDAQ:ELNK) is definitely getting serious about Wi-Fi. This week, the company announced that there is now service in Milpitas, California.

The weak link for EarthLink has always been its dependence on other companies' infrastructures, such as cable and DSL. Obviously Wi-Fi is a good thing from that standpoint.

Trouble is, first you have to win the contract with a city. The company has been in protracted negotiations with San Francisco for just that.

I had a chance to interview Craig Settles, who is the author of Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless. According to him:

"This launch in Milpitas is important for the municipal wireless industry in general, but particularly so for EarthLink. During the next quarter the smaller cities are coming online first, rather than the high profile large cities such as Philly and Boston. Continued momentum for municipal wireless depends on how well the networks operate in these early deployments, and a good showing by EarthLink matters to them since so much of their future rides on muni wireless.

"Milpitas is also important because the small cities are pushing the envelope to use these networks to not only streamline mobile workforce operations costs, but also dramatically increase decision-making by workers in the field. Average citizens will benefit through streamlined government service delivery that improves economic, medical and quality of life conditions. As these changes are replicated and documented, they become guideposts for the larger cities as their networks go live later in the year."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and operates DealProfiles.com.

EarthLink: Can't Get Enough of Wi-Fi originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 22 Dec 2006 15:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The two companies plan to shell-out up to $270 million to provide free Wi-Fi services to Silicon Valley, which is about 1,500 square miles. And it will certainly have its challenges. Try getting 42 cities with roughly 2.4 million residents to work together.

What's the motivation for this deal? Well it's good marketing. It also can be, in a way, a laboratory for experimentation. After all Silicon Valley is the center of the universe for technology, right?

One interesting twist is the involvement of SeaKay, which is a nonprofit that helps provide technology to low-income communities.

I interviewed Craig Settles, who is the author of the book Fighting the Good Fight for Municipal Wireless. According to him: "One thing that will be interesting to watch here is the influence that SeaKay has on the funding model that gets adopted in these municipalities. SeaKay has been an early-on advocate of finding corporate and philanthropic organizations to sponsor muni networks. I believe this approach has significant merit, and is a much more viable financial approach than relying heavily on banner ads to fund network build-outs and operations. If the partnership doesn't smother them - the company only has a handful of people - SeaKay will get a lot of other cities to view sponsorships in a credible light."

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and operates InvestorOffering.com.

IBM, Cisco to Power-Up Free Wi-Fi originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Sep 2006 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.