RunningWithBulls.com - The curse of Sanfermin

Speaking with Antoin (Ireland’s Chief Fonero) ealier in the week, I mentioned a few things that would be really super to see Fon taking on. After doing a little more thinking, heres a few other points:

1. give the Fon AP owners a user editable portion of the landing page. This would allow them enter extra information regarding Access Point opening times, interesting local sites, good cafes, bars, etc.
2. if Fon AP owners were given the capability to insert Google localised AdWords into the landing page of their Fon AP, this would benefit, a) the AP owner, b) FON, and as always c) Google.

3. If Fon gave AP owners an easy way to prioritise VOIP traffic. Martin Varsavsky (as has one of the US’s Chief Foneros Ejovi Nuwere) has written about whether FON should support SIP, or Skype, or both. From my point of view, FON should make a case of supporting them all (Afterall it is just traffic), but make a concerted effort to guarantee SIP traffic has priority. Why SIP? Why not Skype?
Well, SIP is an open standard that is embraced by a number of companies worldwide. I can make a SIP phone call from my SIPPhone account using Gizmo Project, to my Blueface SIP phone number, for free. Thus showing the inter-operability between these two operators (along with a number of other operators).
If I want to make the same call from my Skype account to my Blueface SIP account, firstly I cannot. Secondly since I have signed up for an Irish geographic VOIP phone number, I can receive phone calls from PSTN phones. I could make a call from my Skype account, but I would have to purchase SkypeOut credit, and then telephone an Irish phone number. While it is only 6/7 €cent, I as the user still have to pay, due to Skype use of a proprietary system.
Fon is being built on the fantastic idea of a WiFi revolution, giving access to all for the Internet. If SIP support was made easy for the people running the Access Points, this would be a fantastic boost to mobile VOIP.
4. give Fon AP owners a Fon “branded” e-mail address, thus giving potential users a central place to contact them.

Loads of stuff, and loads more to come. I am sure we will be seeing lots of interesting developments in the first quarter of 2006!