Intel, IBM, AT&T join forces to push public W-WANs. (Top Technology Showcase).

In what could be a huge boost for wireless Internet access technology, Intel, IBM and AT&T have formed a company that will provide nationwide wireless Internet access.

The company, which is called Cometa Networks, announced in December that it will work with major national and regional retail chains, hotels, universities and real estate firms to deploy broadband wireless access service in "hot spots" throughout the top 50 US metropolitan areas. The company says that its service will make it possible for users to keep existing sign-on procedures, email addresses, IDs, passwords and payment methods--regardless of whether they are accessing the Internet via an ISP, corporate virtual private network, telecommunications provider or cable operator.

"WiFi will bring distributed computing into the general public environment leading to increased business productivity and new consumer applications," Lawrence B. Brilliant, Cometa Networks's CEO said in announcing the partnership. "Mobile professionals want a consistent, integrated solution that makes it easier to access reports, customer information and email using their existing Internet accounts, whether a mile from home or across the country."

To date, most public-area WiFi access points (or "hot spots") are owned by small providers or run by merchants in conjunction with cellular carriers (Starbucks offers WiFi access via T-Mobile in many of its stores, for example). Cometa intends to provide public wireless access nationwide. AT&T will provide network infrastructure and management for Cometa, while IBM will provide wireless site installations and back-office systems. The company is funded by Intel Capital, 3i and Apex Partners.

While funded and run by some big names, Cometa is entering a turbulent market with major risks, most notably high prices for access and few users. Boingo, a current WiFi access provider, charges about $50 per month for unlimited usage. But without an unlimited plan, users pay a fee for each new WiFi location that they visit. The company has just 800 access points nationwide.

But making money, at least in the near term, may not be the point. Intel, IBM and AT&T all have vested interests--at either the chip or infrastructure level--in moving consumers to wireless communications. In particular, with Intel's mobile Banyan chip and its WiFi support due later this year, the chip giant may be taking the very-long view on the eventual viability of public wireless Internet access.

www.cometanetworks.com