Very nice to see how 3G coverage has become pretty much ubiquitous in Austria these days. I am on vacation at the moment in Styria (Austria) for some skiing. When the sun goes down at 5 p.m. you feel like at the end of the world in that little outback village where I am staying, the feeling heightened by the use of a firewood oven for warmth. Small village or not, but it is covered by three UMTS networks and my 3G dongle dock in the corner creates a Wi-Fi bubble for the notebooks and other Wi-Fi devices. Even in the ski resort 15 minutes away by car, 3G is everywhere.
Good to see these operators do not think it's not economical to deploy 3G almost everywhere in the country, despite the countryside not being very densely populated. And that's not only true near skiing resorts but also elsewhere without any tourist attractions nearby where I happen to be from time to time.
Back to the vacation thread: It's nice to be able to start the block heater of my car at the top of the mountain with a phone call before the final run into the valley. Wouldn't that be a nice scenario for a BMW or Mercedes TV spot to advertise their next car Internet connectivity package? Only to be topped by making a Wi-Fi hotspot out of the car. Just park it in front of your hut or hotel and fire up your notebook…
And now back to the oven to throw in some more firewood.
Ask and tho shall receive. Chrysler in the US (not sure how ubiquitous this is yet) is making internet available in all cars as an option. I am not sure what they are using for backhaul, presumably some 3G cell technology. The car will be a wifi hotspot providing connectivity for all your favourite devices.
“uconnect web
The Internet is all about keeping us connected and now you can literally take the Web with you. uconnect web[2] lets you turn your vehicle into a WiFi hotspot, allowing you to connect your laptops, iPhones, PSPs and PDAs. With this authentic Chrysler accessory from Mopar® installed at your dealer, each passenger can simultaneously surf the Web, check their e-mail, instant message, download music / photos and play online games, so you’ll never be out of the loop again.”
http://www.chrysler.com/en/2009/town_country/innovations/u_connect/