Wifi: from the cradle to the birth of Mifi

Wifi: from the cradle to the birth of Mifi

Wi-fi, or Wireless Fidelity, direct access to the WebSphere and a fictitious one-click trip around the world, has become the. In a world where there are 7.2 billion mobile devices for 7.1 billion people, this term has now become commonplace. Wifi codes are traded from one place to another and for many of you, it is a daily tool. And for good reason: there are now more than 5.8 million free Wi-Fi hotspots in the world, not to mention all the connections subscribed by individuals, in cafés, hotels, or bars... Thus, the Wi-Fi market has fluctuated very quickly, leaving room for non-standard competition since its inception. Wi-fi to Mifi, technology is undergoing a revolution.

From Wi-Fi to Mifi: a retrospective of a technological revolution

1896: Guglielmo Marconi created the first wireless telegraph, giving birth to the foundation of future radio technology.

1947: The world has 2.6 billion inhabitants, and knows the creation of the transistor whose 2 creators, researchers from the Bell laboratory, are awarded a Nobel Prize. 15 years later, the very first communication satellite was launched: Telstar.

1969: The conquest of space opens the field of possibilities to global communication: Arpanet, the ancestor of the Internet, is created.

1999: The wireless network is developed in an increasingly electronic devices oriented world: 140.2 million personal computers are sold worldwide. This wireless network connects to radio waves to establish a connection to the Internet network. Thus, the Committee of the NCR (World Leader in Technology Transactions), the Bell Laboratory and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) reached a joint agreement that same year on the standard for wireless technology. The purpose of this standard is to prevent monopolistic competition in the field of Internet speed. Thus, waves 802.11a and 802.11b (11 Mbps max) are standardized, resulting in a large explosion in wireless capabilities occurs. The 802.11b direct sequence is renamed "Wi-fi".

2002: This year marks the launch of the very first Wi-fi "boxing", allowing access to its own domestic Internet network. Free was then the prescriber with the very first Freebox.

2007: Steve Jobs launches Apple's very first iPhone, halfway between the Wi-Fi computer and the standard mobile phone: it is a telephone and technological revolution.

2009: Starbucks announces the arrival of free Wi-Fi in each of its points of sale: it is the beginning of free Wi-Fi for all. The following years announced the marketing of "home-made" Wi-Fi boxes allowing access to one's own household network.

2015 : Wifi is changing and becoming individual. Designed by Novatel, the company imagines a portable box creating its own Wi-Fi network (or "ad-hoc network"), so that it is accessible in any situation and for any travel: it is the birth of Mifi (or My Wi-fi). Today, many start-ups have started to market and rent individual hotspot boxes, such as My Webspot.

*Unlimited internet with Daily Fair Usage Policy applies. Europe & USA: 1GB in 4G/LTE - Mexico : 2GB - South East Asia, Japan & China: Unlimited 4G/LTE - Rest of the world: 500MB in 4G /LTE. Throttled speed of up to 512kbps afterwards.