ZipCar’s Founder Wants Wi-Fi on Buses
ZipCar’s co-founder Robin Chase has started a new venture that can turn moving vehicles into Wi-Fi hotspots. Veniam, Chase’s new company, promises to deliver the “networking fabric for the Internet of Moving Things,’’ according to its website.
If Chase’s latest venture is a success, it could mean cities could someday leverage the technology to provide free Wi-Fi for its residents through a fleet of public transportation vehicles.
According to Business Insider, Veniam’s technology has been put to good use in Porto, Portugal, where the company is based. In Porto, roughly 600 buses have been connected, allowing 73 percent of bus riders with mobile devices to be connected. That’s around 60,000 monthly users and three terabytes of transmitted data.
“Six hundred connected vehicles might not sound like a lot, but it’s in fact the largest connected vehicle network in the world. I think that points to the fact that connected vehicles is a novel concept,’’ Chase told Business Insider.
Here’s how it’s supposed to work: Veniam’s technology establishes a series of networks using Wi-Fi transmitters in vehicles. These transmitters deliver what the company says are reliable and secure connections that allow users to smoothly move from one Wi-Fi hotspot to the next.
Without this technology in place, Veniam claims it’s nearly impossible for users to smoothly transition from a cellular network to a moving vehicle’s free Wi-Fi.
The idea seems to be gaining steam. Earlier this week, Veniam announced it raised $4.9 million in funding. The money will be used to expand the company’s Silicon Valley office and push the availability of the technology in the US.
In a statement, Veniam CEO and founder João Barros said, “Building on the fantastic success we’ve had in Porto, Portugal, this funding will allow us to expand rapidly in the US with significant momentum.’’
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Boston will be among the cities where the “significant momentum’’ will be heading. According to Business Insider, Veniam is in talks with “potential customers’’ in San Francisco, New York, and Austin so far.
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