
Olympics Ban on Personal Hotspots - stevewillows
http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/25/no-wi-fi-please-were-british-olympics-will-ban-personal-hotspots/
======
mootothemax
From the London 2012 site:

 _Personal/private wireless access points and 3G hubs (smart devices such as
Android phones, iPhone and tablets are permitted inside venues, but must not
be used as wireless access points to connect multiple devices)_

[http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/2...](http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/Documents/General/01/25/44/06/Prohibitedandrestricteditemslists_Neutral.pdf)

They also seem to be following airline rules and have banned liquids over
100ml, amongst the other usual suspects.

I've no idea how they intend to enforce the ban against personal hotspots, nor
why they'd bother in the first place. It's hardly enforceable, is it?

Edit: Interesting comment by ajerman on the engadget story, does this sound
plausible?

 _I would have to assume it's less to be oppressive and more to just minimize
excessive airwave congestion in the area. If a few hundred people are running
a mobile hotspot, you're going to have quite a bit of traffic on the ole wifi
frequencies._

[http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/25/london-bans-mobile-
hotspo...](http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/25/london-bans-mobile-hotspots/)

~~~
jerf
I'm guessing there will be for-pay wireless access hotspots installed. No
inside info beyond what you see, just running on the theory that every dime is
being squeezed out of the spectators and extrapolating from there.

~~~
mootothemax
_I'm guessing there will be for-pay wireless access hotspots installed. No
inside info beyond what you see, just running on the theory that every dime is
being squeezed out of the spectators and extrapolating from there._

There's nothing banning 3G access, just the ability to use your phone as
personal hotspot. Kinda pointless banning it if 3G isn't available in the
first place.

~~~
jerf
I expect paid Wifi hotspots, not 3G hotspots. In addition to them being
offended you aren't paying them for Wifi, the phones will also potentially
interfere with their paid Wifi.

------
DanWaterworth
The way the Olympics is being organized is making me ashamed of my country.

~~~
drivingmenuts
It's not just the UK. The Olympics has their heads buried so far up corporate
backsides, they're operating with a 20th century mentality.

Time to shut the whole thing down and come up with something relevant.

~~~
mnicole
Agreed. I love the idea of the Olympics, but the majority of these athletes
seem to have to rely on sponsorships to make a living despite their rigorous,
continued training. Sometimes sponsorships by companies whose products are
more harmful than healthy. Sometimes this only amounts to a few thousand a
year.

After banning employees from promoting the event through status updates,
Instagram posts and effectively killing all other advertising with the "it's
again the TOS to link to us unless you're spinning us in a positive light"
thing they just pulled a few weeks ago, I'm over the entire thing before it
even began.

~~~
freehunter
The idea behind the Olympics games is that you wouldn't win huge prizes or
gain a lot of money, because you are an amateur who is naturally gifted with
skill in your sport. It shouldn't be rigorous, continued training, it
shouldn't be for the glory of the nation, it shouldn't define an athlete.

The Olympic games is no different from Christmas: there were good intentions
when it was started, but it has devolved into commercialism and a
bastardization of what the original spirit was.

~~~
mnicole
Ideally, yes. I'm not saying that we should award physical capability with
hoards of cash as an incentive (although in sports entertainment we do), but
to have a shot at being on the podium at these levels, competing against
people that are doping, you need multiple coaches, nutritionists and
physicians to ensure your health and safety and that doesn't come cheap on top
of general living and travel expenses.

~~~
freehunter
That's the argument I'm getting at. If it takes money to get into the
Olympics, the Games have already been lost.

------
user49598
The Olympics may be the single most overly commercialized event in human
history. It is far and above more about brand exposure, corporate profit, and
sex in the Olympic village than about athletics, sportsmanship or nations
putting aside their differences.

I for one will not be watching, and 2 months after when everybody forgets
everything that happened other than Michael Phelps rippin' a bong, not a soul
will care.

~~~
iamadesigner
I hate people like you. People who feel the need to be so negative when others
are trying to look on the bright side.

The olympics may be commercialized but they also featured amazing sports like
swimming, running, gymnastics, weight lifting--- these sports aren't normally
featured on TV and for 2 weeks, we get treated to the best these sports have
to offer.

And people like you just have to ruin it with your 2 cents.

~~~
user49598
Really, you hate people like me? Hate? I made an informed decision, and you
hate me? You hate me for my opinions? On the Olympics? You really think I'm
ruining the Olympics with my opinions? This is over the top.

The Olympics is disgustingly over commercialized, over sexualized, abusive to
the communities it takes place in, a force contra free market and free speech
and you hate me for my opinions? If a little entertainment is all it takes to
get you to turn a blind eye then thats fine, but how can you hate me for not
doing the same?

------
biafra
The reasoning behind this may be less evil than you think. At the Chaos
Communication Congress the CCC provides wireless internet access for free and
bans personal hotspots because they interfere with the provided wifi
infrastructure.

~~~
fredley
The wireless hotspots provided for the Olympics are not free: £5.99 for 90
minutes.

[http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2180518/bt-covers-olympic-
par...](http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2180518/bt-covers-olympic-park-hotspot-
wi-service)

------
nsns
On a positive note... this event is the biggest ever evidence for the
disruptive, liberating, power of the net, and the profound way new forms of
news gathering and dissemination threaten the established players. Their
efforts have become so elaborate, they seem like a house of cards. By the next
Olympiad we'll hopefully witness a complete collapse of traditional
broadcasting rights sale and enforcement.

------
EiZei
Also from The Verge: "BT has 1,500 paid hotspots at Olympic sites, with prices
starting from £5.99 ($9.28) for 90 minutes us"

------
bryanlarsen
Does the free wifi zone cover the olympics? That would somewhat mitigate the
impact of this ban, but I imagine that the free wifi is pretty limited.

[http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/25/3185756/o2-free-wifi-
londo...](http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/25/3185756/o2-free-wifi-london-west-
end)

------
hnriot
England has a long history of go ing two fingers to authority, so I don't see
this ban being anything more than administrative. A nation of rebels will
treat this, any other insane rules with the disdain they deserve. The Olympic
games belong to the people, not any authority.

------
rdtsc
Now that they've banned them, they will probably see an unusual high usage of
them.

And then they'll justify buying some expensive jamming or detecting equipment
because, you know, there is a ton of wifi hotspots around now.

------
excuse-me
With a title like that the lawyers will be onto you.

You should use the official euphemism: "Steroid Event 0x7DC"

~~~
jgrahamc
No, Londinium MMXII:
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/17/london-2...](http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/17/london-2012-londinium-
mmxii-olympics)

