Interview with Shawn Griffin, Co-Founder of PointShot Wireless and Chairman of the Ottawa Wireless Cluster, October 11th, 2002.

Q: I understand that you are part of an organization called the Ottawa Wireless Cluster, and, in fact, you've just taken over as Chair of the Cluster. Congratulations. What can you tell us about the the cluster.

Q: The Ottawa Wireless Cluster (OWC) is a network of independent Ottawa-based businesses participating in the wireless ecosystem. The businesses include wireless applications, services, enabling software and service management and provisioning, among many others. By working together with the broader ecosystem of wireless infrastructure companies, investors, educational institutions, government agencies, standards bodies and other technology companies, OWC helps to develop new business opportunities for Ottawa's wireless industry.

Q: What has the Cluster been doing?

Q: So far the Cluster has had two very successful networking events. Last month we had over 100 people attend a presentation by Mike Cowpland and Ray Sharma, an analyst with BMO Nesbitt Burns. We've had feeback from people who are meeting and creating new relationships through the networking aspects of the cluster. We've had calls and people attending the cluster events from California, Boston and Finland.

Q: You're also President and CEO of PointShot Wireless, a new Ottawa based startup. What can you tell us about that.

Q: PointShot is focused on developing wireless applications and infrastructure for our mobile world. At the moment we are evaluating a number of vertical markets where there are a lot of opportunities because of the discontinuities in the marketplace caused by WiFi.

Q: You're going to be speaking about WiFi tomorrow night at the Ottawa Wireless Cluster event. Why don't you tell us more about it. Start with what is WiFi.

Q: WiFi stands for Wireless Fidelity, it's a name given to a wireless internet protocol called 802.11b. All the terminology aside, think of WiFi as the wireless internet for your home, office, business or public area. It allows you to surf the net without wires.

Q: How does it work.

Q: I have here what is called an Access Point. You can see that it's small, simple, and relatively inexpensive. You can pick them up for about $200 Canadian at local computer retailers. You just plug in the power, connect it to the LAN, and you're ready.

Q: How do I hook it up to my computer?

Q: It connects to your notebook computers or wireless PDA like these ones. Today you can buy cards to connect your notebook or home computer for about $100. Many notebooks already have it built in. By next year, most notebooks will be shipping with wireless cards built into them.

Q: Why would I use it?

Q: Well at home, it means that you don't have to string wires to have computers in different rooms. We have a computer in our kitchen for the kids to do their homework on. To connect it to the internet, I just plugged in a small box, and it was set up in minutes.

At the office, you can go into meetings and have access to the internet, email and all your company information right away, which can significantly boost productivity. You can increasingly have the same access in public locations like hotels and airports.

Q: What about security?

Q: This has been a big issue for WiFi initially. WiFi provides decent security, but most people don't turn it on. It's like leaving your car unlocked in a public place. I think the changes that we will see are people locking their networks, and manufacturers turning on security by default.

Q: How popular is it.

Q: You can see on the attached chart the number of devices shipping. It's one of the few areas today where we are seeing good growth in the technology sector.

Q I heard about this being popular in the States with chains like Starbucks.

Q: Starbucks has about 1,200 locations that support WiFi today, increasing to about 2,000 by year end. Here in Ottawa, it's just starting to take off. I spend a lot of time having meetings in local coffee shops, using them as a downtown business location. With WiFi I can be a lot more productive. Roasted Cherry on O'Connor and Second Cup at Second and Bank are both running WiFi right now, and more locations are spring up in local hotels and other places.

Q: Why should we care about this in Ottawa?

Q: I think that Ottawa has a great background in telecom, but as we are all aware, that sector is hurting right now. WiFi is an area that is growing very rapidly, which means that there are opportunities to create value, and jobs. A further advantage is that WiFi is relatively inexpensive to get started developing applications for, it's ideally suited to small software companies, which in turn don't require huge amounts of VC investment, which isn't out there.

Q: Where does WiFi go from here?

Q: Into the home for entertainment. Having it publicly available everywhere.