Spanish firm 'Fon' has announced a special subsidised wireless router promotion, which it hopes will encourage people in the USA and Europe to share out their domestic Internet connections over Wi-Fi:

Fon will sell wi-fi routers - which allow people to surf the net wirelessly - for $5 (£2.75). The router offer is designed to overcome obstacles to helping consumers quickly set up hotspots using Fon software.

Users install software on their home PCs which then lets other people access their wi-fi network safely - if they can pick up the signals from outside their homes.

In exchange for receiving a router, users must agree to share their wireless connections with other Fon users for 12 months, the company said.

It's an interesting idea, yet we can't imagine many people being terribly keen on it. Routers are already cheap, with many being given away free by ISP's.

On top of that there are the obvious security concerns, which can not be sidelined by somebody claiming that it will be "safe". Not to mention that many ISP's cap usage, making modern users extra protective of their connections. More @ BBC News Online.