In 1999, Jim Selby founded, engineered and deployed one of the first ubiquitous citywide Wi-Fi networks in Aspen, Colorado covering over 120 square miles. This innovative idea attracted attention and provided inspiration to others – think Hotspots, coffee shops, Boingo and metro Wi-Fi. This feat landed Selby on the front page of the Wall Street Journal where he was dubbed the “Wireless Guerrilla” and paved the way for alternative access to the Internet using license exempt technologies and (at the time) unconventional methods.
Mr. Selby’s visionary approach lead to insights and interest about this new wireless industry and was featured in San Jose Mercury News, NPR, Wired, Forbes, USAToday, TechTV, Denver Post, Aspen Magazine, and the Christian Science Monitor. Jim was featured as a keynote speaker at the Broadband Wireless World Forum and is guest speaker on numerous occasions by groups such as the FCC WISP showcase, Colorado Rural Broadband Initiative, Progress and Freedom Foundation, WISPCON, Telluride Technology Festival and WCA.
As an industry entrepreneur and pioneer WISP, Jim Selby continues to work with advanced wireless broadband technologies such as; WiMAX, Mesh, and Non Line-of-Sight. This has enabled him to engineer and deploy numerous WISP systems in the USA as well as internationally in Africa and Europe. He helps start-up and experienced service providers alike to decide on business strategy, technology architecture and services. Always pushing the envelope, Mr. Selby was called in to protect Homeland security at events like the Presidential Inauguration with this once considered rogue technology.