FON-tastic way to turn mobiles into hotspots

Joikusoft – the developers behind the JoikuSpot software, which turns wi-fi enabled Symbian S60 phones into hotspots – has teamed up with wi-fi sharing bunch FON to release a new version of the client that will let wi-fi enabled devices from iPods to laptops to share your S60’s 3G connection.

The new software will allow FON’s users – the ‘Foneros’, who make their home broadband connection available to other users in return for free web reciprocal access when they’re roaming – to turn their mobiles into modems and share the connection with up to five other users of their choice. The software should be out in the third quarter of this year.

If this mobile hotspot software follows the fixed broadband model, Foneros will get free mobile internet when they’re out and about. It’s a great business model – give a bit, get a bit back, everyone’s a winner. Presumably Joikusoft will come up with some clever way of preventing those piggybacking on other’s connections from hoovering up data allowances or there could be some bill shock on the way.