While passing a radio a week ago, I heard that Swindon – a town in the UK – will be offering free wireless broadband for all its 186,000 residents. Several days later, my colleague David Hawkridge mentioned that, while not free, Finland  (and Spain) will make affordably priced broadband of 1 Mpbs available to every citizen by 2011.

For a number of years now, Singapore, where an excellent telecommunications market exists largely as a result of government strategy, has forged ahead in terms of broadband access. Intelligent Nation 2015 will ensure that, by 2010, virtually every citizen will have high-speed broadband access.

Here in the UK, and following on from the Digital Britain White Paper published in June 2009, the Digital Economy Bill promises a universally available broadband service in the UK by 2012 achieved through a public fund.

Whether it’s the free model of Swindon or the market-manipulated Singaporean example, one fact is inescapable: for a state, institution or individual to realise its full potential, online access is crucial.

For educators in the UK, where many of our work-based, part-time, distance learning students do not have access to the stable on-campus Janet network, this is even more important.

I very much hope the new bill achieves what it claims it will (or rather that its clear desire to concentrate on copyright infringers allows it the time to do so).  

Because this is where  true innovation is needed. One can only imagine how society would benefit if online access were as free, easy and second nature as breathing. For me, the benefits to a state of having universal broadband access far outweigh any cost of subsidising this access.

In a gold rush, those who sell the pick axes and pans make the fortunes, and only rarely do those who use the tools to dig out the gold. As a taxpayer, I’d much rather ensure the tools – primarily the broadband access – were freely available so that everyone could get at the ‘gold’ of the Internet.

Can the free market model do this? I doubt it very much – it couldn’t save the bankers. That job fell to the state and the taxpayers.

Simon Kear

Learning Technologist

Ever since I found out in a business magazine a few years ago that South Koreans enjoyed much faster Internet connections than in the U.S., and pay less than we do, I’ve been cursing my DSL service. I had dial-up up until relatively recently, and when I got my new DSL modem, I thought it was so cutting edge. Oh, was I naive. Knowing that there’s something better out there, I now feel like I’m operating in the technological Dark Ages.

Even factoring in faster cable modems, the U.S. is painfully behind other industrialized countries. The average connection speed in the U.S. is a tortoise-like 5.1 megabits per second (mpbs), compared with 20.4 mpbs in South Korea, according to Speed Matters, a group that advocates for more affordable broadband for all Americans. The U.S. is behind Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and even some eastern European countries like Latvia, Lithuania and the Balkans. In other words, if you want to purchase and download your favorite summer blockbuster in high-definition, you’ll be waiting several hours, instead of minutes if you were living abroad. We’re still driving horses and buggies, while other countries are zipping around in Ferraris. For the country that invented the Internet and launched the computer age from Silicon Valley, this is embarrassing. I wonder if many Americans – living in a society that thinks it’s number one at everything – even know how far behind we are.

We’re at this point for a couple of reasons: not enough investment in upgrading our broadband infrastructure and the lack of a national policy that promotes high-speed broadband. But that’s changing. The change in administrations last January has brought a new makeup to the Federal Communications Commission. Julius Genachowski, the former technology executive who was sworn in as FCC chairman in June, says his goal is to boost America’s global competitiveness by improving the country’s broadband infrastructure. The FCC will be rolling out a National Broadband Plan in February 2010, and Genachowski says it will focus on three issues: deploying broadband in underserved communities such as rural areas; helping the approximately 40% of Americans who don’t use broadband adopt it; and developing a strategy to use broadband to make innovations in education, healthcare, energy and public safety. Genachowski says this policy will further economic growth and help create jobs. See below this recent interview with Genachowski discussing the new plan:

Having a faster Internet will not only make it easier to upload your favorite photos onto social networking sites, but will make it possible to take university classes online in real time via teleconferencing, allow medical providers to conduct procedures remotely, and let people stream high-definition video. The FCC’s plan sounds very exciting, but I’m also hoping the high cost of broadband in the U.S. will be addressed. At anywhere from $30 to upwards of $200 a month, broadband is unaffordable for those with low incomes. That just exacerbates the digital divide and leaves opportunities out of reach for many. It’s unfair to have to pay such high prices for slower service compared with other countries. The higher prices are a result of too little competition among telecommunications companies, as explained in this article from the New York Times.

Still, faster broadband means nothing if Internet service providers are allowed to choose what content can be accessed at the faster speeds. So it’s reassuring to hear Genachowski affirm his support for net neutrality - a free and open Internet that doesn’t discriminate. If you’d like to express your opinion about net neutrality, go to the FCC’s public comments page, OpenInternet.gov.

На сайта на Министерството на транспорта, информационните технологии и съобщенията е качена приетата на 25.11.2009 г. от Министерски съвет Националната стратегия за развитие на широколентовия достъп в Република България.

Подобен документ в България се приема за първи път – с няколко години закъснение в сравнение с повечето страни-членки на ЕС.

Текстът на стратегията може да бъде видян на този адрес: http://www.mtitc.government.bg/upload/docs/National_Broadband_Strategy_2009_1.pdf

Oops, don’t let Australia’s Rudd see this. Truth is, every home only needs one phone line with no old-world dialtone. That would reduce the damage though it’s cold comfort.

£6 broadband levy may be trebled for homes with multiple lines – Times Online

From the Correio Braziliense — not a notorious pro-government mouthpiece, exactly — today, under the headline <Popular Capitalism>:

O governo federal está metido numa boa empreitada: criar as condições para universalizar o acesso à internet de alta velocidade. Avalia inclusive entrar no mercado de provimento ao consumidor final. A iniciativa deverá servir, pelo menos, para forçar as companhias de telecomunicações a ampliar os serviços e baixar os preços. Se conseguir avançar aí, Lula merecerá aplausos efusivos.

The federal government is engaged in a positive initiative: creating the conditions needed to universalize high-speed Internet access. It is even mulling entering the market for provision of service to the end consumer. This initiative should, at least, force the telecoms to broaden their service offerings and lower their prices. If he succeeds in making an advances in this area, President da Silva (Lula) will deserve effusive applause.

On recent outrageous QoS deficits:

• Speedy Sputters Under Hack Attack!

I was just reminiscing with my wife about the time I worked as a presentation artist for league-chart investment banks in New York in the late 1990s, and all the time I spent working on Brazilian privatizations.

Ten years on, the results speak for themselves, especially in the telephony, Internet, energy and water-sewer areas.

I base that judgment on having lived for several years in a São Paulo loft hooked up to these leaky, sludge-plugged pipes at usurious prices.

In a related development, enabling legislation for Broadband Over Powerlines (BPL) is on the way after a long push through sluggish legislative pipes, one reads.

É curioso que exatamente no ramo econômico, onde as privatizações são mais festejadas, a telefonia, o poder estatal precise ameaçar com intervenção para colocar as coisas em ordem e atender ao interesse público. Hoje, no Brasil, quase todo mundo tem telefone, uma realidade muito diferente do que se via no começo dos anos 1990. Mas pagamos preços inexplicáveis. Ou que só encontram explicação no oligopólio.

It is curious that it is precisely from economists, where privatizations are most celebrated, that the call for state intervention in order to put things in order and serve the public interest is most often heard. In Brazil today, nearly everyone has a telephone, a reality much differing from that seen at the outset of the 1990s. And yet we pay inexplicably high prices for this service, a fact that can only be explained by the presence of an oligopoly in this industry.

Eis a desgraça das privatizações brasileiras. Em vez do “capitalismo popular”, expressão do thatcherismo, elas promoveram uma troca de guarda: o espaço que era do Estado foi ocupado por um pequeno grupo de empresas que repartiram o mercado entre si, e operam num ambiente de negócios marcado pelo deficit de regulação. É um modelo que se esgotou. Um exemplo? A banda larga, cara e de qualidade e cobertura inferiores às dos países comparáveis.

That is the failure of the privatizations carried out in Brazil.  Instead of  <popular capitalism> — an expression coined by Thatcherism — they promoted a mere changing of the guard: The space that once belonged to the State was occupied by a handful of private corporations that divided the market amongst themselves, and which operate in a business environment marked by a deficit of regulation. It is a business model that has outlived its time.  An example: broadband, which is expense and lags comparable nations in quality of service and coverage.

Seria ilusão imaginar uma telefonia operando com base na concorrência perfeita. Isso exigiria grande multiplicidade de provedores do serviço, coisa impossível na prática. Daí a necessidade da regulação, e daí o problema de mercados —como o nosso — que apresentam deficit no quesito.

It would be delusional to imagine a telephone market operating on the basis of perfect competition, of course. This would demand a vast multiplicity of service providers, which is impossible in practice. Thus the need for regulation, thus the problem of markets that are insufficiently regulated.

Mas como regular o mercado? Em teoria, com agências reguladoras e boas normas, que deveriam incluir o combate à cartelização. Ainda na teoria, nós temos tudo isso. Temos as leis, os decretos, as portarias, os órgãos governamentais encarregados de zelar pela concorrência e uma agência reguladora bem estruturada e bem dirigida, com quadros competentes a operá-la.

But how to regulate this market? In theory, with regulatory agencies and good rulemaking, which would include combating cartels. In theory, we already have this. We have the laws, the decrees, the rules, the government bureaus charged with overseeing competition, and a well-structured, well-managed regulatory agencies with competent staff.

O que falta, então? Um grande jogador, que esteja disposto a entrar na partida com capacidade de investimento e coragem (e caixa) para praticar uma política de preços agressiva. Um jogador cuja lucratividade seja função principalmente da fatia de mercado conquistada, e não da margem unitária no negócio. Alguém que tope lucrar um pouco com cada cliente, para ter muitos clientes e lucrar muito ao final.

What is missing, then? A big player willing to enter the game with money to invest and the courage (and cash) to engage in aggressive pricing strategies. A player whose profitability would be largely a function of market share and not the per-unit margin of the business. Someone willing to profit a little  from each user in order to grow the user base and profit a lot in the final analysis.

Quem se habilita? Se ninguém se apresentar, que venha a estatal de banda larga preparada nos laboratórios do Palácio do Planalto. Pior do que está não vai ficar.

But who is willing or able to do this? If no one steps forward, then let the state-run broadband company, cooked up in the laboratories of the federal executive, come in. It cannot possible make things worse than they are.

Co pół roku Komisja Europejska publikuje informacje o szerokopasmowym dostępie do internetu w krajach Unii Europejskiej. Do tego, że co pół roku jesteśmy w ogonie unijnych statystyk w penetracji już się przyzwyczailiśmy. Mało kto zwraca uwagę, że wedle najnowszych statystyk mamy najwolniejszy szybki internet w Unii.

Gdy w listopadzie 2008 roku KE opublikowała dane na 1 lipca ub.r. wolniejszy niż w Polsce szybki internet był na Cyprze. W opublikowanym przed tygodniem zestawianiu jesteśmy już na samym końcu. Elementem poprawy jest to, że odsetek łączy do 2 Mbps spadł z ok.85 proc. w lipcu 2008 roku do ok. 80 proc. w lipcu 2009 roku.

Nie ma się co dziwić, że mamy najwolniejszy internet w Europi, skoro operatorzy telekomunikacyjni są przekonani, że rynek nie dorósł do większych prędkości niż 4-6 Mbps, a potrzeby przytłaczającej większości klientów zaspakaja 1-2 Mbps.

Na moje pytania o streaming HD na żywo słyszę tę samą odpowiedź: kto to ogląda? Rzeczywiście zapewne nie wielu, bo aby oglądać płynnie i bez zakłóceń dostępne w HD filmy na YouTube trzeba mieć szybkie łącze, a nie łącze stałe o prędkości 1-2 Mbps. Wszyscy chętni mogą sprawdzić jakość swego łącza oglądając Bohemy Rhapsody w wykonaniu Muppetów. Trzeba tylko włączyć w YouTube opcje HD i full screan

Operatorzy telekomunikacyjni nie chcą słyszeć o tym, że łącze 10 Mbps może i powinno kosztować tyle dziś kosztuje łącze 1 Mbps. A łącze 1 Mbps kosztuje dziś tyle, co jeszcze kilka lat temu najpopularniejsze w Polsce łącze stałe – 128 kbps. Nie ma się co oszukiwać, ceny szybszych łączy u operatorów telekomunikacyjnych są zaporowe. I niewiele zmieni wprowadzana 23 listopada na zasadzie promocji obniżka ceny Neostrady.

Nadzieją klientów w wielkich miastach pozostają sieci telewizji kablowych. One jak pierwsze dostrzegły, że internet może być szybki i nie musi być ksomicznie drogi. I dostrzegli to też klienci. UPC, działające na osiem razy mniejszym rynku niż Telekomunikacja Polska, w ostatnich kwartałach zdobywa więcej klientów internetu niż TP. Na ofertę UPC zdecydował się nawet rzecznik grupy TP. Znak czasów?

There has been a great deal of concern about language in the recent FCC call for rule making on network neutrality.  The FCC notice is intended to developed a definition of net neutrality along the lines proposed in the rule making.  The concern is directed at language that would permit network operators (I always use the words network operators because these rules would apply to Internet and non-Internet networks) to conduct ‘reasonable network management.  The Ars Technica article makes one glaring error; there is nothing about ‘tiering‘ that violates net neutrality, but it is a bad idea for a lot of other reasons.   First, here are the principles the FCC has offered for public comment:

“Under the draft proposed rules, subject to reasonable network management, a provider of broadband Internet access service:

1. would not be allowed to prevent any of its users from sending or receiving the lawful content of the user’s choice over the Internet;

2. would not be allowed to prevent any of its users from running the lawful applications or using the lawful services of the user’s choice;

3. would not be allowed to prevent any of its users from connecting to and using on its network the user’s choice of lawful devices that do not harm the

network;

4. would not be allowed to deprive any of its users of the user’s entitlement to competition among network providers, application providers, service

providers, and content providers;

5. would be required to treat lawful content, applications, and services in a non-discriminatory manner; and

6. would be required to disclose such information concerning network management and other practices as is reasonably required for users and

content, application, and service providers to enjoy the protections specified in this rule making.”

Now first of all, let’s give the FCC a great big hand for doing such a fine job putting the definition of network neutrality into words, and going much further than most folks would have imagined.  Now, the way the FCC phrased it, they made all six principles subject to the prefatory phrase ‘reasonable network management.’  That is not the way I would do it.  Only principle 5 (OK maybe 4, too) needs to be made subject to reasonable network management, because none of the rest of the  principles implicate any kind of network management at all.  I would like to see the Commission simply take the phrase ’subject to reasonable network management’ and move it down to principle 5.  Then there would be no confusion that any of the other principles would somehow be compromised by allowing the network operators to ‘manage’ them.

If we can define network neutrality in six pithy phrases, I don’t see why we can’t take a whack at defining reasonable network management in a few pithy phrases also.  My framework for this is based on my research concerning comparative telecommunications laws, and specifically the European Union Framework Directive and Access Directive.  I’m not going to dissect the EU directives here, but I wanted to give some background.

The basic principles for reasonable network management:

1.  The management must be directed to traffic on the network.  It must be directly related to a specific, identifiable traffic problem existing on the network.  If audited, the operator should be able to show what the problem was; it is an identified situation.  This excludes peremptory management, for example taking actions to prevent a traffic problem.  The correct action to peremptorily address traffic is to expand the capacity on the network.  The rule is addressed this way intentionally, so that a network operator will be forced to open or expand capacity to solve traffic congestion.   Network management must stop as soon as the congestion has cleared.

2.  The network operator cannot discriminate between one kind of data and another to management traffic congestion.  The operator must act to remove the congestion, not the data.

3.  To help improve service during periods of congestion, the operator can prioritize certain data.  For example, if an episode of congestion made it hard for voice data to travel over the network (thereby rendering some voice-over-IP apps inoperable), the operator could prioritize voice data.  But the operator cannot retard other data.  Actually, the scenario painted by US operators of slowing some data to somehow create some space (??) for other data to move faster, like on a freeway, just doesn’t make sense.  That is not how a data network works.  The analog between freeways and networks breaks down.

4.  The operator cannot act to improve the ‘user experience.’  Since the operator is handing data for all kinds of users, who are sending data as well as receiving it, the operator would have to pick and choose which users to improve their experience.  Obviously, this can’t be done because how do you choose?  This may also violate the rule against peremptory management.   Network management must occur on the network, not at the user.

5.  All management must be transparent.  Operators are limited to the use of management that meets the technical standards and specifications laid down by the Commission.   Operators must provide a complete description of the methodology they use for network management to anyone who asks.

6.  A network operator cannot refuse network access based on ‘reasonable network management grounds.’ “Where obligations are imposed on operators that require them to meet reasonable requests for access to and use of networks elements and associated facilities, such requests should only be refused on the basis of objective criteria such as technical feasibility or the need to maintain network integrity.”  (EU Access Directive)

7.  Network operators cannot manage the network in any way that distorts competition.  For example, they cannot refuse access or slow down access from some competitors, but not others’.  They cannot favor their own traffic over others’.

That is pretty much it.  If the FCC wants to define the terms of reasonable network management, I see no reason they cannot.  I strongly urge the Commission to regulate network management in a way that is consistent with the rest of the world.  There is no US Internet or EU Internet.  There is just an Internet, and network operators and users should be able to use it the same way wherever they are.

]]> http://aembrace.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/blog6-broadband-levy-may-be-trebled-for-homes-with-multiple-lines/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:26:06 +0000 aembrace http://aembrace.wordpress.com/2009/11/26/blog6-broadband-levy-may-be-trebled-for-homes-with-multiple-lines/

A controversial new £6 tax on telephone lines to fund the introduction of superfast broadband internet will leave nearly two million households paying up to three times the levy initially proposed by ministers, according to leaked government documents seen by The Times.

The plans, drawn up by Revenue & Customs, show that ministers will tax households with more than one phone line — of which there are more than 1.7 million — for each line they rent, and will also levy VAT on the charge.MBT  

Families with one telephone connection, a separate line for broadband and another for a fax would end up paying £21.15 a year, instead of the originally announced £6. The Finance Bill, to be published early next year, will contain the plans for the 50p a month tax, which ministers hope will raise up to £175 million a year to fund superfast broadband connections for rural areas.

When the plans were announced in June it was assumed that the charge would be levied on each household only once.

The document, leaked to the Conservatives, shows that the Treasury stands to gain a further £30 million annual windfall, because ministers have decided to charge VAT on top of the new levy, essentially creating a tax upon a tax. They have also opted to widen the charge to also tax high-speed fibre-optic connections, and not only the standard copper lines. Mbt trainers

Internet service providers (ISPs), which have warned that the extra fees will drive 100,000 homes off broadband, are furious about the plans. Carphone Warehouse, the second-largest ISP, said that the plans “add insult to injury for consumers”. A spokesman said: “The original 50p a month tax is regressive and unfair. On top of all this now the Treasury will steal yet more off homes in VAT.”

Telecoms companies are also angry that the plans will encourage them not to separate the tax on itemised bills, which they claim is an attempt by the Government to hoodwink consumers into thinking that the new charge has come from their phone supplier.

The document states: “There will be no requirement on owners or retailers to show the duty separately on their billing to end users. This is to prevent costly systems changes for line owners that might arise from having to account for the tax on individual invoices.”

The Conservatives have already said that if they win the general election they will scrap the plans. Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: “This Government is simply unable to level with the public. This tax hasn’t even been implemented, yet they are already looking to triple it. How can they possibly square a commitment to universal broadband access if they are massively hiking the prices consumers will have to pay for it?”discount Mbt shoes

Many businesses have multiple phone lines and will also be hit by the charge. The CBI said that the Government must come clean on the full extent of the plans.

Sara Draper, head of knowledge economy at the CBI, said: “Businesses will benefit from next-generation digital infrastructure and they are up for paying their fair share. But the costs must be kept proportionate, and so the Government needs to clarify exactly how the charges will apply to individual businesses with multiple lines.”

A spokesman for Sky, another ISP, said: “This is a question of basic fairness. A telephone licence fee will penalise the less well-off so that faster, premium-priced broadband services are available to an unknown number of people in rural areas who both want and can afford them. This is not a good basis for a universal tax.” Mbt Sport

A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on the contents of leaked documents. It is vital for jobs and growth that Britain has a world-class digital infrastructure. Next-generation broadband brings a range of innovative services and applications with wide business, health and social benefits.

“We want everyone to experience the opportunities that next-generation broadband offers, which is why we plan to introduce a 50p levy on all fixed lines to help the market to access homes and businesses in hard-to-reach areas.” Mbt m walk

I wonder how many folks saw this article yesterday on the Stop the Cap! site:

Cable Companies’ Big Internet Swindle: They Charge You $40 For Broadband That Costs Them $8 To Provide

I had sent this article to a friend and his response was, “if all these huge profit margins are true, then why is Charter in bankruptcy?” Well, a possible reason is that even what ought to be a hugely profitable company can be sunk by bad management and horrible customer service (and I have seen allegations of both with regard to Charter).  But in a way, Charter is the reason for this article. As I mentioned in a previous article,  Charter wants to move to what they call “cunsumption based billing.”

I just want to point out that while people may be slow to react, they are not stupid.  America is littered with the remains of once-great corporations that in their day were at the top of the heap, but then got greedy.  At one time, the American railroads controlled much of the country, especially the in the west.  It took a while, but shippers finally figured out that trucks were less expensive and more practical.  The thing is, the railroads at one time had all the advantages, including friends in government and economies of scale, but they just plain got greedy and priced themselves out of the market.

I’ve previously mentioned Western Union, which at one time owned electronic text-based communications within the U.S.A.  But even as they became more automated, moving away from guys pounding brass keys and into the age of teletypewriters, fax machines, and microwaves, they kept raising the per-word prices for telegrams. At the same time, the price of a phone call kept falling.  Had Western Uninion been a bit smarter, they might have been a major player in today’s world of electronic communications.

Then we have landline phone service.  While this is a bit of a unique story, since in part it’s a story of the landline business being cannibalized by the wireline side of the business, it still is an example of many customers finally getting sick to death of being overcharged for service.

So what do we have today? We have cable companies and phone companies that overcharge for service, particularly with regard to broadband and cable television. The cable companies complain that they are being practically held up at gunpoint by the broadcasters and content providers, who demand higher fees, and therefore they need to pss those fees onto customers – however, they won’t even consider the one easy solution that would virtually eliminate that problem – allowing customers to pick and choose the channels they want, rather than being forced to subscribe to tiers of channels they don’t want in order to get channels they do want.  If customers were allowed to vote with their wallets, a lot of the alleged extortion by content providers would quickly end.  Yet the cable companies fight the very idea of à la carte programming tooth and nail.

As for metered billing for broadband – it’s totally unnecessary and it leaves customers open to possible fraud by the provider (this is sometimes even a problem with utilities where you can physically see the meter, so how much more of a problem will it be when the meter exists only in software, and customers have no possible way to check the accuracy of that meter).

But what I see here is a convergence of a “perfect storm” that’s going to totally reshape communications in the U.S.A. Here are a few, somewhat related points:

• Many other countries, particularly our competitors in Asia, are providing far higher broadband speeds to their customers, at a lower monthly rate.  Only so much of that can be explained by population density; I think a larger part is that in many of those countries it’s just not socially nor politically acceptable for companies to exhibit unbridled greed, and to gouge their customers for every penny they can get. The U.S.A. simply cannot afford to have its citizens giving up their broadband connections to avoid being gouged.
• The much-hated Universal Service Fund should be abolished, but instead it’s going to be expanded to include broadband.  However, the possible silver lining is that any time the government doles out money, it gains more control.  If the government used that control in a beneficial manner — by, for example, imposing network neutrality and a prohibition on metered billing on those companies that receive USF subsidies — it could nip some of these gouging attempts in the bud.  That’s not a long-term solution, however, since those regulations can and do change depending on the party in power.
• It looks like competitive broadband providers are finally going to be allowed to use “white space” (e.g. unoccupied television channels) to provide wireless service.  If the FCC can make sure that smaller providers get a fair shake, this could allow competitive wireless providers to offer broadband service at reasonable rates (note to such providers – PLEASE don’t assume your users will be happy with an upload speed only one-tenth of download speed.  People want to make and share thir own content, and you should allow them to do that without making them die of boredom).
• Also, when the large cable and DSL companies start gouging their customers, it creates a market for all available competitive services delivered via more traditional means (competitive DSL, current-technology wireless, etc.)
• Then there is “the ‘x’ factor” (see below).

What do I mean by “the ‘x’ factor”? I mean the new technology that’s not been fully explored yet.  Technology doesn’t stand still, and there may be a breakthrough soon that will cause all existing technologies to essentially become obsolete. Have you ever noticed that the SETI project, and other attempts to “tune in” to advanced civilizations “out there” haven’t met with any success? Maybe that’s because the aliens aren’t using old-fashioned radio waves. Our current forms of electromagnetic radiation are very inefficient and often, very power-hungry. I suspect that the world of quantum physics is going to provide us something much better, if our governments will allow it.

For example, Google “quantum entanglement” – now suppose there were a way to place two particles in a state of entanglement, such that when you change the state of one particle, the other changes instantaneously, withour regard even to the speed of light limitation on traditional electronic communications.  Imagine that you had a box at your ISP, and a companion box at your location, and each box contained two (or more) matched pairs of entangled particles (probably in some kind of plug-in module) – at least one pair of particles for transmitting data, the other for receiving.  These boxes wouldn’t use radio waves or the electromagnetic spectrum, so there would be no bandwidth limitations to worry about.  Furthermore, communications would be totally secure, because only the entangled particles would communicate with each other. That last part is why some governments would hate it – no more intercepting data mid-stream. But if that principle were developed commercially, your ISP could be on the moon for all you’d care, running off solar power and providing communications for half the planet – and if they started gouging their customers, someone else could set up a competing system, anywhere in the world. Maybe you could set one up in your basement, if you wanted to.

Sure, it sounds farfetched now – but so did the whole idea of radio before it was developed. We’re not talking some nebulous idea here, “quantum entanglement” is now a known principle of quantum physics. It’s just so new that either it hasn’t been commercially developed yet (much like the laser in the middle of the 20th century), or it’s being used in secret for totally secure communications, and the governments that are using it would rather you (and their enemies) didn’t know, not that there’s much an enemy could do about it.

My point here is that if today’s communications companies want to be around for the next revolution in technology (which will surely bring about opportunities that haven’t even been considered yet – who could have envisioned the opportunities the World Wide Web would create?), they had better re-think their ideas about alienating their customers. Sadly, American companies are notorious for not thinking ahead – as long as the current C.E.O. gets his golden parachute when he retires, what does he care what happens to the company in the future?  But the stockholders ought to care, and customers ought to care, and the government ought to care if they don’t want America to become a third-rate nation.

It will be interesting to see which companies survive the next few decades, and which ones kill the golden goose to get the immediate big windfall. But if I had to take service from one or the other, I’d rather get it from the one that plans on being around for the next century, and treats their customers accordingly.

The Federal Communications Commission said today it’s soliciting proposals from those looking to become administrators for TV band database managers, moving one step closer toward making white space broadband available on the unused airwaves that exist between digital TV channels.

White spaces are increasingly seen as a way to provide broadband service to underserved markets and to spur innovation and competition in a mobile arena dominated by a few major players. While white space broadband has its detractors — including those who use wireless microphones in their performances — they are increasingly seen as a way to allocate spectrum to wireless broadband that may not be dominated by tier-one mobile carriers.

While the solicitation of proposals is not unexpected — FCC Chair Julius Genachowski has continuously spoken out in favor of “the creative use of spectrum” — the move was applauded by Public Knowledge,  a tech-centric public interest group based in Washington.

“Selecting an administrator for the white spaces database is a crucial step toward bringing consumers another choice in a restrictive broadband marketplace,” said Harold Feld, director of Public Knowledge. “We expect that use of the white spaces spectrum will foster innovation and create jobs as new devices and services become available.”

Proposals for those looking to become administrators for the white spaces database are due by June 4, 2010, and the FCC will invite comments on the proposals until Feb. 3. The commission did not set a date for naming the administrators.

Windstream Corp. (s WIN), a Little Rock, Ark.-based local phone company focused on rural and smaller markets, said it’s agreed to buy a smaller rival, Iowa Telecom, for $530 million — $261 million in cash and $269 million in stock. In addition, it will take on about $598 million in debt. This is Windstream’s fourth acquisition in the past few months: It also bought D&E Communications ($169 million), Lexcom ($141 million) and NuVox ($463 million). Windstream is trying to become the consolidator of the smaller, rural telecoms, especially after two of its biggest rivals — CenturyTel (s ctl) and Embarq — merged their operations a year ago.

By way of background, in 2005, AllTel, a rural local phone company, spun out its landline business to instead bet its future on the fast-growing wireless industry. It merged the landline business with VALOR Telecom to form a new company called Windstream. AllTel itself ended up becoming part of Verizon (s vz), which bought it for $28.1 billion in June 2008.

Windstream is trying to fight the sands of time, which are against most landline companies. A consumer preference for wireless and better offerings from cable providers is only accelerating the loss of landlines for phone companies of all stripes. Verizon, for example, is focusing all its energies on mobile and its fiber-based efforts, and selling off its landline business wherever it can.

One bit of good news for Windstream: The company crossed the 1 million broadband subscribers-mark last quarter, adding 25,000 new subs to take the total to 1.05 million.

Broadband speeds in Inverness are the slowest of any city in Scotland according to research by a website…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: 3g mobile. For a different topic see in a sentence. The blog is also related to: mobile phones deals.

Broadband speeds in Inverness are the slowest of any city in Scotland according to research by a website…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: fattest city. The blog is also related to: shoe city.

In response to a call for comments from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the American Library Association (ALA) filed comment on changes needed in the e-rate to improve broadband deployment.  For more information on their comments, including a link to the comments, please see the District Dispatch posting.

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, O2 and others face one and the same threat as mobile phones become more powerful, cheaper per unit produced, and wireless networks (EDGE, 2G, 3G, 4G) improving towards universal world-wide coverage. And the earthquake for existing businesses comes again from Google.

Apple (iPhone) said no to Google Voice, because they had a fiduciary responsibility towards its carrier who subsidises the iPhone 3G and 3GS at a huge price. Which they make up with pricey subscriptions. I use already Skype on Android when I call abroad or for longer calls in general. The threat (um, tsunami) for carriers is, that the Googlephone (GPhone) will handle its calls though 3G/2G as network and associated Google Voice only. The coming revolution that everything will go though the ‘Pipe’ in and out, should cause them having bad dreams.

For existing mobile phone carriers and their traditional business, counting calls by minutes, Google is a disruptor. And Google is moving fast. They (Google’s Eric Schmidt) said for years (publicly in interviews and speaking events) that the phone is the first device for people in developing countries, experiencing the internet (& Google). When a CEO is speaking so candidly about a thing, shouldn’t you pay attention? No, because according to the business textbooks, you should pay attention to big existing companies who are already competing in the same market as you. Verizon vs. AT&T vs. T-Mobile. Small companies can move quick and fast, but have it hard to gain traction. Guess what, Google is big and everywhere, but still moves considerably fast, is agile, and gets traction fast because it is everywhere. Now Google will use its operational size, employees smarts and brand name to come in as disruptor to the mobile phone business. What they need is just ONE carrier who give them access to their network only. Deal done for the coming revolution. I see especially China and India and other developing countries, who are building their cellular network, the most interesting target for Google, they could buy a stake into one of the many small phone carriers (compared to Verizon or AT&T) and support with quick and cheap cash the undergoing construction of networks, thus that their grand plan for the GooglePhone/GPhone can be realized. Carriers here in Europe or America won’t cannibalize their own business for sure. Google, again, is solving a customer problem with high impact. Something they are always aiming for when using their resources to develop products.

Second thought on this, my projection. In two to three years, when counting by minutes is dead, when counting by megabytes is norm (like now with the ‘internet’), Comcast and other broadband providers are competing for the same customers as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, O2 et cetera. When they realize they can’t compete against the trend. Broadband providers have the land-line infrastructure, what they just need are the radio towers to distribute the signal through the air. My word, they will compete for the same customer. When the US economy up-ticks (should) again, we will see some big provider doing M&A, they will throw in the word synergy to make it tasty for shareholders, and employees will lose their jobs as usual. Speaking on the phone, having a conversation on the phone – will move onto the ‘Pipe’, and there is nothing you can do about it. It’s Economics again, technology, cost and leverage.

For us the consumer, it becomes cheaper to communicate. Existing businesses and associated businesses will change eventually. Mobile phone manufacturers will be doing business like any other PC/Laptop manufacturer. Developing a compelling product consumers want to buy. Consumers then are free to choose which network they want to use. Over will be the days that we can have only an Apple phone when we are willing to join AT&T’s world as well. Over are the days of subsidies. Yes, we may have to pay $150-$300 for a brand new phone, but it will be your main communicator for the future on the road, a very powerful one. It is called convergence (see computing and technology).

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Further Readings:

• The New World of Wireless: How to Compete in the 4G Revolution
• Mobileopportunity Blog: The mobile data apocalypse, and what it means to you
• Video – Web 2.0 Expo 2007, Eric Schmidt talking about the mobil space
• Timesonline.co.uk – The Googlephone: Google gears up for attack on mobile-phone market

At this time of year we’re all evaluating the current year’s results and planning how best to move forward in 2010. Overall IP communications growth has been very positive.

I’m sure that many of you have seen the Infonetics report indicating significant growth in VoIP and unified communications – with revenue exceeding $21 billion in the first half of 2009. They forecast that the second half of 2009 will top $22 billion—7.3 percent growth in just six months.

Many of us have experienced similar growth rates in our businesses. We are all well positioned to leverage this growing demand for IP-based communication services.

At BroadSoft we are very pleased with where we’ll end 2009—most likely up 26 percent year-over-year in shipped lines. More encouraging is comparing that result to PBX shipments, which are down about 20 percent.

These statistics reflect a shift in the communications industry. End-users are seeking more interactive, advanced communication solutions. BroadSoft has kept pace with solutions that are designed to delight the end-user.

As we prepare for 2010, it’s a good time to share our thoughts on the current environment and our strategies for moving the communications industry forward. There are key indicators that IP communications solutions are the future of our industry.

Our mutual growth starts with broadband adoption. Fixed broadband penetration is about 440 million subscribers today, and it is expected to grow to more than 600 million by 2013. Today VoIP is provided on approximately one-third of all broadband lines.

Broadband penetration will continue to grow at a rapid pace. There will be exponential growth of mobile broadband and new devices. As rich communication options become available, they will require broadband access to ensure a superior user experience.

As end-users quickly embrace IP and hosted communication services, service providers are well positioned to focus on innovative services and applications that deliver greater value to consumers. We must all ensure that we evolve our network architectures so that products and solutions easily integrate with new applications that can be delivered quickly and inexpensively.

To build on our business success, BroadSoft will focus on four key areas going forward:

• Smart Devices – new innovative multimedia, always-connected devices
• Personalization – the ability for users to customize communication services for their devices and preferences
• Rich media – moving beyond voice to video, messaging and content sharing
• Mobility – communications anywhere, anytime and any device

Our goal is to enable service providers to integrate a set of smart devices with network services to maximize the user experience. You will see BroadSoft define solutions in which BroadWorks services complement our partners’ smart devices. We are working on end-to-end solutions that are pre-integrated with partner devices to ensure that service providers can take them to market quickly. As the penetration of smart devices increases and end-users have multiple devices, it becomes more important to ensure that service data end management is centralized.

Storing data directly on devices is problematic due to the need to synchronize the data between the devices—for example, the problem of synchronizing contacts across two mobile phones. It’s better to provide an end-user with a service profile in the network. A single service profile will work across all of the end-user’s devices—their desk phones, soft clients on a netbook, IP media phones, smartphones, connected consumer electronics and so forth. With a network-based service profile, end-users can configure their social interaction or communication preferences. Basically they can define the how, when and where rules for their communication services.

BroadSoft’s strategy is to transform BroadWorks from a VoIP platform to a multimedia, real-time communications platform. The goal is to provide a comprehensive set of user and group features that work independently of the medium. For example, simultaneous ringing should work for voice calls, video calls, text messages and content sharing. Smart devices working together with hosted services will deliver a superior user experience.

It is good to talk about where we are going, but it is always better to SEE where BroadSoft is focused. We just demonstrated more than 25 innovative new solutions at our recent users’ conference. Here are two applications that will give you a sense of the evolutionary trend.

Hosted Home Monitoring . See how a home monitoring system can be converted to a surveillance tool to care for your home and watch over family members.

The Mobile Office. Imagine a more flexible and productive work environment through UC solutions for the Mobile Business.

So our strategy on the user front is to enable a smart user experience, which will be critical to success. Our focus is on communication services that are intuitive, easy to use and available from any device.

The latest release of Ubuntu, Karmic Koala has been nothing short of impressive. Aside from its fast booting and optimized performance, it also now works with more hardware by default, namely, the Huawei USB dongles that Zain, Wataniya and Viva provide. It used to be a hassle to search and tweak drivers, but not anymore! Take a look at the screenshots to see how easy it is to get running:

Note: Sometimes the profile won’t provide a DNS address. To fix this, just modify the connection and select your favorite provider, or use OpenDNS.

cdma usb

Diluncurkan pada tahun sebagai Cellmet O kemudian menjadi pada yang terbesar paling populer dan produsen telepon seluler terkemuka dan penyedia layanan jaringan yang handal tidak hanya di Inggris tapi juga cdma usb di Jerman Republik Ceko Lg Cdma Usb Modem Irlandia dan Slovakia. Menjadi bagian bekas BT Group plc O kemudian mendapat dinamai kembali oleh Telef NICA dari Spanyol pada tahun . O Handphone baru-baru ini mengungkapkan beberapa solid dan kuat ponsel bisnis dengan mengingat kebutuhan bisnis saat Lg Cdma Usb ini. Selain itu O rumah dan layanan mobile broadband juga telah mengumpulkan banyak penghargaan.

Beberapa penghargaan bergengsi dianugerahkan kepada jaringan Cdma 1x Usb Modem O termasuk Inovasi dalam Olahpesan Award di Global Mobile Messaging Penghargaan untuk Bluebook Visiongain Gold Award untuk Best Mobile Operator di tahun Tertinggi Customer Satisfaction Top Broadband Awards seperti yang dipilih oleh pembaca majalah WebUser pada Direct Sales Team of the Year di National Sales Awards pada dan Best musik dan merek kemitraan O Music Week Awards pada . Reputasi meluasnya Lg Cdma Usb jaringan O telah membawa kepada penerimaan kehormatan status sponsor untuk berbagai klub olahraga terkenal.

O mobile broadband telah datang dengan skema yang berbeda sesuai preferensi dan berbagai persyaratan. Bulanan Pay skema akan menyediakan Anda dengan Gratis USB modem GB dan Cdma Usb Modem Wi-Fi tidak terbatas pada tahun kontrak. Tersedia di hanya untuk pertama bulan. Pay amp cdma usb amp Go skema O broadband akan memberikan modem USB hanya untuk .

KUANTAN – Penduduk di Taman Murni dan Sungai Isap di sini kini dilanda kebimbangan berikutan ‘amukan’ seekor beruk yang tiba-tiba mengganas sehingga mencederakan empat orang kanak-kanak termasuk seorang bayi dalam tempoh tidak sampai 24 jam semalam.

Mangsa beruk tersebut ialah Mohd. Faiz Hafiz, 8 bulan, yang diserang di rumahnya di Sungai Isap 1, kira-kira pukul 6 petang semalam, Fatini Sakira Ahmad Safri, 2, diserang pada pukul 8 pagi di Taman Murni manakala dua lagi ialah Khairul Azwan Khairudin, 14, dan Nuha Nurfaiqah Sheikh Akhbar, 7, diserang beruk yang sama malam semalam.

Dalam kejadian pertama pada pukul 9 malam, beruk berkenaan dikatakan secara tiba-tiba menerkam dan memeluk Khairul Azwan dari arah belakang yang ketika itu sedang makan bersama keluarganya di sebuah warung berhampiran rumahnya di Taman Murni.

Beruk tersebut menggigit lengan kanan pelajar Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bukit Rangin itu berkali-kali tanpa belas kasihan.

“Lengan anak saya digigit berkali-kali sehingga terpaksa menerima enam jahitan selepas dihantar ke klinik swasta,” kata bapa Khairul Azwan, Khairudin Abdul Hamid, 51.

Sementara dalam kejadian kedua kira-kira setengah jam selepas itu, beruk yang sama menyerang Nuha Nurfaiqah yang baru turun dari kereta untuk ke rumah ibu saudaranya di kawasan taman yang sama.