SIP is being pushed into the Web with RTCWeb and the rich media opportunities that provides. Texting and videos to 911 are assumed even though no process is in place to accept them.

I should also mention that the kids at the lab have done a lot thanks to corporations using the lab as a resource.  Carol Davids is looking to support corporations with lab work performed by IIT students.  If you want to see what a millennial will do with your product, you might want to put it in their hands at IIT.

For those who don’t know Verizon is making it happen with over 160 cities turned up so far with amazing speeds above their promised numbers.  Once the load gets on the network they will deliver what they promised, but as Chris points out it’s hard to imagine an application for consumers that notices the difference between 10 MB down and 21 MB down.

While attending the IIT RTC event I was fortunate to interview with Chris Mayer of Verizon about the state of 4G LTE.  Chris is involved in the development and design of systems integration and testing and his insight as to where we stand with Verizon Wireless 4G LTE roll out is informative. 

As you are aware the role of the FCC and the goal of providing a National Broadband Policy is very much in question and requires you guidance.  We believe the old models need to be rethought and we have addressed the discussion in something we call Regulatory 2.0.  http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/conference/east-11/regu.aspx

We are holding a conference that is available to you and your staff just by registering at http://www.4gwe.mobi.  Please join us on February 4^th from 9 AM EST to 1PM EST.  If you would like a formal briefing on what was said we can arrange that as well.

Kind Regards,

Carl Ford

VP Conference Content & Community Developer

4GWE

carl@crossfiremedia.com

I suspect it will keep the volce separate.  Its hard to imagine that the migration to a totally evolved packet core is going to be done by VZW in the first year of deployment. 

We live with two year cycles and keeping it simple to deploy is a good move.

More important than the way the transport works though will be the signaling.  Verizon wants apps that integrate into the network and this would be a great opportunity to move beyond the Skype Mobile handoff.

At 4GWE http://www.4gwe.com we have the benefit of Anton Wahlman speaking who is one of the best trackers of this space.  He suggested last year that the discussion at CES would dominated by tablets. 

One company that looks like it needs to make a boost is RIM,  Their tablet has long been discussed, but others such as Vizio maybe stealing the thunder  http://on.wsj.com/gQfMjV . 

Additionally, the divide and Conquer model of Google is expanding with their tablet / ereader strategy called Newstand http://on.wsj.com/hmJf82 .  Here is an interesting question to think about, when you want to read an article do you go to a newsstand or a tunes place?

You can see the event here http://bit.ly/fZoxVt  but coming to the event is probably the smartest move you can make.  If you think about WiFI it started with a small amount of spectrum.

For SuperWiFi the spread of spectrum is a lot better once the open spectrum is mapped. 

The discussion will bring device developers together with service providers. 

This has all the markings of the beginning of a different eco system.

An ecosystem that I think could be something disruptive to home service and integrated into the strategies of our wireless future.

The big question we have to face in the future is how much choice do we really have? That is the point, IMHO, of Commerce Department General Council Cameron Kerry’s discussion with the Wall Street Journal http://on.wsj.com/elSIHC about establishing a privacy office. 

However the issue is not a US centric discussion.  It is about the use of web.  Much to the chagrin of nay sayers, Not only is the Web alive and well, it is going to become even more media saavy.  But the question is will we have the ability to be anonymous on the web.

How many times has a website asked you to enable cookies?  Imagine that you phone had the ability to report your information in some degree to these sites independent of the information your shared?  These abilities we have to speak about when speaking about privacy.  Do Location Based Services represent an opportunity or an invasion of privacy. 

With the government’s hopes of medical database the differentiation of persons and data are contemplated.  From a statistical point of view you can accomplish the goal of protecting the individual by never enabling the unique to be queried.  Now the question is will the same rules work when trying to add LBS into the mix?

The reality is that LBS wants the unique…  They want to catch your eye as you walking by starbucks.  The carriers are already paying for mobile ads that target your if your are not on their system.  Now imagine that they have that refinement as you pass their place.

Let me add to the mix, let me have a bell go off (after all media is part of Media in HTML5).  Now the cat gets to know when the mice are out.

These kind of issues are not what was foreseen in any telecommunications act.  It does not represent problems that have equivalents to my knowledge in any large scale in the past.

It represents our future. 

Sprint Executives Resign From Clearwire Board Due to Anti-Trust Laws - Oct 05, 2010

ATT intends to use the spectrum for carrier aggregation.  Carrier Aggregation is a strategy that allows the mixing of traffic between HSPA and LTE.  It’s real value is in overcoming some of the legacy systems lack of Internet technology support.  So we can say in a very real way Internet Video won over the solution that MediaFlo represented.

Now the question that we should ask is just a foreshadowing of things to come.  As Netflix begins its renegotiation with the industry it faces the pressures of the cable operators, HBO and other production companies looking to maximize their value.

It’s important to also recognize that deals like Comcast with NBC Universal are pending and indicate that content may indeed be claiming its throne again.

As someone who used to build VoIP services, I want to speak in praise of cookies and particularly their use for stateful things like Presence and Call Control.

When I worked on the first class 5 softswitch, we made a bad decision that was based on keeping state of a call on the network. My SOB friend from Harvard filled me in on his advice for the rest of the community that came to late to save me.

Cookies could be used to keep state for end to end calls and would also be valuable to other services like 911.

So the European Rules about Cookies were trying to deal with privacy, but instead has lumped everything in together.

This is all to familar. Often the Privacy concerns are valid and without a master plan, all cookies are lumped together. So definitions are important in this process, but as with almost everything on the Internet the opportunity for innovation will dwarf the decisions presently.

Worse yet, if you are trying to deal with wiretapping and terrorism, you might want some covert cookies.

I honor those with good intentions, but suggest that technological law needs more technologists involved.

In a few weeks,  I am running a webinar with Ceragon.

I received a press release from our friends at Ceragon, that mentioned the following...Ceragon Networks Signs Multi-Million Dollar Contract with mcel.  Largest Mobile Operator in Mozambique to Install 1000 km Microwave Backbone Network

PARAMUS, N.J., Nov. 3, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ceragon Networks (Nasdaq: CRNT), the provider of high-capacity, 4G/LTE-ready wireless backhaul networks, announced a multi-million dollar contract with Mobile Cellular (mcel),  the largest mobile telephone operator in Mozambique, reaching all 128 districts of the country. …

You can read the rest of it here.

I asked a few questions and here are the answers from Ceragon. 

Question 1) Is this a greenfield for the deployment or are you being added to existing towers?

Answer. Most of the network is upgrading existing infrastructure, some is Greenfield. BTW – our radios enable mcel to use less equipment (and towers) because of better system gain (stonger signal, loger distances etc.)

-       We as an Industry are consolidating Profitablly.

Sparked by the ViVo acquistion efforts in Brazil the Headlines today are from the WSJ about Telefonica and their expansion.  We are friendly with many of their company employees from O2 in Europe and Movistar in Latin America.  The article's quote César Alierta, CEO of Telefonica is very true to our experience of key personnel in these companies representing the management of capital and brand.

"The key factor for Telefónica to do anything is: first, human resources. Second, money," he explains. "We don't have the middle management able to run operations in sub-Saharan Africa. We can´t send engineers or marketing people who don't understand the local mentality, and when you don't know the local mentality, you have a big problem."

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304155604575581952382163906.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews#ixzz142LUXDFY

- While the are all running  Toward China and India They Can Diversify.

China has no problems with sending engineering talent to Africa and other undeveloped companies.  The result is that China may very well export there standards as a result.

Meanwhile in India the SENSEX had a banner day with one of the winners being Bharti Airtel as a result of their acquistion in the Seychelles.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Sensex-closes-315-points-higher/articleshow/6852735.cms

In the last couple of days Sprint has made charitable donations in Atlanta and Chicago, to help remedy the technological deficiencies specific to each community. The Sprint Foundation has given four local non-profits in Atlanta a grand total of $55,000 in grants. In Chicago, Sprint has partnered with the city to provide complimentarymobile Internet access for select high school students. They also have plans to develop affordable wireless services for hundreds of thousands of residents in low-income neighborhoods that do not even have access to Internet, whatever the cost. "Going forward, Sprint Nextel will be able to offer its various services at lower prices to residents and businesses that are traditionally underserved by the telecommunications industry," according to a recent statement from the company.

The same statement goes on to note that the Sprint Foundation "creatively and thoughtfully delivers Sprint's commitment to championing the communities where Sprint customers and employees live." Even after donating over $110 million in grants to non-profits, the goal at the end of the day is still the profit. Yes, Sprint has enabled several courses of action to benefit local communities and that is what to be commended, but on the other hand, Sprint is still a corporation and while we don't want to denigrate their positive donations to needy communities, they still stand to benefit from their benevolent actions.

This fact may go a long way towards answering the questions, "Why Atlanta? Why Chicago?" Part of it is likely connected to Sprint's sister company, Clearwire. Clearwire has been released in about 50 markets in the U.S., including Atlanta and Chicago and ----most importantly-Sprint and Clearwire share networks. At this point in the game, Sprint and Clearwire are miles ahead of the competition in regards to their 4G platform launch. But that's about to change soon with other carriers poised to get in on the action. Which company is next to make the biggest impact? All signs point to Verizon, as they have already mapped out the targets of their service rollout to include, you guessed it, Atlanta and Chicago.

Sprint is using whatever leverage left at this point to do some PR work. By getting good publicity in two major citiesthey risk losing in the next year, they are sticking their foot in the door and putting up a fight.

Sprint Executives Resign From Clearwire Board Due to Anti-Trust Laws - Oct 05, 2010

WiMAX: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times... - Nov 20, 2008

The three Sprint (S) executives that were residing on the Clearwire(CLWR) board have resigned, leading many to question the stability of the company. Sprint, owning 54%, is the majority shareholder of Clearwire. With three empty seats on the board and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse available to perhaps sit on another board, have more investment options been opened for both Sprint and Clearwire?

At face value, the reasoning for Sprint's resignation from the board is sound.

Clearwire was informed by Sprint that the decisions to resign were made out of an abundance of caution to address questions raised by Clearwire regarding new developments in anti-trust law.

This was the statement released from Clearwire regarding the decision. Judging from the points of "analysis" that many articles are focusing on, there seems to be a misunderstanding on the definition and application of anti-trust laws.

Anti-trust laws are created to prevent monopolies. The United States doesn't regard monopolies as illegal; the act of limiting competition is illegal. A brief reminder: United States vs. Microsoft (MSFT). That case was regarding the bundling of Internet Explorer with Microsoft Windows and marked a precedent of increased government regulation over futuretechnological process. But how is this relevant to Sprint and Clearwire?

It's a known fact that the two companies share towers, and most likely, deployment strategies. But that has no relevance to any anti-trust issues. The problem would be in bundling the two and therefore limiting the competition through a joint venture. As of yet, there have been no actions from either company suggesting such an event. Until Sprint starts selling packages with Clearwire home service or vice versa, nothing illegal is going on. They utilize the same WiMAX network, not anything past that.

These "new developments in anti-trust laws" are either legitimate new developments or a ruse. Maybe the CEO of one company should heed warning and distance himself from big investments that may create a monopoly of a sort of his niche in telecommunications. Or, as everyone else seems to be convinced, there is now room for other companies to create innovative marketing strategies. Even if another company were to associate itself with Clearwire, at this point it would just be a redistribution of money because Clearwire has already been deployed in over 50 markets. Another telecom company can't even attach itself to Clearwire's 4G WiMAX network because it is already in use with Sprint. In order for a merge to work it would have to be with Sprint too, in order to have access to both towers and spectrum. But, if anything, that would be creating the biggest monopoly in the U.S. telecom arena. So, what is Hesse playing at by resigning? His intentions may not be known until the next quarterly earnings report. Hopefully they will shed some light on this conundrum.

WiMAX: The Best of Times, The Worst of Times... - Nov 20, 2008