Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog: Technology Archives

Praise for LTE, WiMAX' Bad Week

January 9, 2009 11:06 AM

Market researcher ABI Research has released a new study that points to continued enthusiasm for LTE deployment.

Coming on the heels of a turbulent week for WiMAX (see: Intel's $950 million investment write-down and Nokia ceasing production of its only WiMAX device) it's a positive sign indeed for this 4G technology.

Now before we get carried away with the premature burial of WiMAX, it's important to note that Clearwire did light up a new city this week (Portland, OR) and has plans to start service in up to nine other cities in 2009. Let's wait before we get out the shovels.

Still ABI's report Long Term Evolution (LTE) draws attention to the fact that Verizon, (possibly sensing some blood in the water?) has reportedly moved up their LTE deployment plans by a year, from 2010 to 2009.

ABI notes that globally, 18 operators have announced LTE rollout plans.

Writing in the recent report, ABI Research senior analyst Nadine Manjaro said,

ABI Research believes that NTT will also deploy LTE in Japan in 2009. We forecast that by 2013 operators will spend over $8.6 billion on LTE base station infrastructure alone. For operators that have already deployed 3G networks, LTE will be a key CAPEX driver over the next five years.

Manjaro also notes that LTE application development could be a major driver of investment as operators explore which services to deploy.

As an example, Manjaro looks to Sprint and Verizon and their plans to provide third-party access to their GPS data.

The resulting new applications will tie mobility and presence aspects together to create more compelling services than in the past. This is significant because it represents the beginning of a new generation of application development which will leverage the vast amounts of data in operators' networks.

Carriers looking to deploy 4G technology face the same financial difficulties as the rest of us. However one cannot lose sight of the fact that on the other side of this financial mess, one might imagine a new period of growth. Companies that make investments in technology today might not see an immediate return however, they should take solace that the evolution to broadband wireless is going to happen sooner or later.

To learn more about the opportunities in the emerging 4G space, consider the 4GWE Conference, which is taking place in Miami Beach this February 2-4.

The show will feature keynotes from Intel and Qualcomm as well as over 50 speakers from companies such as Fujitsu, Google, Dialogic, IBM, SkyTerra and others.

The conference promises to deliver an unmatched educational experience. 4GWE Attendees will learn:

· How the history and evolution of the cellular network will in part determine the evolution to 4G

· The major differences between the competing technologies of WiMAX and LTE

· The killer applications for both the consumer and business customer

· How 4G will effect social networking applications

· How 4G will significantly change content distribution

· Where venture money will be spent

· What mobile devices will be developed to support 4G

Take a look at the event Web site for more information.

Microsoft Zune to add VoIP?

December 12, 2008 11:51 AM

From the "made you look" files...

BusinessWeek offers an item posted on December 10 by Olga Kharif, who surmises that based on an October employment posting from Microsoft, the company's Zune MP3 player might one day be VoIP enabled.

The ad, which calls for:

"...experience with human interface and navigation models requiring engineering prototypes of dpads, switches, accelerometers, touch screen input variables" and "sensibility for mobile communications and entertainment applications..."

...prompted Olga to ask if this means that Microsoft is building a phone?

Microsoft is denying such plans.

It's an interesting item though, which does set the thought process in motion.

The Zune as a VoIP device?

Not likely, but then again...Why not?

Alcatel-Lucent to Trim Workforce, Tighten R&D Focus

December 12, 2008 8:23 AM

Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen spoke to media and analysts at a press conference today, announcing the company's strategic plan for 2009 and beyond. To read a full description of the company's plans, please read this article.

The company will undergo a strategic reduction in workforce, eliminating approximately 1,000 management positions and lowering the number of contractor headcount by approximately 5,000.

Plans call for reducing the company's break-even point by 1 Billion Euros a year in 2009 and 2010.

Company officials also spoke of a renewed focus on research and development activities, targeting four key segments (Optical, IP, broadband and Applications enablement).

14 Join Open Handset Alliance, Android Gains Momentum

December 10, 2008 8:22 AM

So yesterday, the Open Handset Alliance announced that 14 additional companies were joining the Android alliance, demonstrating "their support for Android as an open mobile platform and their commitment to its commercial success."

The newest member companies are:

· AKM Semiconductor Inc.,

· ARM

· ASUSTek Computer Inc.

· Atheros Communications

· Borqs

· Ericsson

· Garmin International Inc.

· Huawei Technologies

· Omron Software Co. Ltd.

· Softbank Mobile Corporation

· Sony Ericsson

· Teleca AB

· Toshiba Corporation and

· Vodafone

Adam Leach, principal analyst at Ovum believes the move will lead to a greater number of devices based on the Android operating system over the next year.

Said Leach, "This announcement signals greater confidence in the OHA and the Android platform within the mobile industry. The extended membership will lead to a greater number of Android devices in the market next year and could lead to much-needed consolidation in the mobile Linux space."

"Google and its OHA partners have the opportunity to build critical a mass of supporting handsets during 2009," Leach added. "If [Google] achieves this momentum in the handset market in 2009, then it has the potential to challenge Nokia and the Symbian Foundation for dominance in the handset software market."

Panda Warns on High School Musical Borne Viruses

November 24, 2008 12:52 PM

Attention parents: In case you weren't aware, there are bad people online. Bad people who would disguise viruses, worms, and Trojans as innocent-looking files such as songs and videos related to Disney's popular movie franchise High School Musical.

According to officials at PandaLabs, the research division of Panda Security, there's a growing rash of infected files being distributed through peer-to-peer file sharing networks such as eMule and eDonkey.

Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs said:

"Cyber-crooks are exploiting the interest of the numerous fans of these films, by hiding their creations in files with names related to High School Musical. An added danger is that many of these fans are very young and as such are more likely to fall into the trap. It is therefore a good idea to give young children a basic grounding in IT security."

When users run these infected files their computers can be affected by malicious code such as VB.ADQ, the Agent.KGR Trojan, the adware Koolbar, and other nasty stuff.

Web 2.0 Apps Driving Online Holiday Sales

November 24, 2008 12:31 PM

It probably won't come as a shock to anyone, but consumers increasingly plan to make at least some of their purchases online this holiday season, driven in part by maturing Web 2.0 apps.

According to a 'Web 2.0 for Business' outfit known as WorkLight, the online shopping world is in the midst of a sea change due to the proliferation of next-generation Web 2.0 tools.

According to David Lavenda, WorkLight's vice president of marketing and product strategy:

"Online shoppers are now interacting with retailers in much more meaningful ways; ways that transcend the traditional online portal experience. Retailers who invested in meeting customers where they spend their time online -- on social networks, desktop and web-based widgets and gadgets, mobile apps and more -- will be able to cash in on this consumer groundswell. Being able to meet customers through Web 2.0 will be a strategic advantage to gaining significant holiday market share."

Several reports bear these facts out. According to a Shop.org analysis, a quarter of retailers has invested in a Facebook page this year, and according to a Deloitte study, 21 per cent of consumers surveyed plan to shop online this holiday season (up from 19 per cent last year).

Infonetics: Carrier VoIP is Down...

November 20, 2008 2:55 PM

A new research report from Infonetics tells us something that many of us have felt coming for some time.

According to the report Service Provider VoIP and IMS Equipment and Subscribers carriers are not likely to engage in VoIP equipment purchases at this time, which Infonetics expects will bring down the worldwide service provider VoIP market 8% sequentially to $816 million in 3Q08.

All is not doom and gloom however.

Infonetics is reporting that in the third quarter of 2008, sales of session border controllers and media servers were up.

Other highlights from the report:

· Cisco enjpoyed a 37% sequential jump in worldwide trunk media gateway revenue, propelling them to the #1 spot, followed by GENBAND and Huawei;

· Nortel maintains its #1 position in the worldwide softswitch market

· Voice over broadband (VoBB) will continue to be the big driver across the board

To view the full press release, click here.

New TMCnet Blog Serves Up Technology, Recipes

November 18, 2008 5:15 PM

One of my favorite things about my job is to give other people the opportunity to reach our audience, be it in the form of a column, or a one-off article, or even a blog.

As you may have heard, Rich Tehrani kicked of a new TMCnet program called Blog Aid, whereby unemployed workers can stay in the public eye -- in order to improve their hiring prospects in a tough economy.

As Rich wrote:

In the last few months, many good marketers, PR people, engineers and others who have been laid off. These potential Blog Aid bloggers have a good deal of quality commentary and information to share which could be very useful to the TMC community of online readers.

If you're interested in starting a blog, drop me a line at ggalitzine@tmcnet.com

On another, blog related note, one of my favorite new blogs on TMCnet is one that takes two very interesting subjects -- technology and food -- and mashes them up, so to speak.

David Byrd, vice president of marketing and sales at SIP Trunking provider BroadVox, has started a blog called SIP and Serve by a Foodie. I strongly recommend you check it out.

The blog so far has dealt with the economy, President-elect Obama, SIP Trunking, IP PBXs, the FCC, USF and Net Neutrality, and of course, the twist that makes it interesting: Cioppino, Alligator, Crab Cakes, Grilled Romaine Hearts and more...

You see every Monday, David recounts what he has prepared over the preceding weekend, and the resulting blog entries make my mouth water. This is in addition to tech-related blog posts every Wednesday and Friday too.

So I guess I'm officially welcoming David to our TMCnet family of bloggers.

Welcome aboard David. Now what's for dinner next weekend?

Smule's Ocarina: Number One With a Bullet!

November 18, 2008 1:59 PM

Talk about your hot viral apps!

Smule, the developer of the wildly popular Ocarina application for use on Apple's iPhone, today announced that it's jumped to the top of the charts in several Apple App Stores around the world, including the United States, Canada, France, Sweden, Holland, and Spain among others.

Available for $0.99, the Smule Ocarina is the first true wind instrument available for the iPhone.

Rich Tehrani and I did a recent TMC Newsroom video on the Ocarina application -- feel free to check out that recent video newscast.

Apparently users have created over 250 musical scores, which according to the release announcing the success of Smule's Ocarina, include Yesterday, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, Harry Potter Theme, Zelda Theme, Blister in the Sun, Frosty the Snowman, and Amazing Grace.

Amazing indeed.

From TMCnet to Obama's Transition Team?

November 17, 2008 1:46 PM

Erstwhile feature columnist Tom Wheeler is said to be joining president-elect Barack Obama's transition team, together with former FCC Chair Reed Hundt.

Wheeler, who was once president of the National Cable Telecommunications Association (NCTA) is reportedly joining the transition team as a member of its agency review working group.

Wheeler was also the chief of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA).

The columns he wrote for TMCnet, under the heading Wireless Musings, are archived here.

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