Carl Ford : 4G: For Generations to Come
Carl Ford

Longview IoT Boosts Energy and Wireless Efficiency

Some of the biggest challenges slowing down the adoption of IoT are security, efficient battery usage and optimized wireless communications.One company has...

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Hallmark's Simple, Inexpensive Way to Boost Customer Satisfaction

In an effort to boost margins, companies often push more users to automated solutions such as FAQs, chatbots, voice bots and anything...

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Huawei Places the World's First 5G VoNR Video Call

Huawei recently completed the world's first voice over NR (VoNR) call. The voice and video call service was made using two Huawei...

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IGEL Advances Future of Work

IGEL is a provider of a next-gen edge OS for cloud workspaces. The company’s software products include IGEL OS, IGEL UD Pocket (UDP) and Universal...

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Tata Communications and Cisco Collaborate on SD-WAN

Tata Communications and Cisco have extended their partnership to enable enterprises to transform their legacy network to a customized and secure multi-cloud...

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How to Win the 50-Year-Old China Trade War

Today and this week in-fact is historic - the left and right in the U.S. agree that we have a major trade...

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Extreme Elements Enables The Autonomous Enterprise

Extreme Networks just announced Extreme Elements which in-turn enables the autonomous network and subsequently the autonomous enterprise. In a dynamic webinar, Dan...

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BTOP Reviewer Training This Week

August 25, 2009

 

In this time of need for so many Americans, thank you so much for taking a moment to consider how you might help President Obama and your Federal Government deliver on the promise of economic recovery through the Recovery Act's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program and Broadband Initiatives Program.

We need the help of experienced professionals like you to ensure the success of the BTOP grant program by lending some of your valuable hours to helping review the many applications we expect to receive over the coming months for broadband grant funding. To be considered as a reviewer you must have significant expertise and experience in at least one of the following areas:

1) the design, funding, construction, and operation of broadband networks or public computer centers;

Bright Shiny Object - Death Star Apple Part 2

August 25, 2009

Of course, I would like to talk about Apple's FCC letter regarding GoogleVoice, but Steve Jobs is in the news with the iTablet.  So the distraction has worked. 

The iTablet is probably not a netbook strategy, but a MAC that supporting streaming Video via Verizon's LTE network and attacks the Kindle's ebook functionality.

You may recall that Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless CEO.  was talking about the ability to stream an HD Video channel on their network.

As for the Kindle functionality, Jobs can undo the Bezos fiasco about audio via iTunes bundling. 

Speculating without corraboration, Apple can probably find a way to sync text to audiobooks as well, but that is probably a futuristic function.

The WSJ seems to indicate that Steve, back on the job, is causing a stir amongst his employees and pushing back on the assumptions used on the ITablet.

From Verizon's perspective, allowing Steve to be Steve, masks the frantic buildout they are doing to provide the network for the iTablet.  So its a win-win even if it does nothing but freeze the market for a while.

Tags: Amazon, Apple, FCC, GoogleVoice, ITablet, ITunes, Jeff Bezos, Kindle, Lowell McAdam, Steve Jobs, Verizon Wireless

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Free Download: WiMAX Business Deployment Guide

August 24, 2009

The Sidecut Reports WiMAX Business Deployment Guide answers the questions businesses small and large may have about the newest wireless broadband technology to hit the U.S. market: What is WiMAX, how can we use it, and how might its features, prices and attributes save us money, enable new business opportunities, or bring more flexibility and connectivity options to our existing workforce?

Prepared in an easy-to-read style with deep background material for those who may not have understood WiMAX before, the report provides a thorough explanation of the technology, the newest devices that connect to it, and how both small businesses and branch or remote offices of larger enterprises might benefit from WiMAX's ability to deliver "bandwidth on demand" without impacting existing network infrastructures.

 In the new report you will learn:

-- How WiMAX compares to existing business broadband Internet access options on a price/benefit comparison

- Why WiMAX's portability, and not necessarily its cellular-like mobility, may be the key selling point for business customers

- Where WiMAX services will be launched in the U.S. this year and next

- What devices are available for businesses to connect to WiMAX now, and in the near-term future

- How flexible pricing and "try before you buy" options may make WiMAX a low-cost, low-risk option

The report also provides a brief historical background on the origins of WiMAX, as well as a cost-comparison matrix for WiMAX and competing broadband services in the Portland, Ore. market. Download your free copy today!















Death Star Apple

August 24, 2009

Lately, I am feeling right at home.  Regulatory is rearing its head and as some one no longer trying to navigate it, I can just sit back and watch the events.

Nothing is more fun to look at then the tenor of the three letters from Apple, ATT and Google,

ATT, long acquainted with their role and the concerns about them, write humbly even though they have done nothing wrong.  In their document, they make clear that they have accepted the concept of third party VoWiFi services.  As we head towards LTE, we might be saying "Its all WiFi eventually).  More about this later in the week.

Then comes Google's Letter.  A thing of beauty.  The writer, a friend has been in the advocacy area for carriers for years, and to be in a place where he can say open standards and not have to defend Google you can tell their role as victim was safe.  Mind you they did keep confidential their contacts with other third parties, but on the specific case and on the Google app store they were clean.

Google has been very involved with this administration and it maybe to Apple's regret that they severed the relation at the board level.

Apple's letter has some interesting statements in it.  That if I were worried about monopolistic powers.  (RIAA are you listening).

We provide every developer with the same software that we use to create our own iPhone.



Does anyone else want to challenge that statement.  Particularly after the answer to question number 1. 

The application has not been approved because, as submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail.  Apple spent a lot of time and effort developing this distinct and innovative way to seamlessly deliver core functionality of the iPhone.

In other words, we enable compliance not openness.

There are other places in the document where Apple is placing their controls in the most favorable light. If I were Palm, now would be a good time to file a friendly reminder of their disruption by Apple.

So sometimes the old school learns something new, they were looking for ATT's monopolistic tendencies and they found the monopolist.  Now lets see if they change focus, or if they continue the fights of the past.

Tags: ATT, AppStore, Apple, FCC, Google, Palm






















The War is Still a Skirmish amongst Giants:

August 19, 2009

Andy Abramson sent me a note about the Truphone announcement regarding an iPhone bug.  It is not that Apple targeted Truphone its just a bug.  Here is the post,

Apple iPhone Bug Isn't Truphone's Problem

I'm posting is a Public Service Announcement but also since Truphone is my agency's client we felt the important thing to do is get the right information out as far and wide as possible.

This afternoon this afternoon Truphone sent an emailout to its customers explaining that Truphone knows of a bug issue with the Apple iPhone that has existed since the launch of the 3.0 OS in June 2009.

The issue has been widely reported on sites including Mobile Crunch and theiphoneblog. The problem, as was outlined in the email, impacts all applications on a the iPhone, not just the Truphone application.



Can Walkman 2.0 Occur; Sony Ericsson

August 18, 2009

Today's Wall Street Journal has knews that Sony Ericsson is going to have a new CEO.  In the land where 4G is closer than anywhere else (Japan), SONY Ericsson has been a contender, but in other places not so strong.

With the Ericsson the parent now having a bigger footprint in the US with the acquistion of Nortel, the outsourcing by Sprint and the overall positive response to them from cable and wireless carriers, Ericsson has made the right moves.

And for Sony Ericsson with the game-focused mobile phones one that features an accelerometer for gesture-based controls and one that is linked to the Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles to swap content.

Gaming is certainly an important market, but my big issue is can the company get an advantage (again) in music.


Tags: Ericsson, PlayStation, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Walkman, accelerometer, gaming, mobile gaming

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A Slow News Day, but not Inactive

August 17, 2009

I have a few blogs to post, but I am not sure the audience is here right now.  I was shocked to see how much noise was coming out of some of the previous posts.  I was talking to some good friends about security issues.

Lots of people talking about finding new opportunities in security from the telecom world, but I am not sure they have a real understanding about the role they would have.  Many friends have suggested that they would be adding security functionality, but in truth the best that a telcom person should hope for is to be the interface to where the action is.

Lets take the recent Facebook & Twitter Denial of Service attacks as an example.  It turns out the attack was not on the site itself but the content of a specific user on the system.  This focused attack is related to the content.

Telecom does not normally look at the message it just provides the transport media. 

The point of making this observation is that to the security experts wearing the black / white hats the migration to 4G wireless is just more of the same of the Internet.  The concepts associated with ISUP  and other out of band control signals are periphereal to where the attack is most likely to occur, which is the application layer.

  The OWASP list of attacks are not about signaling. They are about attacks in the application itself

Tags: 4G, Facebook, OWASP, Security, Twitter.











BTOP Extended for those who are Ready

August 13, 2009

On July 9, 2009, RUS and NTIA published a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) and Solicitation of Applications in the Federal Register announcing general policy and application procedures for the BIP and BTOP.  74 Fed. Reg. 33104 (2009).  In the NOFA, RUS and NTIA encouraged all applicants to submit their applications electronically and required that certain applications be filed electronically through an online application system at http://www.broadbandusa.gov.  74 Fed. Reg. at 33118.  RUS and NTIA established an application window for these grant programs from July 14, 2009, at 8 a.m. ET through August 14, 2009, at 5 p.m. ET (application closing deadline).

 

I can't be the only one suffering! Address Book MisManagement

August 13, 2009

As a bell head the concept of state was indoctrinated into me.  I am not sure if this was through Osmosis, the continue using of the Bell System Practice as a head rest, or the "My Network" mentality.

Today the peers run rampant on my machine.  I get a .vcf file or an AIM message and you would think I was dealing with the bankers of the old lending tree add.  (I would use the old WaMu ad but the bankers were all clustered in those ads).

Particularly annoying right now is Plaxo.  Which seems to have lost its state awareness on the fact that I downloaded the integrated app to my address book and yet everytime i get a .vcf pops up again.

Other nonsense includes the ability to take from Google but not push to Google.  (Not sure why Google has not taken this problem on themselves).

The continual facebook loss of my password (and my mistrust of anything that claims to be facebook).

And of course my Apple Time Machine, that has decided I have to reinput all my license keys after the fiasco of the stolen machine.

I want control of my identity and I want control of the identity systems independent of software packages.

I thought the data portability group was going to bring me something to this end, but they seem to have other issues that motivate them.  OpenID in theory should be this, but so far the services seem to have more control than the users.

I think this should all be linked to a presence enginge managing presentity with a key chain to my devices.  I have not seen anything like this as independent service, but maybe I am wrong. 



Tags: Address Book, Apple, Bell Systemp Practice, BSP, Gmail, Google, Identity, Plaxo, Presence, Presentity, State





















Clearwire Adds Just 12,000 Subscribers in Q2

August 13, 2009

Highlights (or lowlights) from the Clearwire Aug. 11 earnings call (the press release is here):

-- Clearwire reports 12,000 net subscription adds for Q2, down from 25,000 for Q1. Ouch. Execs on the call say this number is good and signups are strong, but no getting around the fact that 12,000 is not a big number. Remember this is all mainly Portland, since Vegas/Atlanta didn't launch until end of quarter. The net adds includes losses from pre-WiMAX subscribers, which may be significant.