Alan's Networking Analysis

Good or Bad: What if you could remember everything? Total Recall and e-memory

ajwdct — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:17:00 GMT

For many years, Microsoft Researchers Gordon Bell (x-DEC VP) and Jim Gemmell have been exploring ways to record and easily access this trail of data people leave behind. To commemorate their new book - Total Recall- the Computer History museum recently hosted a lecture and "fireside chat" on the subject of eMemory and its ability to reshape our lives.

For more than a decade, Gordon Bell- the principal researcher at the Microsoft Research Silicon Valley Campus- has digitally archived every aspect of his life. Conversations, phone calls, photos, CDs, articles, home videos, e-mail — every piece of data Bell has created or consumed has been squirreled away into a database. In effect, he has offloaded the past 11 years of his life into a comprehensive electronic memory bank. This effort was the genesis of the MyLifeBits project at Microsoft Research.

His decade-long data dump has convinced Bell that the frailty of bio-memory — what everyone else has to work with — is about to become a thing of the past. He claims we are about to usher in an era where your every moment is recorded. Will we be able to find the signal (important and relevent information) through the noise (of extraneous recorded information)? That remains to be seen.

Advances in digital storage, digital recording and digital search are converging in a synergistic way to enable the e-memory revolution, according to the authors. People are already awash in a sea of information. If they are not already overloaded with files, papers, books, periodicals, etc they will soon be. Already portions of our lives are digitally captured every day. From the constant stream of e-mail to the GPS-stamped pictures we take on our Smartphones, pieces of ourselves are being stored on Facebook or YouTube or massive portable hard drives. How to make sense of it all?

The key to unlocking e-memory’s transformative power lies in harnessing mountains of recorded data to find the subject matter of interest. For example, Mr. Bell, who has a heart condition, tracks his weight daily and monitors the data pumped out by his pacemaker to get a changing snapshot of his well-being. The recorded information could be used to create a picture of one’s overall health. The ability to data mine our past would enable us to chart how much exercise we have been doing now in comparison with what we did four years ago. Such graphic tools and related tables could aid in medical diagnosis, treatment of diseases and ailments, and preventive health care - potentially a very useful tool for physicians and patients.

But what of the potential downsides when bio-memory shifts to bits and bytes? A hint of Big Brother lurks behind the notion that every aspect of life is recorded and stored, the authors say. What if the stored information falls into the wrong hands? How can the information be protected? How can the legitimate user be authenticated? What about backup in case of fire, earthquake or terrorist attack? Many unresolved questions arise.

”What we’re doing is not really aimed at putting your whole life on Facebook or MySpace or wherever,” Bell said. “This is a memory aid and a recording aid, something you utilize at a personal level.”

But there's another danger (besides the privacy issue) with such a personal memory aid; we could get so caught up in our own memories that we quit living in the present. Already, many of us reminisce about the "good old days." Could many of us with access to e-memory live in the past?

While the e-memory revolution might be inevetible, as the authors claim, the privacy, security, and technical implementation issues might delay its onset for longer than most might expect. Caveat emptor.

SaaS Conference Report: Managing the Mobile Work Force using MaaS

ajwdct — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Abstract

On April 1st, I attended a SaaS Conference talk by Jim Sheward, CEO of Fiberlink, on the topic of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS). I found it provocative and of vital interest to IT managers that are having great difficulting managing a mobile work force. Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) is the delivery of enterprise mobility infrastructure using a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform where the programs run on servers that are reached via the public Internet. Specifically, MaaS is a "cloud" based, always on, Enterprise Mobility Platform™ with cost advantages, ubiquitous mobile device connectivity capability and a real-time updating and enforcement software engine. A MaaS platform enables users to be singularly connected while having anywhere access to their applications and data while the business has everywhere control of it’s users, devices, applications, and data.

What's the Risk?

There is enormous risk in how IT managers handle mobility. Estimates are that mobile IT operations costs are very high and getting more expensive. Mobility is also a risk, because valuable or proprietary company information can be compromised. For example, last year there were over 600K laptops lost at U.S. airports. Additionally, 160K handsets were left in taxicabs. 37^ of smart phone users store company confidential business data on their phones. And 40% of companies don't have a viable security policy for mobile workers. Many users do NOT use a VPN to access the Internet, but do so directly via their mobile PCs or handsets. That heightens the risk that sensitive information may be ciphoned off by computer criminals. Moreover, IT Department totally loses control of mobile workers that are directly accessing the Internet. There appears to be an urgent need to re-architect corporate management and control functions to more effectively provide mobility services to workers on the move.

With over 50% of companies in North America expecting over half of their employees to be using mobile PCs by 2013 and nearly a quarter expecting more than half of their employees to be using smart phones in the next five years as well, mobility has emerged as a key area to benefit from the shift away from enterprise resident software to Software-as-a-Service. Mobility management appears to be well suited for a cloud-based service approach, because an Internet-based architecture is the only way to support and control mobile users who spend more time on the Internet than on the corporate network.

IT Operational Challenges for the mobile workforce

These challenges include:

-Control of Identity and access to networks and applications

-Endpoint and data Security

-Policy Compliance

-Inventory Management

-Operations and help desk

-Backup of files and applications

Mobility Management in the Cloud

Mobility is well suited for a cloud-based service approach. This is because an Internet-based architecture is the only way to support and control mobile users no matter where they are, including outside the traditional corporate network. MaaS has become a natural evolution, as the Internet has effectively become the corporate network.

There have been other approaches and models to connecting, protecting and controlling mobile enterprise users but all have failed in one form or fashion. Clients, endpoint agents, and single purpose security applications integrated with a connection client have all fallen short of delivering binary, provable control of laptops, smart devices, blackberries, i Phones and the rest of the mobile device strata. As a service-based solution approach, Mobility as a Service is the only credible operational model to cost effectively and continually control employees, their devices and their data.

Fiberlink's MaaS Solution

Fiberlink is a well recognized mobility expert and the world’s foremost provider of "Mobility as a Service": on-demand services that help enterprises connect, control and secure laptops and mobile devices. For more information, please see:

http://www.fiberlink.com/fiberlink/en-US/products/mobilityAsAService/

The foundation of Fiberlink's solutions is a software platform that manages the security and connectivity services on mobile and remote devices. The MaaS360 Mobility Platform allows administrators to deploy, monitor, update, and remediate a wide variety of endpoint security and connectivity applications, and to enforce compliance with corporate policies. The MaaS360 Mobility Platform also allows enterprises to implement Mobile NAC, Fiberlink's Network Access Control solution for the mobile workforce.

Fiberlink’s MaaS Platform™ enables mobile workers to connect quickly and easily from anywhere in the world to the Internet and to the applications they need. Networking groups and IT can use the MaaS Platform and its components to:

-Perform identity management and authentication services.

-Deploy, monitor and manage security and connectivity applications on laptops and PCs across the globe.

-View detailed information on compliance status, security events and connectivity costs.

-Protect mobile devices – and the data they carry – from loss, theft, data leakage, hackers, and viruses.

Fiberlink's endeavors to ensure that mobile data is always secure, that mobile workers can be productive anytime, anywhere, and that IT professionals can evolve from network police to facilitators of worker productivity. Fiberlink provides a universal connectivity client and an aggregated virtual network that provides Internet connectivity through over 100,000 access points across 150 countries. Mobile and remote employees enjoy one-click connectivity using all major network types – including dial-up, broadband, Wi-Fi, and wide-area wireless. The company also provides services to: manage endpoint security, data protection, and endpoint control applications on mobile and remote devices. These applications are designed to keep the corporate network and mobile endpoints safe from unwanted intruders and attacks, as well as mitigate the risk of lost or stolen assets.

According to Mr. Sheward, Fiberlink’s customers have reduced the cost of supporting mobile workers, simplified IT management, increased employee productivity, and improved data security. An impressive set of credentials for a nascent market that offers great potential for future growth.

TiE Workshop Report: Igniting the Genius Within You!

ajwdct — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:38:00 GMT

This excellent workshop was held last month by the TiE Institute in Santa Clara. The speaker and leader- Prasad Kaipa - did a superb job of stimulating and motivating the attendees to achieve a higher sense of purpose.

Here is a partial abstract of the Igniting the Genius Within workshop:

In 2009 and beyond, you need more than just ideas, past successes, or even networking to succeed. You have to show persistence and capability to stay grounded, resilient, work hard, optimistic, quick and opportunistic. In addition, you must focus on developing others around you, make choices when others don’t even see them, take responsibility when nobody around you does, think big and systemic, act quickly and immediately, and take risks. Beyond all that, you have to ignite your genius that is unique to you, brand yourself, differentiate yourself and show that you have what it takes to be successful in these difficult times.

http://sv.tie.org/TGS/EM/viewevent/viewEventPT?id_event=2835&from_where=chapter_homepage

Please Prasad if you'd be interested in hiring him for your company as a career coach/ motivational speaker. I will be posting my summary of the workshop later this week and will email the link to anyone who contacts me at: aweissberger@sbcglobal.net

Here are some references in the meantime:

Checkout reports and photos of Genius Conference at http://www.isb.edu/clic/geniusconference
--
Prasad Kaipa, Ph. D.
Executive Director, Center for Leadership, innovation and Change (CLIC)
Indian School of Business
www.isb.edu/clic
+91 98850 09599 (while in India – if phone is off, try email)
Hyderabad, India
And
CEO Advisor and Coach
268 E. Hamilton Avenue, Suite D
Campbell, CA 95008-0239
(408) 871-0462
http://kaipagroup.com free copy of e-book on discontinuous learning
http://pkaipa.smugmug.com Updated with Grand Canyon and Filoli Garden photos
http://www.prasadkaipa.com/blog

Enjoy!

alan Weissberger

WiMAX Counts Quarterly Report provides a snapshot of the global WiMAX industry

ajwdct — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 18:20:00 GMT

The WiMAX Counts Quarterly Report from Maravedis provides an excellent summary of key information gathered and analyzed by Maravedis' WiMAXCounts team. It contains meaningful and accurate information on applications, service offerings, ARPU, pricing and target markets. It also presents statistics and graphics of recent service provider deployments, industry trends and investments among other items.

Here's the Executive Summary:

The third quarter of 2008 proved very eventful for the WiMAX industry. September marked another
milestone with the commercial launch of Sprint’s XOHM in Baltimore, which will be a key driver for
greater WiMAX market penetration. As of January 2009, Sprint had not yet released details of the
results of that launch in terms of subscribers. Also during this quarter, the WiMAX Forum certified
another 13 mobile WiMAX products (in the 2.5GHz band) in addition to the first 10 mobile WiMAX
products certified in June 2008. In total, 10 vendors now have certified WiMAX equipment.

We also saw major operator developments in countries such as Russia and India – the latter considered one
of the most promising countries for WiMAX’s future, due to its need for greater broadband
connectivity. Last August India’s Department of Telecommunications announced it would release
spectrum blocks in the 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz bands for WiMAX, and in the 3.3GHz-3.6GHz and 700MHz
bands for BWA (when available). According to the Indian regulator, the 2.3GHz-2.5GHz auction will
occur in 2009, coinciding with the publication of Maravedis’ third edition of its “Opportunities and
Challenges for Broadband Wireless in India” report.

Much has been said of late about the battle between WiMAX and LTE. LTE’s momentum continues to
grow, as it is the technology selected by most mobile operators worldwide. Today there are nearly
400 operators deploying or trialing WiMAX, and over 100 committed to LTE, including many CDMA
operators.

However, the industry also struggled during this quarter. The economic downturn affected most
WiMAX operators’ deployment plans, average revenue per user (ARPU) margins and subscriber churn
rates. Most WiMAX operators are finding it difficult to maintain investment plans for new network
build-out and enhancement projects, due to the limited capital-raising opportunities.Unwired Australia
is one example of an operator hit by the credit crunch. Now struggling to find enough cash to pay for
its planned nationwide mobile WiMAX network, Unwired is trying to slash between $20 and $30
million from the cost of its network. Tata Communications in India is also running out of capital
needed to meet its annual operating plan. Billions of dollars are needed to establish these nextgeneration
networks, the fundamental challenge faced by both greenfield and established operators
is in turning a profit from networks that are well under developed.

For the first time in its short history WiMAXCounts reported a significant slow down in service revenue
growth compared to previous quarters, dropping from a continuous 21% increase trend quarter-overquarter
to only 14% at the end of Q3 2008. In 2009 the economic downturn will continue to slow
growth and innovation in many areas, but will also create attractive investment opportunities in the
communications sector. According to Venture Capital Firm, the leading trend going into 2009 is an
accelerating shift in consumer spending toward wireless services and replacement of landline
services. The value of mobile data services will accelerate as consumers rationalize their
communications services expenses. Smaller carriers will have room to differentiate themselves with
innovative products and services, and operators will revise deployment strategies to remain profitable
and increase efficiency with fewer resources. Finally, lower monthly subscription fees could
accelerate the adoption of “Personal Wireless Broadband.”

At the end of September 2008, WiMAXCounts counted over 2.68 million BWA/WiMAX subscribers, a
13% growth from Q2 2008 and a 91% growth from Q3 2007. The economic downturn affected
the ARPU margins and quarterly revenues. Further, the appreciation of the US dollar caused
many operators’ ARPUs to decline when converted to US dollars; this together with a lower
subscription growth rate produced a slower increase in revenue as compared to previous
quarters. With a monthly residential ARPU of US$46.46 and business ARPU of $125.66, the
worldwide subscriber base generated estimated quarterly revenues of US$492 million.
Residential subscribers (64%) continue to dominate the number of business subscribers (36%). North
America represented the region with the highest residential customer base, closing out Q3 2008
with 78% residential and 22% business. These numbers are heavily weighted by Clearwire USA’s
residential broadband success, despite the company reporting its lowest incremental increase in new
subscribers in its history. For more information:

https://www.vtrenz.net/imaeds/ownerassets/328/Brochure_WiMAXCounts_Q3_2008.pdf

Comment and Analysis:

We question how many of the 2.68 million BWA/WiMAX subscribers were accessing standardized WiMAX networks, i.e. WiMAX Forum certified equipment. We think market analysts should not be too influenced by Clearwire and should look at Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East for WiMAX growth. Finally, we think the comparison and rhetoric over WiMAX vs LTE is way overblown. The real competition for mobile WiMAX is 3G/ 3G+ while the actual competition for fixed WiMAX is proprietary BWA and (to a lesser extent) mesh WiFi.

Are LTE and mobile WiMAX really 4G networks? A look at ITU-R IMT Advanced requirements

ajwdct — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:15:00 GMT

Introduction

There have been several recent articles comparing and contrasting LTE vs. mobile WiMAX as potential 4G network technologies. Indeed, SPRINT and Clearwire have been marketing their WiMAX offering as a 4G service. But is it really 4G? Is LTE a 4G technology? What about ultra-wideband?

It turns out that no broadband wireless technology can legitimately claim to be 4G, because the ITU has not completed its 4G specifications yet (4G is known as IMT Advanced in the ITU-R). Hence, there is no benchmark document(s) for which to evaluate any of the proposed 4G technologies. Several important ITU documents and presentations are listed in the References at the bottom of this article.

What are the attributes of 4G?

The ITU has stated that 4G will be a "completely new, fully IP-based integrated system of systems and network of networks- achieved after convergence of wired and wireless networks." This is in sharp contrast to current 3G networks, which are circuit-switched based, with an overlay of data carrying capabilities (EVDO for CDMA and HSDPA for GSM). 4G networks will be entirely IP packet switched. Mobile voice will be carried as a stream of IP packets--VoIP over the equivalent MAC sub-layer.

According to the ITU, 4G networks will be capable of providing 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps downstream rates, in outdoor (mobile) and indoor (fixed access) environments, respectively. 4G networks will have end-to-end QoS and high security, offer any kind of services at any time as per user requirements, anywhere with seamless interoperability, always on, affordable cost, one billing and fully personalized.

Here are the key features of 4G/IMT-Advanced (as per ITU-R document: BACKGROUND ON IMT-ADVANCED, 7 March 2008- see References below):

– a high degree of commonality of functionality worldwide while retaining the flexibility to support a wide range of services and applications in a cost efficient manner;

– compatibility of services within IMT and with fixed networks;

– capability of interworking with other radio access systems;

– high quality mobile services;

– user equipment suitable for worldwide use;

– user-friendly applications, services and equipment;

– worldwide roaming capability; and,

– enhanced peak data rates to support advanced services and applications (100 Mbit/s for high and 1 Gbit/s for low mobility were established as targets for research).

These features enable IMT-Advanced to address evolving user needs, which implies a network that will evolve and change over time.

The 4G Radio technologies will include:

Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)- a highly efficient multi-carrier modulation scheme, and

Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO)- a multi-antenna system that minimizes data errors and optimizes speed.

How do LTE and mobile WiMAX meet the 4G/IMT-Advanced Objectives?

Both LTE and WiMAX are based on OFDMA and MIMO technologies and both are all IP networks with QOS and (some) security. 3GPP's initial LTE specification, due in March 2009, is that organization's choice for a 4G network. As noted in an earlier post today, IEEE 802.16 TG m is chartered with ammending the IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN-OFDMA specification to meet IMT-Advanced requirements, while offering continuing support for legacy WirelessMAN-OFDMA equipment. This will provide an UPGRADE path for existing mobile WiMAX networks based on IEEE 802.16-2005 to a 4G-like network.

But it remains to be seen if either of these networks will qualify as 4G/ IMT-Advanced networks when they are initially rolled out. It will take a long time to validate their attributes and operational performance against the numerous IMT Advanced requirements. Let's not take all the hype too seriously at this time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

References:

WiMAX, 4G, and the Enterprise (Part 1)

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/columns/article.php/3792131

It isn't WiMAX versus LTE

http://www.ciol.com/Technology/Networking/Feature/It-isnt-WiMAX-versus-LTE/181208113956/0/

ITU Mobile next generation network, Evolution towards 4G (see Charts 37- 39)

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/tech/StandardizationGap/Bahrain2007/Presentations/Day2/Presentation_Bahrain_STabbane.pdf

ITU-R SG 5/Working Party 5D document: BACKGROUND ON IMT-ADVANCED, 7 March 2008

http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/index.asp?category=study-groups&rlink=rsg5-imt-advanced&lang=en

click on Background on IMT-Advanced - (Doc. IMT-ADV/1)

ITU-R IMT Advanced Evaluation Guidelines

http://groups.itu.int/Portals/17/SG5/WP5D/Workshop/Evaluation-Hu%20Wang.pdf

see Overall Workplan for IMT Advanced (timeline)

Alan Weissberger
DCT Advisors
2013 Acacia Court
Santa Clara, CA 95050-3482

voice mail: 408 863 6002

TIE Wireless SIG Panel: Mobility 2009: setting the stage for a new order?

ajwdct — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 00:34:00 GMT

Abstract

The TIE Wireless Special Interest Group (SIG) held their annual review and outlook meeting on December 11th in Santa Clara. This article highlights key points, observations and take aways from the panel session.

2008 marked a milestone year for the mobile industry worldwide, with the launch of the Apple Appstore, Google’s Android, the mainstreaming of consumer smartphones, and a global recession. The key trends and shifts observed in 2008 were reviewed, and several predictions were made for what might be hot in 2009.

Session Moderator: Tim Chang, Norwest Venture Partners

Panelists
:

Peter Barry, Head of Venture Capital and Start-ups, Vodafone

Jay Boddu, Kauffman Venture Fellow, Sofinnova Ventures

Nagesh Challa, Founder, Director, President & CEO, Ecrio

Rob Trice, Senior Managing Director, SK Telecom Ventures

Introduction

According to Chetan Sharma, Technology & Strategy Consultant, "the US wireless data market shrugged off the economic doldrums in Q3 2008 and grew 7.3% Q/Q and 37.5% from Q307 to reach $8.8B in data services revenues. The total for the year (for first 9 months) stands at $24.5B which is equal to the revenues generated in 2007 (full year)." But things don't look so rosy for the 4th quarter and for most or all of 2009, according to the panelists.

Mobile Industry Trends

Success of iPhone, touch screens, and App stores. Apple now going after enterprise customers for the iPhone.

Global Financial Crisis had negative impact on the sector in 4th quarter of 2008.

Open source movement: Android/Open Handset Alliance, Symbian, Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs Moblin initiative, etc

Wireless industry progress and momentum outside of Japan and Korea, e.g. U.S. movement to LBS's and 3G with promise of LTE in the future.

Data centric mobile platforms and ecosystems are being built for 3G broadband mobile technologies.

Mobile broadband growth has shifted from developed to developing markets. This will be an enabler for open platforms and smart devices.

Energy savings as a cost driver, e.g. Nokia's new innovations to reduce energy cost and carbon footprint.

Enterprise sales of mobile devices grew 40 to 50% in 2008. Data plans for corporate cell phones, downloaded apps, management and control are attributes of this market segment.

Location is starting to be combined with other mobile applications and services.

What didn't happen in 2008

IMS based services for multi-media streaming

Mobile advertising didn't grow as fast as expected

Network operator monetization of new content has proved difficult

WiMAX did not take off as expected

Mobile web 2.0 did not happen as expected

Wireless environment for VCs and Wireless Start-ups

Tim Chang of Norwest Venture Partners opined that, "wireless has become a graveyard for venture capital investors." This was probably because of the inability of the VCs to cash out of their investments with no exit strategy forthcoming. One panelist stated that $45M (average) exit price for wireless start-up companies- a far cry from the dot com boom years. So VCs need to be very cautious. They must carefully consider which wireless start-ups can generate a reasonable ROI and be capital efficient enough to survive on a $3M or $4M burn rate for the next 12 or 18 months.

An opportunity and challenge for VCs is to chose the right technology/ apps for a given country or geographic region. This is because the wireless market is geographically fragmented in terms of how people use data plans and what applications/ services are in demand (e.g. on-line gaming popular in Asia but not in the U.S.). Further, it's very difficult to get an application to work over a variety of wireless network technologies deployed in different countries.

Tim stated that "channel is everything for a mobile company." That implies that sales/distribution channels must be lined up by the successful wireless start-up for their mobile products in development.

2009 Focus Areas for start-ups and VCs

Start-ups should address users pain points, do more with less, get better efficiencies, avoid bleeding edge (new or uncertain) technologies. For example, SK Telecom is avoiding technology companies pursuing white spaces, as they think there are too many uncertainties and unkowns there.

VCs will sacrifice top line growth for companies that can reduce costs are fix pain points, e.g. billing.

Vodafone is looking for companies with "differentiated capabilities for value added Internet services." They are also interested in mobile device innovation, especially screen usability and nex gen human interfaces.

Sofinnova Ventures sees opportunities in LTE for 4G "all IP" networks. Incumbent providers chose LTE (over mobile WiMAX or other BWA technology) to gain continuity and a graceful evolution from their 3G networks.

Norwest Ventures thinks WiMAX missed its market window which is now closed. While LTE is quite promising, they think that the Chinese companies may ultimately dominate the device and equipment markets.

Android in China will be a huge success. China Mobile is planning to give away Android phones sometime in 2009, according to Tim Chang of Norwest.

Cisco Responds to Harsh Business Climate- Plant Closure, HP Competition, WiMAX systems integration

ajwdct — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:56:00 GMT

Summary:

This has been a somewhat of a watershed week for Cisco. By announcing the year end (US and Canadian) office closures the company has acknowledged that its business will be depressed and cost savings is in order. In addition to the lower sales and earnings forecast, Cisco is facing competition from ProCurve- a fast growing HP business unit that has increased market share in the $20 billion market for local area network and wireless switches. That market provides the bulk of Cisco’s revenues and profits. Cisco is also looking at how it can leverage its server virtualization and automation tool kit to get more business in the nex gen enterprise data center market. Finally, Cisco has entered the systems integration business by agreeing to build a new mobile WiMAX network in Malaysia with YTL e-Solutions Berhad (YTLE), a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Berhad. Under that agreement, Cisco will build and integrate YTLE’s WiMAX core network - which includes IP CORE, Operating Support Systems, Billing Systems, Proactive Network Operating Center (PNOC), and Interoperability Testing labs - to help YTL quickly operationalize and launch new services. This type of collaboration is a change in Cisco’s business model - from network equipment provider to systems integrator.

The individual news items follow:

Cisco to close shop for 4 days to save money

"Given the difficult macroeconomic conditions, we believe our cost control focus at this time is appropriate, while still providing our partners and customers with critical services over the holiday period," the company said

http://blogs.cisco.com/news/comments/managing_in_a_challenging_economy

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10107912-92.html?tag=mncol\\

H.P. Unit Sheds Stepchild Status to Take on Cisco

HP has nurtured its ProCurve business from a few hundred million dollars in annual sales to about $1 billion. It is now H.P.’s second-most-profitable business and one of its fastest-growing. Now H.P. is directly attacking Cisco in a bid to capture a larger chunk of the $20 billion market for local area network and wireless switches. "H.P. has declared war," said Mark Fabbi, a networking analyst at the research firm Gartner. "H.P. has the potential to completely change the dynamics of the networking industry."

H.P.’s network hardware revenue had grown 40 percent over the last two quarters, cementing the company’s position as the No. 2 player in the market. H.P., based in Palo Alto, Calif., now accounts for 7 percent market share by revenue, compared with Cisco’s 77 percent.

Westminster College in Fulton, Mo., has switched to H.P. as a supplier. "A lot of people in the industry say that Cisco has a certain arrogance," said Scott Lowe, the college’s chief information officer. "With real competition in the marketplace, I think you will see there is a desire for people to get away from that arrogance."

Some of Cisco’s strongest critics are hardware resellers. They are hoping that a muscular competitor like H.P. will place pressure on Cisco to give them more favorable sales and services terms. Although Cisco itself makes about 70 percent gross profit margins on its LAN switching gear, the resellers "can’t make any money on Cisco," said Brad Reese, who sells refurbished Cisco equipment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/technology/companies/25hewlett.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=HP%20%20challenges%20Cisco&st=cse

Data Center 3.0 and Tightening Budgets

Enterprise customers may see opportunity in the turmoil by using Cisco’s tools (virtualization, automation, clouds, etc) to let them cut costs and still strategically invest in their data center business.

http://blogs.cisco.com/datacenter/comments/data_center_30_and_tightening_budgets/

YTLE Enters a Strategic Collaboration with Cisco to Launch WiMAX Core Network in Malaysia

YTL e-Solutions Berhad (YTLE), a subsidiary of YTL Corporation Berhad, entered a strategic collaboration with Cisco Services Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Cisco) to establish its WiMAX core network in Peninsular Malaysia. Under the agreement, Cisco will build and integrate YTLE’s WiMAX core network - which includes IP CORE, Operating Support Systems, Billing Systems, Proactive Network Operating Center (PNOC), and Interoperability Testing labs - to help YTL quickly operationalize and launch new services. The business relationship is in line with YTLE’s goal to provide mobile internet services nationwide.

Upon the nationwide commercial service launch in 2009, Malaysians in both urban and rural areas will be able to simultaneously enjoy 4G converged services - mobile voice, data and video with full mobility, using personal WiMAX mobile devices over the YTLE’s WiMAX network.

"We have chosen Cisco because of its proven expertise and leadership globally in IP CORE network technology and experience in setting up PNOC. We need a technology partner that can enable a fast and efficient WiMAX core network establishment. Cisco has proven it with their innovative and leading-edge IP technology solutions," said Executive Chairman and Managing Director, YTL e-Solutions Berhad, YBhg. Tan Sri (Dr) Francis Yeoh. "Together with Cisco, YTLE will create a WiMAX centre of excellence in Malaysia to become a world destination for WiMAX technology development," he added.

According to Cisco Executive Vice President, Services & Chief Globalization Officer, Wim Elfrink, "This collaborative model is a first for Cisco, and demonstrates how governments and technology leaders can together provide the network as a ‘fourth utility’ for delivering services that enhance business productivity and quality of life. By enabling the mobile Internet, YTLE and Cisco are helping to enhance the global competitiveness of Malaysia and its citizens." Elfrink added that this new type of collaborative relationship illustrates how Cisco is innovating with new business models adapted to the diverse needs of customers worldwide.

YTLE plans to deliver affordable WiMAX packages with fast, wide coverage and always-connected mobile internet services that will cater to and complement the personal and business communication needs of consumers as well as the enterprise community.

YTL e-Solutions Berhad (YTLE) is listed on the Mesdaq Market of the Bursa Malaysia. Through its subsidiary, Y-Max Networks Sdn Bhd, it holds a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) licence for a 2.3 GHz wireless broadband access spectrum, which was awarded by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to roll out a nationwide WiMAX network in Peninsular Malaysia.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2008/prod_112708.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/YTLE-Enters-a-Strategic-Collaboration/story.aspx?guid=%7B87348687-CA1B-4811-868B-42F34702EDF3%7D

Network Congestion prompts MLB.COM to Prevent Customers from watching live games!

ajwdct — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:49:00 GMT

Internet congestion is very real. The amount of end to end video file sharing, uploads, downloads and streaming is overtaxing the net and causing providers to break their customer guarantees/ SLAs.

On August 6th, I received bogus blackout messages for each live mlb.com game I tried to watch. This was independent of the streaming speed (I'm a premium subscriber that usually watches at 1.2Mb/sec). When I tried to access a different game, I received a page with this message: "You've reached this page in error." When I entered my zip code=95050, I got a messsage back indicating that I was blacked out for SF and Oakland. But I was not trying to watch either of those teams!

When I called tech support, I was told there was a mismatch between my IP address (in San Jose, CA) and the games I was trying to watch. That seems to be a huge software error in the MLB.com server. Then the tech said that "during periods of network congestion users sometimes get bogus blackout messages." Finally, he had me remove and re-install a new version of the Silverlite media player. That seemed to fix the problem, but why? Is there a software bug in the previous version of Silverlite and if so, will the new version fix the problem (e.g. by allowing for a deeper playback buffer? I just checked the mlbsupport forum and another user complained about the exact same false blackout problem.

http://www.mlbsupport.com/forum/

For a more thorough analysis of Internet congestion and bandwidth breakdowns, please visit:

http://www.viodi.com

Charles Babbage, ‘Irascible Genius’ and Computer Designer

ajwdct — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Doron Swade’s Computer History Museum Lecture on Charles Babbage and his Engines -May 10, 2008 at the Opening of the Babbage Exhibit at the Museum-

Alan J. Weissberger

IEEE Sr. Member and Program Chair IEEE ComSoc SCV

Disclaimer: All opinions, inferences and conclusions expressed in the article are that of noted Babbage authority Doron Swade, who presented the lecture. Dr. Swade later clarified various aspects of his talk as well as the construction of Babbage Difference Engine 2 at the London Museum of Science, where he was responsible for its construction and a documentary video.

Overview

Charles Babbage (1791-1871) was famous for inventing computing machines in the mid 19^th century, yet failing to build any of them. He was not the only one who didn’t succeed. Inspired by this high echelon member of British society, others tried and failed to build the computing machines Babbage conceived. This was in an age where various frivolous types of machines (many with no practical functions) were actually built. What was the significance of Babbage’s machines and why weren’t they completed in his lifetime?

Difference Engines 1 and 2[1] were strictly calculators that crunched numbers via repeated additions. The results were envisioned to improve the accuracy of many mathematical tables (e.g. maritime tables used by navigators at sea), which were calculated manually and therefore prone to human error. Babbage also saw his Difference Engines as a new technology of mathematics. This was a central interest for him. Human errors in mathematical calculations and tables achieved prominence both as the jumping off point and also as a device of persuasion when he was seeking financial support to build Difference Engine No. 1.

The second machine, known as an Analytical Engine, is much more than a calculator. It marks the progression from the mechanized arithmetic of calculation to general-purpose computation -with a program store separated from the processing unit. In light of subsequent developments in modern computing, the features incorporated in the Analytical Engine design show astonishing prescience (those features are detailed in the Analytical Engine section, which appears later in this article).

The first realized Babbage machine was Difference Engine No. 2. It was completed at the London Museum of Science in 2002, 153 years after Babbage designed it. Difference Engine No. 2 was faithfully built to the original drawings. It consists of 8,000 parts, weighs five tons, and measures 11 feet long. A duplicate of that machine was constructed in March 2008 (also in London) and was shipped to the Computer History Museum (CHM) in Mountain View, CA where it is on exhibit until May 2009. Sadly, the Analytical Engine was never completed.

To kick off the CHM Babbage exhibit on May 10^th, 2008 approximately 550 people attended a very well received afternoon lecture by Doron Swade, which is described below. The panel provides a simplified description of the exhibit.

Why Weren’t the Difference Engines Built?

The reason given in most popular accounts for the failure to build the Difference Engines was the limitation of the Victorian age tools (e.g. cylinder cocks and levers, picks for probes, etc) that were to be employed in the construction of the machines. But there is no historical evidence for this “technology limitation” theory, if this is taken to mean that he was unable to manufacture parts with sufficient precision for the calculating machines to work when assembled.

In fact, no one at that time had warned that these calculating machines could not be built. Many other machines- some of them useless- were in fact built using those same Victorian era mechanical parts and tools. Instead, there were a myriad other factors contributing to the failure to physically realize the Difference Engines. These included: an argument with his lead engineer over worker compensation, run-away costs, muddled financial arrangements, wrangling with a changing British government for funding, and a resulting discontinuity of negotiations over funding and construction.

Perhaps, Babbage’s personality had more to do with the failure to complete the Difference Engines then the underlying technology of the time. Known by his first biographer as the “irascible genius,” Babbage had lots of pride and hubris. He behaved as though being right entitled him to be rude. His quarrels with the British government and with chief engineer Joseph Clement might have doomed the project from being completed. When Clement resigned in March 1833, the practical construction of Difference Engine No. 1 stopped –11 years after it was conceived. Negotiations with the British government continued, but funding was finally axed in 1842. Difference Engine No. 2 was conceived and designed between 1846 and 1849 – long after the design of the (never completed) Analytical Engine.

Regrettably, none of these three machines were built in their entirety in Babbage’s lifetime. Only decades later did we recognize the potential and power of the underlying machine architectures, which were independently “re-discovered” by later day computer pioneers.

Fundamental Concepts and Features of the Difference Engines

Babbage was first motivated by an urge to create more accurate mathematical tables. Some argued that absolutely correct maritime tables were needed to improve ship safety and result in fewer shipwrecks. Babbage wrote that machines could more accurately do the low level calculations needed to produce correct tables.

Difference Engine No. 1. was based on the method of finite differences. This technique was well known at the time and used by humans in the calculation of mathematical tables. The basic concept was for the machine to use repeated additions to perform mathematical calculations that would effectively replace multiplication and division that had been done by hand. For example, finding the value of a polynomial requires evaluating each of its terms, which typically requires multiplication and/or division. But those operations could be accomplished by successive additions in the Difference Engine. Babbage envisioned the machine to be able to evaluate polynomials, find the n^th term of a series, and evaluate various types of mathematical expressions. So the application of the results had potentially wide use.

Babbage designed Difference Engine No. 2 between 1846 and 1849. It was to be an improved version of the original Difference Engine No. 1 machine. This Engine calculates with numbers thirty-one digits long and can tabulate any polynomial up to the seventh order. The design was elegantly simple and required three times fewer parts than Difference Engine No. 1 for similar computing power. No. 2 was planned to calculate and tabulate polynomials, printing results in hard copy and producing stereotype molds for plates intended for use in conventional printing presses.

There were many features of these two Difference Engines that can be explicitly recognized in modern computers. These include:

- parallel operation

- microprogramming

- pipelining

- digital control

- pulse shaping

- binary latching

- polling (of the binary latches)

- input/output

The Analytical Engine

Not at all discouraged by lack of success in building Difference Engine No. 1., Babbage talked with Ada Lovelace in 1834[2] about building a new type of machine that would be much more general purpose and programmable (via punched cards read by a mechanical card reader). The use of punched cards was an idea borrowed from the “Jacquard loom” used for weaving complex patterns in textiles.

Programmability, as well as other modern era computing principles, were embodied in the design for the Analytical Engine (see list below). One of the most visionary aspects of the Analytical Engine was an internal architecture that separated the “memory” from the “processor.” Using descriptions borrowed from the textile industry, Babbage called the memory “the store,” and the processor “the mill.” The separation of store and mill foreshadowed von Neumann’s stored program machine scheme, which is used in all computer architectures in the electronic era (including PCs, microprocessors and calculators). Yet, the Analytical Engine was not to be a true stored program machine. Its designs do not feature facilities for internally storing programs. Instead, instruction sequences as well as data were to be held externally on pasteboard punched cards and input from mechanical card readers.

Recognizable modern day computing features[3] found in the Analytical Engine included:

- programmable using punched cards

- internal architecture - separation of Store and Mill (Memory and CPU)

- serial fetch execute cycle

- parallel bus

- Input/Output (I/O)

- conditional branching (IF ... THEN ...)

- iterative looping

- microprogramming

- internal repertoire of automatic functions

- 50-100 digit precision

- parallel processing

- hardcopy and graphics output

Curiously, Babbage never made a serious attempt at building this machine. He did, however, advise the British government to switch funding from Difference Engine No. 1. to the more general purpose Analytical Engine. When the British government was reluctant to do so, Babbage looked for funding from abroad. It would not be forthcoming.

Panel 1. Complete Construction of Difference Engine No. 2.

It took the London Science museum 17 years to complete the construction of Difference Engine No. 2. Originally proposed in 1985 as a piece meal project, it was finally completed in 2002. The complete construction of Engine No. 2., using modern parts made to a 19th-century design confirms Babbage's reputation as a designer of formidable ingenuity. It also demonstrates that achievable precision was not a limiting factor in Babbage's failures, as many had later claimed. We can now say with some confidence that had Babbage built this Difference Engine, it would have worked.

The working Babbage Difference Engine No. 2. was completed in 2002 and is currently on public display at the London Science Museum. A duplicate Difference Engine No. 2 and Printer were completed in London in March 2008 for a private benefactor of the project, Nathan Myhrvold, formerly Chief Technology Officer and Group VP at Microsoft. Dr. Myhrvold has generously agreed to lend it to the Computer History Museum (CHM), Mountain View, California, where it will be displayed and demonstrated until May 2009.

Panel 2. Overview of the Difference Engine No. 2. Exhibit at the CHM[4]

As noted in this article, Difference Engine No. 2 was designed between 1846 and 1849, but was completed in 2002 at the London Museum of Science. The duplicate 2008 built machine, now on exhibit at the Computer History Museum, weighs 5 metric tons. It consists of 8,000 parts in bronze, cast iron and steel that are equally divided (approximately 4000 each) between the calculating section and the printing/stereotyping apparatus. The machine is shown in Figure 1.

Difference Engine No. 2 is manually operated. During scheduled CHM exhibit demonstrations, a museum docent turns the crank handle, which starts the Engine in motion. Continuous turning of the crank is required, which takes a considerable amount of effort and energy by the docent. One calculation result is produced every six seconds.

As the calculating section produces each new result, it is transferred via a system of racks and connecting shafts to the type wheels of the printer, where an inked record is made on a paper roll for checking purposes. From there, a second set of racks transfers the value to the stereotype punches which impress a record in soft material in the stereotype trays, forming a mold for the subsequent casting of a printing plate.

Note: The technical description of the Difference Engine calculation process is beyond the scope of this article. The interested reader is referred to reference [1] for the authoritative details.

The crank handle also drives the printer and stereotype apparatus, which is shown in Figure 2.

The stereotyping apparatus is quite ingenuous. It includes an elaborate programmable formatting mechanism to control the layout of the printed page. The “programming” is done by selection of cams to control various parameters: whether results are presented row-wise or column-wise, the number, or rows and columns per page, the width and spacing of rows and columns and the font size. After each result is punched in the mould, the tray is automatically repositioned under the punches by the power of falling weights to the correct position to receive the next result, without any impact on the speed of calculation. [These features would have been critical to producing stereotype moulds that would be used directly to produce parts of a final printing plate.]

The official CHM video, which forms part of the Babbage exhibit, includes a computer graphic simulation of the printer apparatus. That video was commissioned by Doron Swade while at the London Science Museum in 1990. Dr Swade was kind enough to give permission for a once-only use by CHM in this movie

http://youtube.com/watch?v=KBuJqUfO4-w

An earlier Difference Engine lecture by Doron Swade is available at:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7K5p_tBcrd0

References:

I. Web links:

http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/

http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/charlesbabbage/

http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/engines/

http://www.maxmon.com/1822ad.htm

http://babbagedifferenceengine.googlepages.com/

II. Articles and Books:

1. Swade, Doron, The construction of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2.; Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE Volume 27, Issue 3, July-Sept. 2005 Page(s): 70 - 88

2. Swade, Doron, The Cogwheel Brain: Charles Babbage and the Quest to Build the First Computer. London: Little, Brown, 2000.

3. Swade, Doron, The 'Unerring Certainty of Mechanical Agency': Machines and Table Making in the Nineteenth Century. The History of Mathematical Tables: From Sumer to Spreadsheets, Edited by Martin Campbell-Kelly, et al. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. Page(s): 143-74.

4. Swade, Doron, Redeeming Charles Babbage's Mechanical Computer, Scientific American. February (1993): Page(s): 86-91.

5. Swade, Doron, It will not Slice a Pineapple-Charles Babbage and the first computer, Swade, D.; IEE Review Volume 37, Issue 6, 20 June 1991 Page(s): 217 - 220

6. Bromley, A.G., Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine 1838, Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE Volume 20, Issue 4, Oct.-Dec. 1998 Page(s): 29 - 45

7. Grattan-Guinness, Charles Babbage as an Algorithmic Thinker, I.; Annals of the History of

Computing, IEEE Volume 14, Issue 3, 1992 Page(s): Page(s): 34 – 48

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Tim Robinson, CHM Sr. Docent, for providing the text that accurately describes the stereotyping apparatus in the second Panel. We’d also like to thank Marcin Wichary for the two superb photos he took of the CHM Babbage exhibit which appear in this article.

Explanation of Footnotes

[1] Difference Engines Numbers 1 and 2 were not designed one after another. In particular, Difference Engine No. 2 was designed after the Analytical Engine. They are discussed together for logical grouping purposes, even though they were not designed in chronological order.

[2] “To Dream Tomorrow,” a documentary movie on Ada Lovelace, shown May 10, 2008 at the CHM, Mt View, CA

[3] Babbage did not use these terms, which had not yet been invented at the time.

[4] Reference [1] is a summary article with short overview panels containing technical descriptions no longer than a page each. The 'complete' (i.e. most comprehensive) technical description published to date (60,000 words long) is found in the following reference: Swade, Doron. Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No.2: Technical Description: Science Museum Papers in the History of Technology, 1996. Reference [3] describes how the results of the Babbage Engine calculations could be used to construct Mathematical Tables.

Telecom News Summary (sent to members of IEEE ComSoc-SCV Discussion List)

ajwdct — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:40:00 GMT

This issue has lots of carrier related news. Our lead story is China’s announced restructuring of their telecom sector. Emerging market countries are also in the spotlight as they are where most network build-outs are taking place.

Please let me know what topics are of interest to you.

alan@viodi.com

I. Overseas (non-U.S.) Telecom News

China unveils long awaited telecommunications restructuring plan

China unveiled its plan for restructuring the telecommunications sector, ending a long entrenched separation of mobile and fixed line services. The move, in response to the rapid growth of mobile phone operations but relatively stagnant business of fixed line operators, will also reduce the number of major players in the sector from four to three. Two smaller operators will also disappear.

China said the plan is aimed at creating three competitors of roughly comparable strength, while cutting telecommunications costs, avoiding duplicate network construction and boosting phone penetration nationwide. The 3G licenses will be granted after the reorganization has been completed. The announcement ends a long wait for Chinese and international operators and telecoms equipment manufacturers, who have for years strained to decipher regulators’ intentions for a fast-growing market that now boasts over 900m subscribers.

Under the scheme, the two networks operated by number-two wireless telco China Unicom are to be divided, with its CDMA operations sold to leading fixed-line operator China Telecom and its GSM network to be merged with trailing fixed-line company China Netcom. Officials have sought to reduce the number of operators before the introduction of 3G to avoid unnecessary investment in new national networks.

The FT newspaper (LEX column) states: "The restructuring itself, designed to create a more level playing field, could be bad news for China Mobile."

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/05/24/afx5045567.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9c5a9cd6-2a82-11dd-b40b-000077b07658.html

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/89637268-28a4-11dd-96ce-000077b07658.html

Follow on story: China pushes home-grown telecom technology

China has ordered “strong support” for the development and use of domestic technology in its telecoms industry amid a restructuring of the country’s telephone operators and the approaching launch of third-generation wireless services.

The demand for greater favorable treatment for domestic products highlights China’s determination to leverage its status as one of the world’s most important telecoms markets and ensure it is at the forefront of technology development. It also has implications for international telecoms equipment vendors that face increasing competition both within China and overseas from Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE.

In a statement at the weekend, the government said its planned re-organization of telecom operators should be accompanied by a raft of measures to promote home-grown technology.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9d35c676-2a82-11dd-b40b-000077b07658.html

Intel invests in WiMax roll-out in Malaysia

Backgrounder: Intel has invested billions of dollars in 30 WiMax operators and infrastructure providers in the last few years, including $1bn of the $3.2bn that a consortium of companies is investing in a new venture in the US run by Sprint and Clearwire.

Intel will invest $16 million to help Malaysia's Green Packet Berhad develop the country's maiden nationwide high-speed WiMAX network, the chip maker announced. The company plans to launch its WiMAX broadband service in June.

This matches Intel’s business model, which Chairman Craig Barrett described as “built around internet and rich content”. Malaysia will be a “good test-bed” for WiMax because it combines emerging and sophisticated markets, and on account of the government’s “forward-looking and aggressive” attitude to the internet access, Mr Barrett said. “Rich content needs more processing power, so you need more connectivity and bandwidth to communicate back and forth,” he said. “It’s not that we’re tied to WiMax, it’s that we’re tied to continually increasing the bandwidth and connectivity.”

Mr Barrett acknowledged that, while WiMax will be relevant in mature markets for mobile connectivity, it is likely to be more successful in emerging markets that do not have widespread fixed line broadband infrastructure. (We have been saying this for some time).

Green Packet, listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange, plans to launch its WiMax network next month in Malaysia through its subsidiary Packet One. It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the project and is aiming for its network to cover 25 per cent of Malaysia’s population by the end of the year. Three other Malaysian companies are due to follow within months.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/19/business/AS-TEC-Malaysia-Intel-WiMAX.php

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4063c8fa-262f-11dd-9c95-000077b07658.html

Bharti Airtel walks away from MTN- Reliance Group knocking on the door

Bharti Airtel, India’s largest mobile operator, has broken off talks with MTN, the South African telecoms group, dashing hopes for a deal that sought to forge one of the world’s biggest emerging market telecoms alliances.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2696cabc-29d1-11dd-b92c-000077b07658.html

Reliance Group, one of India’s largest telecom players, is speaking with MTN about a merger, but putting a deal together will not be easy. Reliance's market value of $27.5 billion is about $10 billion less than MTN's, and it has about 20 million fewer customers.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/25/technology/telecom.php

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7e5d477c-2a70-11dd-b40b-000077b07658.html

Vodafone in Mobile Internet Struggle

Vodafone is likely to undertake more acquisitions to beef up its Internet services for mobile phone customers, according to people familiar with the situation.

Though the scale of the initial purchases will probably be small, Arun Sarin, Vodafone chief executive, is hoping to calm fears that the world’s largest mobile operator could lose out in the scramble over the mobile internet. Vodafone this month made its maiden wireless internet deal by agreeing to pay £25m for Zyb, a Danish social networking company.

Its annual results will underline how the mobile Internet is starting to make a significant contribution to its revenue as the company joins a number of large groups that are fighting it out to establish leading positions in mobile services.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b32523b2-2a7a-11dd-b40b-000077b07658.html

Invasion of Privacy? BT trials to track web surfers

BT will shortly begin trials of an advertising technology that could have profound implications for the Internet economy and online privacy. BT will use technology from Phorm, to track the web-surfing habits of its internet users to enable it to target advertising more tightly.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2399fa82-28ff-11dd-96ce-000077b07658.html

BCE buy-out deal appears to be collapsing- no white knight in sight

BCE deal is in trouble- it appears that only the Canadian government can save this huge buyout. Telus (the 2^nd largest Canadian telecom provider) will likely wait for the dust to settle in the drama of BCE and its $34.8-billion buyout before making a new bid.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080524.RTELUS24/TPStory/Business

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=af86485b-37d6-454d-a5fa-83cb763ab52d

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/money/story.html?id=8df8d848-e1b5-4d78-9fdb-4690ed384ac8

Cable & Wireless mulls spinoffs to realize value

Global telecom provider Cable & Wireless will weigh whether it should shed some of its core businesses this year to unlock the full value of the company, executives said Thursday, but they added the U.K.-based company has several other options including selling off parts of the business or aligning its groups to return capital to shareholders.

In its latest earnings report, the company said revenue was down, but earnings rose as part of C&W's strategy to focus on high-quality long-term contracts.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/cable--wireless-considers-demerger-options-832869.html

Alcatel-Lucent inks Vodafone service deal

Vodafone U.K. and Alcatel-Lucent have agreed to a five-year deal under which the equipment maker will oversee and improve a number of the cell phone provider's technical platforms, the companies announced. Alcatel-Lucent will work on Vodafone's Intelligent Network and Core Applications (INCA) platform and standardize other systems within the company.

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/31346.php

China Netcom subsidiary awards contract to Alcatel-Lucent

Alcatel-Lucent will supply the next-generation network to Beijing Netcom in the Chinese capital, the telecom-equipment company has announced, adding that the China Netcom subsidiary will offer video telephony.

http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/05/22/afx5038275.html

Deutsche investigates spying allegations

René Obermann, Deutsche Telekom chief executive, admitted the company was investigating allegations that the German telecommunications group had illegally used client telephone data to spy on its own top managers and on journalists.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5312b576-2a83-11dd-b40b-000077b07658.html

II. U.S. Telecom News

AT&T CFO: Business will lead economic rebound

AT&T’s CFO Rick Lindner told Reuters that he thinks the U.S. economy will begin to recover in the second half of the year, but the improvement will be fueled by the business sector and not by consumers. Citing mortgage issues and the high price of oil, Lindner reportedly said he expects it will take a bit longer for consumers to work through the economic downturn.

Despite reports of a rebound, Linder said AT&T still hasn’t seen any sign of slowdown in its wireless business.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/electionsNews/idUKN2231040420080523

AT&T: On target for completion of 3G cell network by June- HSUPA and HSDPA

AT&T says that it will complete deployment by next month of its high-speed uplink packet access technology, which provides upload speeds of 800 kbps and download speeds of 1.4 Mbps. The company said six markets still needed to be connected to the 3G mobile-wireless system.

AT&T will install the software upgrade in its final six markets next month, extending HSUPA to its entire 3G footprint of 275 markets. AT&T has been rolling out HSUPA quietly over the last year, simultaneously expanding its HSDPA footprint while upgrading previously launched markets with HSUPA. By year end, AT&T expects to have the bulk of its nationwide 3G network completed by year end, covering 350 markets.

The new uplink capacity will allow AT&T to launch peer-to-peer and real-time interactive services that require a hefty return channel. Like its CDMA counterpart, EV-DO Revision A, HSUPA adds both the upstream capacity and low latency necessary to support applications like VoIP, videoconferencing and multiplayer gaming. Sprint is using its Rev. A network to extend its Next Direct Connect service to its CDMA customers by turning the push-to-talk sessions into VoIP sessions. AT&T’s ambitions for HSUPA—at least for now—appear to be more modest. In its announcement, AT&T indicated it would initially position the service as a faster peer-to-peer and file-upload option for its laptop broadband users.

http://telephonyonline.com/wireless/news/att-nears-completion-0521/

Dan Hesse: Sprint in "third inning" of rebuild

Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse says the company has made strides in overcoming its operational and financial problems, telling an interviewer that Sprint was "in the third inning" of its overhaul. One example of improvement he pointed to was making employees more personally responsible for how customers are treated. The jury is still out on those moves. Sprint lost 1.1 million subscribers in the first quarter and ranked last among the biggest wireless companies in a customer satisfaction survey.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/20/AR2008052001596.html

Level 3 back on track after provisioning stumble

The carrier’s carrier is working to regain its wholesale edge after overcoming a hang-up in provisioning that cut its sales last year. Reports from its top competitor, Cogent Communications, suggest that Level 3's efforts are resulting in lower prices. (Wholesale pricing for services to other carriers.)

“It sounds like provisioning is no longer an issue for [Level 3], so they’re trying to get back in the game and rev up the sales pipeline, and the easiest place to do it is in the wholesale market, where they’re well-known and respected,” said Donna Jaegers, an analyst with Janco Partners. “And Level 3’s never been shy about playing the price card.”

Level 3 is likely being most aggressive with wholesale pricing among customers that are on its network, since the relatively low cost to connect them means it can afford to drop prices. Where the carrier would need to buy a local loop from the incumbent carrier to connect, it is less likely to be willing to go as low.

http://telephonyonline.com/access/news/level-comes-back-0522/

Chambers: Collaborative tools key to Cisco future

Development of such Web 2.0 applications as TelePresence videoconferencing are critical to Cisco Systems' survival, CEO John Chambers said Tuesday as he described how collaborative efforts inside the company almost failed. Chambers said that Web 2.0 voice and video tools like unified-communications services were the most important elements of intra-company collaborative efforts.

Chambers' preferred methods of communicating, he said, are text messages and video. Beyond collaborating internally, Chambers said he's doing more virtual meetings. He already travels physically to many countries throughout the year, but with telepresence he said he will double the number of customers he speaks with while doing half his customary travel.

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/052108-chambers-web-2.html

Motorola Struggles to Stay Relevant

Motorola’s reversal of fortune has been striking. The Schaumburg, Ill., company shipped about 27 million handsets during the first quarter of 2008, putting its share of the global market below 10 percent — a plunge from its 22 percent market share in 2006, when its Razr flip phone was a top seller. Motorola also has something of an image problem with its customers, particularly wireless carriers like Verizon Wireless and AT&T that got burned when the company did not deliver promised phones on time.

“The question is, ‘What is the game plan?’ ” said Walter Piecyk, a managing director at Pali Research, an independent research firm in New York. “Motorola needs to decide what it wants to be. You can’t just keep saying, ‘I promise to come out with better phones.’ That is not enough these days.” Roger Entner, Sr. VP at IAG Research had this to say: “With Motorola, no one knows what is in the design pipeline. It’s like a black hole.”

“There is no shortage of smart people there,” said Jeffrey K. Belk, a former senior vice president for strategy at Qualcomm, who worked closely with Motorola executives. “What is changing is the environment around them.” Mr. Entner put it more bluntly: “That company suffers from a culture of failure.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/technology/24motorola.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Motorola++&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Google Lobbies FCC to free up TV White Spaces for wireless Internet use

In DC, Google Co-Founder Larry Page expressed “concern” over a possible missed opportunity for the country to use unused TV airwaves for wireless Internet access. Called “white spaces,” the FCC has been testing the viability of using the unused portions of spectrum for wireless access. Page reportedly said white spaces represent a much better technology for blanketing the country with wireless Internet than Wi-Fi, as they have much longer range.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/Google-Lobbies-White-Spaces.aspx

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6563360.html?industryid=48696

Google's "dark fiber" won't be used by Clearwire for WiMAX backhaul

Google said its $500 million backing of Clearwire's planned Mobile WiMAX network is not a sign that the carrier will use Google's dark -- or unused -- fiber to reduce the cost of connecting Clearwire's cell sites to the wired Internet. A Google spokesman said its funding was purely for investment reasons rather than for getting involved in its network infrastructure.

http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=154249

AT&T opens 17,000 hotspots to its 3G wireless subscribers

AT&T will allow its 3G data-service customers to access the Internet free via its Wi-Fi network at its 17,000 U.S. hotspots, the company announced Tuesday. It opened the offer to Laptop Connect subscribers, who pay at least $60 a month for data over its HSDPA and EDGE networks.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9948890-7.html

Verizon: Video Broadcast (not IPTV) integral part of FiOS

Verizon Communications is in no hurry to switch its FiOS service to an IP-based architecture because its offering is fully supported by the broadcast model. "It would have to be a situation where there's something we couldn't support on our broadcast wavelengths," said Vincent O'Byrne, director of access technologies at Verizon. "Also if we found ourselves moving more and more features to the 1490, that would be the biggest rationale, because as you go to the 1490, you're using bandwidth that you could use for other items."

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=154049

Municipalities face risk when taking own path to broadband

More than a dozen small cities and towns have decided to take on the broadband cause themselves by building fiber networks, although, according to this article, some municipalities fail to realize the expense related to essaying such a project alone. The efforts highlight a battle over Internet policy in the U.S. Once the undisputed leader in the technological revolution, the U.S. now lags a growing number of countries in the speed, cost and availability of high-speed Internet. While cable and telecom companies are spending billions to upgrade their service, they're focusing their efforts mostly on larger U.S. cities for now.

Smaller ones such as Chattanooga say they need to fill the vacuum themselves or risk falling further behind and losing highly-paid jobs. Chattanooga's city-owned electric utility began offering ultrafast Internet service to downtown business customers five years ago. Now it plans to roll out a fiber network to deliver TV, high-speed Internet and phone service to some 170,000 customers. The city has no choice but to foot the bill itself for a high-speed network -- expected to cost $230 million -- if it wants to remain competitive in today's global economy, says Harold DePriest, the utility's chief executive officer.

It's a risky bet. Some municipal Internet efforts, including wireless projects known as Wi-Fi, have failed in recent months. EarthLink Inc. confirmed last week it was pulling the plug on its wireless partnership with Philadelphia. A number of towns have abandoned a municipal fiber initiative in Utah, called Utopia, amid financial difficulties.

The latest efforts have aroused intense opposition from private-sector providers. Cable and telecom companies have successfully lobbied 15 state legislatures to pass laws preventing municipalities from entering the broadband business. Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and other cable and telecom providers have also filed lawsuits against existing projects, arguing they're an improper use of taxpayer money and amount to unfair competition. In Chattanooga, Comcast sued the city's utility late last month in Hamilton County Chancery Court.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121115846391602439.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Vermont to build wireless Internet network for rural areas

Under legislative mandate to bring high-speed Internet to rural sections of the state, the Vermont Telecommunications Authority plans to tap a $40 million bond issue to build hundreds of towers for wireless Web and cell-phone service. But some critics, such as state Rep. Jim Masland, say fiber optic would be a better choice.

http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080517/NEWS02/805170325/1003/NEWS02

Embarq Launches IP-MPLS Virtual Private Network (VPN) Service

EMBARQ (x-Sprint-Local) has announced the availability of its MPLS VPN, claiming it's what their business customers want from a network.

Along with enhancing network management with in-network routing, officials said, the service also boosts security and service quality for multimedia streaming applications like Voice over IP (VoIP) and video. EMBARQ's MPLS VPN supports multiple protocols and access options, and it also can include network management. Moreover, it can be used to deliver “any type of network traffic,” and the packages are scalable to “fit any customer’s needs.”

http://ipvpn.tmcnet.com/topics/ipvpn/articles/28943-embarq-intros-ip-based-virtual-private-network-service.htm

III. Miscellaneous News

Global Dreams for a Wireless Web

FON, a company based in Madrid, Spain, wants to unlock the potential power of the social Internet. FON’s gamble is that Internet users will share a portion of their wireless connection with strangers in exchange for access to wireless hotspots controlled by others.

The swaps, in theory, would allow “Foneros” to have ubiquitous, global wireless access while traveling for business or pleasure. But despite $55.2 million in backing from such corporate heavyweights as Google and BT, the former British Telecom, as well as newer enterprises like Skype and a handful of venture capital firms, FON and Mr. Varsavsky are still missing a crucial ingredient: scale.

At the moment, there are just 830,000 registered “Foneros” around the world, and only 340,000 active Wi-Fi hotspots run FON software. Because it’s built upon the concept of sharing WiFi access, FON works well only if there are “Foneros” everywhere.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/technology/25web.html

Femtocell standards pass key approval hurdle

Members of the Femto Forum have agreed on a body of standards covering how femtocells should interface with mobile core networks, fueling hopes that final standards can be worked out in a matter of months. The results are expected to allow any femtocell -- small wireless home base stations -- to work with any mobile network.

http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=154459

E-Access (Japan) founder predicts LTE will win the 4G race

Sachio Semmoto, founder of Japanese broadband Internet and wireless company eAccess Ltd., sees a bright future for Long Term Evolution, especially since large carriers, including Vodafone, Verizon Wireless, China Mobile and NTT DoCoMo, are embracing it.

http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-33690520080521

FCC 700 MHz Auction Postscript: Big loss for US Wireless Network Competition

ajwdct — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:24:00 GMT

FCC 95 MHz safe harbor rule violated. What will they do?

To read this exclusive scoop, with info provided from a well placed anonymous source, go to:

http://viodi.com/2008/04/11/fcc-700-mhz-auction/

Public Safety a Big Loser with Failure of Muni Wireless Networks and the 700MHz D Block Auction

ajwdct — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Motivation for this post: I was interviewed for a McNeil-Lehrer Newshour article on the 700MHz auction, which was published yesterday on their home page.

I tried to emphasize that the failure of the D Block auction (to attract a minimum bid) was a disaster for public safety. Unfortunately, the writer did not include that info in the article. Here's the quote and url:

"No one knows what the other players are going to do, because this spectrum doesn't dictate what wireless technology you use," said Alan J. Weissberger, a Silicon Valley telecommunications consultant with DCT Advisors.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/science/jan-june08/spectrum_03-28.html

and an acknowledgement from my editor at Viodi View:

http://viodi.com/2008/03/28/weissberger/

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public Safety left out in the cold

We have previously written about the Fading Hopes for Muni Wireless networks as well as the failure of the 700MHz D Block (public-private partnership) FCC auction. When you combine these two, one realizes that public safety networks have been left in a frozen state, with no opportunity to upgrade to a more efficient, interoperable network architecture.

To recap: Public safety organizations were a big loser in the FCC auction, as the minimum bid for the D block was not achieved. That combined with the failure of Muni Wireless networks to gain market traction nixes any upgrade plans for public safety wireless nets. Many failed muni WiFi networks, like Wireless Silicon Valley, were intended to provide interoperability amongst public safety organizations (police, fire, municipal govts, etc) which currently run their own private networks, often on different frequencies.

So the failure of the D block auction looms large for public safety organizations. Without public private partnerships for the D block or muni wireless networks serving them, public safety is left with many non- compatible, non- interconnected wireless networks.

Interoperability between public safety organizations are needed at times of regional disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the huge bridge collapse in Minnesota. There are many instances in which joining the disparate public safety networks could save lives of first responders.

We conclude that public safety networks will continue to be a hodge podge of proprietary and non-interconnected offerings unless a white knight appears that will re-initiate public private muni wireless networks. Could Google be that white knight? We don't think so.

Hope Fading for Muni Wireless Networks- Is WiMAX the answer?

ajwdct — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 01:47:00 GMT

The March 22nd NY Times had a front page story describing the sorry state of Muni WiFi networks in the U.S. We long ago suspected that the business model was flawed, but we did not expect that the number of WiFi Access Points on light poles had to be so much larger then originally planned. What kind of network architects designed those networks?

To get the scoop visit:

http://viodi.com/2008/03/23/hope-fading-for-muni-wireless-networks-is-wimax-the-answer/

Has the 700 MHz Auction Been a Failure? Yes and No!

ajwdct — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:01:00 GMT

http://viodi.com/2008/03/03/has-the-700-mhz-auction-been-a-failure/

What do you think?

alan@viodi.com

Are any telecom companies making money? We don't think so- do you disagree?

ajwdct — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:23:00 GMT

Huge loss by SPRINT caps plethara of disappointing telecom news

We do not think SPRINT has the financial resources to complete their WiMAX buildout plans. Instead, the WiMAX unit will likely be spun off, with INTEL, Clearwire, and private equity firms buying it. Even then, the future of WiMAX in the U.S. is in doubt- no roaming, no 700K Hz nation wide network, AT&T and Verizon Wireless passing in favor of LTE-like technologies.

The Siemens restructuring is a most striking transformation- from an enterprise network equipment provider to a software solutions supplier. The Nortel loss is not at all a surprise, as the company has been plagued by accounting irregularities for years. The NY Times states that Nortel’s scope is too broad and is the cause of continuing concern and problems. Metro PCS is attracting subscribers, but there appears to be a cellular price war in the U.S. that has destroyed profit margins. News items are listed below in chronological order- newest news first.

SPRINT posts big loss and stops paying dividend:

Do you really think they’ll complete their WiMAX roll-out on schedule? http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/sprint-posts-big-loss-stop/story.aspx?guid=%7BA733C683%2D1C44%2D4A7C%2D9BFC%2D1AA9218051F3%7D&dist=SecMKTW

Stung by defecting customers and falling sales, Sprint Nextel Corp. on Thursday posted a steep fourth-quarter loss and canceled its dividend "for the foreseeable future."

Sprint has lost tends of thousands of key customers to rivals such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, hurt by poor customer service and lackluster selection of handsets. The company recently hired a new chief executive, Dan Hesse, to fix its ailing wireless division.

Yet Hesse said Sprint is in worse shape than he thought and that the company’s struggles won’t end anytime soon, particularly with the U.S. economy turning south.

Deutsche Telecom Narrows Net Loss

WSJ By ARCHIBALD PREUSCHAT February 29, 2008

BONN — Deutsche Telekom AG posted a narrower fourth-quarter net loss, but results were weighed down by the costs of an early-retirement program to reduce the size of the company’s work force.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Rene Obermann said Deutsche Telekom is getting closer to a deal on a partnership for its business-services unit, T-Systems. "We have made excellent progress in negotiations on the planned partnership and expect to be able to conclude an agreement shortly," Mr. Obermann said, without elaborating.

Mr. Obermann added that Deutsche Telekom is also looking for acquisition targets outside of regions where the company is present. "Acquisitions outside of our footprint are possible," he said. Deutsche Telekom focuses on markets in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe.

MetroPCS Q4 loss widens

MetroPCS reported its fourth quarter and year-end results: Revenue grew 30 percent to $591.1 million, up from $453.1 million last year, but short of analysts’ expected $608 million. During the fourth quarter, MetroPCS posted a loss of $47.2 million, or 14 cents per share. It also took an impairment charge of $83 million to write down the value of auction-rate securities. For more on MetroPCS’ quarter: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080227/earns_metropcs.html?.v=1

Nortel posts a loss and will cut 2,100 more jobs

One day after Siemens announced plans to cut some 3,800 workers and reassign 3,000 others (see 3. below), telecom equipment vendor Nortel said it will cut 2,100 jobs as part of its turnaround efforts. Nortel reported a $957 million loss for 2007, largely because of a huge accounting adjustment. The fourth quarter net loss was $844 million, or $1.70 a share, compared with an $80 million loss this time last year. Revenue fell 3.7 percent for the quarter to $3.2 billion, while the company had expected flat revenue with $100 million wiggle room. The job cuts constitute a 6.2 percent reduction in its global workforce, but it also plans to move some 1,000 jobs to "higher growth and lower cost geographies." Nortel plans to sell some of its real estate assets as well. The changes should help the company save $300 million a year. For more on Nortel’s troubles: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/technology/27cnd-nortel.html?em&ex=1204261200&en=096bee6f25a67bc8&ei=5087%0A http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/technology/28nortel.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Siemens to refocus telecom equipment unit on software solutions

Siemens AG has confirmed reports it plans to lay off about 6,800 workers globally in its enterprise communications equipment business and outsource all manufacturing activities as it transitions the division to a software and services business. The company said its wholly-owned Siemens Enterprise Communications GmBH would eliminate a total of 3,200 positions in Germany and another 3,600 globally with most of the cuts occurring in manufacturing and administrative support. http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206900181 But there’s more……………………………………………

Siemens cuts 6,800 jobs, plans plant sales at Enterprise Telecom Division

Siemens AG, Europe’s biggest engineering company, will cut 6,800 jobs at the corporate telecommunications unit after failing to find a buyer for the division for almost two years. Siemens will eliminate about 3,800 jobs directly, and about 3,000 will be cut by selling factories or setting up partnerships, the Munich-based company said in a statement today. About 3,200 jobs are affected in Germany, according to Siemens. The company will exit manufacturing sites from Germany to Brazil.“Something had to happen as the unit just doesn’t fit into the company’s portfolio anymore,” Michael Bahlmann, an analyst at M.M. Warburg who recommends buying the stock, said in a telephone interview. “The job cuts will hopefully make it easier to sell the business.” http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=aUhlAk_DnWbU&refer=germany

The harsh telecommunications market has caused massive layoffs at Siemens Enterprise Communications GmbH & Co. The wholly owned subsidiary of Munich, Germany-based Siemens AG today announced a restructuring plan that calls for massive job cuts as it moves from being a hardware supplier to a software and solutions provider. SEN noted the "dramatically changing" telecommunications market for enterprise solutions. Indeed, falling prices and mounting competition from low-cost-labor countries such as China have increased the pressure on European-based telecom players. The company said that the market’s flux has made the transformation "absolutely essential" and that the shift supports Siemens’ ongoing efforts to find a suitable partner for SEN. "We will begin accelerating the reorientation of SEN and the related restructuring activities under the control of Siemens to ensure that personnel measures associated with these changes will be as socially compatible as possible," Siemens CFO Joe Kaeser said in a statement. http://facilities.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=318514 ———————————————————————————————————