Google vs. the Telcos – a Timeline
Tomorrow, July 31, the FCC will vote on the bidding rules to be employed for the upcoming 700Mhz wireless frequency auction. The outcome is of paramount importance to the future of the Internet in the United States. At issue is whether the bidding rules will be designed to thwart the monopolistic tendencies [...]
Femptocells Pull Ahead in FMC Horserace
There are two recent events worth noting in the ongoing technology race between competing standards for fixed-mobile convergence (FMC).
While there are many strategies being employed to allow mobile phones to “roam” onto broadband IP networks, one of the unanswered questions has been whether it is feasible to use unlicensed radio frequencies – referred to as [...]
EU Tackles the Dumb Pipe Dilemma
Viviane Reding, the European Union telecoms commissioner, has a plan to hasten the adoption of next generation networking services. In an interview with the Financial Times, Ms. Reding stated that the Commission will consider the introduction of “functional separation” as a possible remedy for competition problems when it meets in July to review the telecom [...]
Regulators Move to Lower GSM Roaming Charges
Anyone who has tried to use their mobile phone while traveling internationally knows that mobile roaming charges are outrageous. A recent layover in Vancouver resulted in hundreds of dollars of roaming charges on my Cingular bill as I unwittingly answered incoming calls at $.89 per minute. I expect to get gouged while roaming [...]
Apple Rocks with iPhone and iTV
Steve Jobs pulled a two-fer in announcing the availability of two products that, if they work as promised (and knowing Apple, they should), will do as much to hasten the Third Screen evolution as anything else we have seen so far: the long awaited iPhone and iTV.
Stories of the iPhone are quickly proliferating throughout [...]
Mobile Vendors’ Embrace of PC Tells a Story About Convergence
Both Nokia and Ericsson recently announced plans that highlight different approaches to the complexity of convergence. Nokia’s announcement addresses IMS-like fixed mobile convergence (FMC) with the novel approach of routing mobile voice calls over a user’s broadband connection, while Ericsson is pushing other IMS services using the laptop PC format as its preferred mobile [...]
Applications are the Ringtones of the Future
Sean Moss-Pultz from phone maker First International Computing (FIC) came up with my quote of the week – “Applications are the ringtones of the future.” I love the exuberance! He was referring to the Linux-like (natch!) upgradeability and all around resplendence of the recently announced (but poorly named) Neo1973. It [...]
FCC Sides with Continental and Strikes a Blow for WiFi Users
On November 1, the FCC ruled that Continental Airlines was allowed to provide free WiFi access to its President’s Club patrons, despite attempts by Boston’s Logan International Airport to restrict such usage. The ruling was based on existing FCC rules that prohibit interference with unlicensed wireless devices. The facts of the dispute between [...]
WiFi VoIP with a Fon
Earlier this week, I received a Fonera WiFi router from plucky upstart Fon. Fon is the Madrid-based WiFi sharing network that is funded by Google, eBay and Skype, among others. It’s goal is to build a worldwide network of user-subsidized WiFi access points. To encourage uptake, the company [...]
How do I FMC? Let me count the ways…
The recent spate of news on fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) deployments (mostly trials) has caused me to ponder the differing technology approaches being followed. Having injured my back in a freak airport incident earlier this week, I had some time to survey the landscape. Here is a brief compendium of my research:
Both Sprint [...]