http://www.volny.cz/horvitz/os-info/ World news related to license-free access to the radio spectrum http://www.volny.cz/horvitz/os-info/newlogo-small.jpg http://www.volny.cz/horvitz/os-info/ en-us "Boucher, Stearns introduce voluntary spectrum auction bill," by John Eggerton, Broadcasting and Cable, 29 July 2010: "...[Rick] Boucher, chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, has teamed with ranking member Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) to introduce a bill that would make sure that if the government reclaims broadcasters' spectrum for auction and re-use for wireless broadband, it can only do so from broadcasters who give it up voluntarily, and not ones who are coerced either directly or indirectly... Broadcasters are concerned that current incentive auction legislation proposed by Senators John Kerry and Olympia Snowe would also levy a spectrum fee on broadcasters who retain their spectrum. Broadcasters argue that would be a thumb on the scale for clearing broadcasters from the band..." http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/455374-Boucher_Stearns_Introduce_Voluntary_Spectrum_Auction_Bill.php Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:02:00 GMT http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/455374-Boucher_Stearns_Introduce_Voluntary_Spectrum_Auction_Bill.php "DSO introduces low power wireless technology," Trade Arabia, 31 July 2010: "Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) said it has introduced a breakthrough low power wireless technology, Sensehere Technology, at its integrated free zone technology park. The announcement coincides with Sensehere's introduction of patented low-power consuming 'mixed signal processors' for wireless signal networks (WSN) in the region, said a DSOA statement... 'With the market for WSNs expected to reach $20 billion by 2015, a great window of opportunity opens up for us to introduce and expand our presence in the region and abroad...'" http://www.tradearabia.com/news/newsdetails.asp?Sn=IND%26artid=183873 Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:43:00 GMT http://www.tradearabia.com/news/newsdetails.asp?Sn=IND%26artid=183873 by Dana Hull, Mercury News, 27 July 2010: "...Once the smartmeters are fully installed by the end of 2012, residents will have access to free Wi-Fi across the city through Tropos, a technology vendor based in Sunnyvale... The Wi-Fi access is an additional benefit. In 2009, Silicon Valley Power bought the assets of MetroFi, a Mountain View Wi-Fi company that attempted to offer free wireless to local cities but went out of business. 'We're using the network not just for meter reading but to provide free Wi-Fi to citizens and visitors,' Owens said..." http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15607927 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:35:00 GMT http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_15607927 by Sean Michael Ragan, Make Magazine, 26 July 2010: "...OpenBTS is an open-source Unix application that uses the Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) to present a GSM air interface ('Um') to standard GSM handset and uses the Asterisk(tm) software PBX to connect calls. The combination of the ubiquitous GSM air interface with VoIP backhaul could form the basis of a new type of cellular network that could be deployed and operated at substantially lower cost than existing technologies in greenfields in the developing world. In plain language, we are working on a new kind of cellular network that can be installed and operated at about 1/10 the cost of current technologies, but that will still be compatible with most of the handsets that are already in the market..." http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/open-source_software-based_gsm_cell.html Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:34:00 GMT http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/07/open-source_software-based_gsm_cell.html Spectrum Bridge/Wireless ISP Association joint press release, 27 July 2010: "...TDWRs are Doppler weather radar systems that are strategically positioned near 48 major airports to detect wind shears and microbursts associated with thunder storms. The purpose of these radar systems is to increase the safety of aircraft landing and departing from airports. TDWR frequencies (5.60-5.65 GHz) are shared with Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) frequencies (5.47-5.725 GHz), which are used by many WISPs and other outdoor wireless network operators. Currently, manufacturers of outdoor U-NII equipment are unable to certify new equipment that operates between 5.4 and 5.725 GHz, resulting in 325 MHz of underutilized spectrum where new outdoor equipment is needed but cannot be used. Until new U-NII equipment is certified and meets revised FCC rules, the database solution will be employed to facilitate coordination between U-NII band device users and the FAA's TDWR sites..." http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view%26newsId=20100727005885 Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:41:00 GMT http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view%26newsId=20100727005885 by Sebastian Pop, Softpedia, 27 July 2010: "...Basically, what this amendment does is extend the base specification for wireless access to environments that don't exactly make it easy to maintain a stable connection. Mostly, this refers to devices in automobiles, whether they are cars or trucks. When traveling at high speeds, especially on highways, the radio environment changes very rapidly. The new standard defines the conditions that need to be met in order for the technology to keep up in such conditions. For one, the specification defines the MAC layer changes that are needed in order to meet the needs of entering a new communication zone and immediately establish a link..." http://news.softpedia.com/news/IEEE-Amendment-Brings-Base-IEEE-802-11-WLAN-To-Cars-149239.shtml Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:28:00 GMT http://news.softpedia.com/news/IEEE-Amendment-Brings-Base-IEEE-802-11-WLAN-To-Cars-149239.shtml Kineto press releases, one for US and one for the UK, 27 July 2010: "Seventy-four percent of smartphone-with-Wi-Fi owners would be interested in an application that uses Wi-Fi to improve indoor 3G coverage at home or in the office, according to a YouGov online omnibus survey of nearly 2,200 respondents in the United Kingdom. The survey also showed 80 percent of these users would be interested in a service from their mobile operator that would give discounted calling when the phone was connected to Wi-Fi. Additional highlights from the online survey conducted in June 2010, include: 50 percent of people in the United Kingdom who own smartphones with Wi-Fi capabilities use the Wi-Fi every day..." Link to the US survey: http://www.kineto.com/press_releases/us_survey_wifi_from_mobile_operators.php http://www.kineto.com/press_releases/uk_survey_wifi_from_mobile_operators.php Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:12:00 GMT http://www.kineto.com/press_releases/uk_survey_wifi_from_mobile_operators.php by Alex Vochin, Softpedia, 27 July 2010: "...According to Tech-On, this system employs the same WHDI chipset that powered the company's previous wireless solutions and consists of a board for transmitting signals and a board for receiving signals... Both of the boards are equipped with Amimon's digital baseband chip and RF transceiver chip, which use the 5GHz band and can transmit data at a rate of up to 3 Gbits per second. And the results were in fact pretty impressive, since they've apparently managed to transmit 1080p 3D video with a frame rate of 24fps by using the 5GHz band..." http://gadgets.softpedia.com/news/Amimon-Prototypes-Wireless-3D-HD-Transmission-System-10925-01.html Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:12:00 GMT http://gadgets.softpedia.com/news/Amimon-Prototypes-Wireless-3D-HD-Transmission-System-10925-01.html by Liam McCabe, Forbes Magazine, 26 July 2010: "...To date the closest thing to having a truly wireless video option is a Web-ready television with built-in Wi-Fi capability. These sets can stream videos from sources like Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, Blockbuster OnDemand and Vudu using nothing but a cable modem, a wireless router, and in some cases, a small Wi-Fi dongle. Connected TVs sell for as little as $400, though Wi-Fi-ready models typically cost four figures. For the best results, you'll want a router that supports the Wi-Fi N standard..." http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/26/internet-tv-videos-technology-wireless.html Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:57:00 GMT http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/26/internet-tv-videos-technology-wireless.html by Richard Wilson, Electronics Weekly, 26 July 2010: "A report from Pike Research forecasts that 276 million smart grid communications nodes will be shipped worldwide during the period from 2010 to 2016. The cleantech market intelligence firm expects that this will represent a total industry investment of $20.3bn during the seven-year forecast period. This means that annual revenues increase from $1.8bn in 2009 to $3.1bn by 2016, despite rapidly falling average selling prices (ASPs) per node..." http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/26/49129/smart-meters-to-be-largest-wireless-comms-app-says-analyst.htm Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:28:00 GMT http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/26/49129/smart-meters-to-be-largest-wireless-comms-app-says-analyst.htm by Martyn Roetter, BMI-TechKnowledge, 26 July 2010: "...Whatever path forward is eventually followed by ICASA and DoC with regard to new spectrum allocations, it should at least be founded on accurate and clear views of technological and economic realities, that cut through emotional (however understandable and driven by justified frustration) and/or self-interested biases..." http://www.bmi-t.co.za/?q=content/spectrum-policy-south-africa-%E2%80%93-necessary-far-sufficient Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:15:00 GMT http://www.bmi-t.co.za/?q=content/spectrum-policy-south-africa-%E2%80%93-necessary-far-sufficient by Adam Hwang, DigiTimes, 23 July 2010: "Taiwan-based WLAN product makers shipped 77.57 million network interface cards (NICs) and 18.692 million routers in the second quarter of 2010, the highest quarterly shipments ever, according to Digitimes Research... Digitimes Research analyst Simon Su explained that many consumers are upgrading their TVs whose built-in software already supports wireless connectivity..." http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100723VL202.html Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:49:00 GMT http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100723VL202.html The Wireless Power Consortium press release, 23 July 2010: "The Qi low power standard is ready. This standard delivers up to 5 Watt into wireless power receivers. The technical specification will become available on August 30 as free download for everyone... Only products that work according to the specifications carry the Qi logo... certification service will start in the beginning of August..." http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/news/announcements/low-power-standard-ready.html Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:30:00 GMT http://www.wirelesspowerconsortium.com/news/announcements/low-power-standard-ready.html Automation World, 26 July 2010: "The Hart Communication Foundation (HCF, www.hartcomm.org) announced on July 23 that the European Committee for Standardization (CEN, www.cen.eu) has approved the WirelessHart specification as a European National Standard (EN 62591)... Released in September 2007, WirelessHart is an open and interoperable wireless communication standard designed to address the critical needs of industry for reliable, robust and secure wireless communication in real-time industrial process measurement and control applications." http://www.automationworld.com/news-7337 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:20:00 GMT http://www.automationworld.com/news-7337 by Esther Shein, InformationWeek, 23 July 2010: "...Technologies like wireless home digital interface (WHDI), WirelessHD and wireless gigabit (WiGig) are 'the next frontier in consumer electronic connectivity,' according to In-Stat. However, they are still in the early stages, and In-Stat says that presently, chip vendors are focused on creating and updating specs while also working with customers and potential customers on designs... 'For the most part, the market for wireless HD video technologies will be slow to develop,' In-Stat said in a statement, 'WHDI and WirelessHD are relatively new, expensive, power-hungry technologies that are being promoted by start-ups, which is not generally a recipe for quick market success.'..." http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/peripherals/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226200155 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:44:00 GMT http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/peripherals/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226200155 "Cell service, wi-fi coming to a subway near you; MTA deal with Transit Wireless back on track," by Pete Donohue, New York Daily News, 26 July 2010: "A stalled plan to provide cellular and Wi-Fi service in all 277 underground subway stations is back on track, sources said. Transit Wireless will soon start work on wiring stations so riders can make calls and send texts during everyday travels - and during emergencies... Once complete, riders will have cell-phone service on platforms, mezzanines and other parts of stations. For the most part, there won't be onboard service between station stops. Under the deal, cell-phone companies would pay Transit Wireless to carry their signals, and the MTA would get half the revenue, sources said. Transit Wireless is expected to cover all construction costs..." http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/26/2010-07-26_a_hard_cell_but_mtas_finally_sold.html Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:31:00 GMT http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/07/26/2010-07-26_a_hard_cell_but_mtas_finally_sold.html by John Cox, NetworkWorld, 26 July 2010: "...Mathias uses the term 'spectral assurance' to describe this group of emerging, interrelated capabilities. Aruba Networks and Meru Networks earlier this year introduced features related to this. Separately, Ruckus Wireless has promoted the interference avoidance capabilities of its patented antenna technology. The University of South Florida and Purdue University were beta test sites for Cisco's recently introduced interference mitigation technology, CleanAir..." http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/072610-wireless-burning-question-7.html Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:27:00 GMT http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/072610-wireless-burning-question-7.html by John E Dunn, TechWorld, 23 July 2010: "...IT departments are having to incorporate devices and applications into their planning that were intended primarily for use by consumers. This does appear to hint at a change in the power balance... Being a security company, RSA is interested in the security implications of all this consumer tech finding its way into a business environment - only one in five of those asked had calculated the risk of using such technology in business. Once this would have been foresworn by the IT department but, if the study is taken at face value, this model looks to be dying on its feet..." http://news.techworld.com/security/3232920/it-departments-swamped-by-consumer-devices/ Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:20:00 GMT http://news.techworld.com/security/3232920/it-departments-swamped-by-consumer-devices/ by Jayati Ghose, The Telegraph, 26 July 2010: "Telecom operators are betting on Wi-Fi technology as a cheaper alternative to 3G for accessing the Internet through mobile phones....customers preferred Wi-Fi to 3G in enclosed spaces such as office buildings and coffee shops. Wi-Fi networks are 40 times cheaper to build and operate than 3G networks. For customers, too, Wi-Fi is a low-cost option for data downloads, with a monthly subscription costing roughly half of 3G... The $450-million Wi-Fi market in the country is expected to touch $1 billion by 2012, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance." http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100726/jsp/business/story_12726604.jsp Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:56:00 GMT http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100726/jsp/business/story_12726604.jsp by Raissa Kasolowsky, Reuters (via ABC News), 25 July 2010: "...Gulf state Bahrain in April warned against the use of BlackBerry Messenger software to distribute local news, drawing criticism from media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which called it an act of censorship. That sparked concerns that other Gulf countries might also consider curbing the use of certain applications on the BlackBerry... BlackBerry was operating 'beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation,' the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement issued on Sunday. 'As a result of how BlackBerry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain BlackBerry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions.'..." http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11246640 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:14:00 GMT http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11246640 by Samantha Bomkamp, Associated Press (via Mercury News), 25 July 2010: "Travelers used to getting a free wireless Internet connection on land aren't willing to pay for one at 30,000 feet. Wireless Internet service on airlines hasn't caught on, mostly because of the price. Travelers already paying $25 to check a bag and $20 for a roomier seat don't want to fork over $5 or more for Wi-Fi unless it's necessary. They're saving their Web surfing for solid ground, where 'hot spots' offer the service at no charge... Airline technology consultant Michael Planey thinks Wi-Fi will be free as early as mid-2011..." http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_15571215 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:03:00 GMT http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_15571215 by Paul Buckley, EE Times Europe, 7 July 2010: "Nordic Semiconductor ASA has released the nRFready R/C Racing, a complete reference design for advanced remote controlled racing toys such as cars, that enables toy manufacturers to bring previously impossible game-play features to mass-market toys by using Nordic's low cost 2.4 GHz wireless solutions... (see 'Key game-play features of nRFready R/C Racing' below for more detail)..." http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/News/full-news.html?id=222902711 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:03:00 GMT http://www.electronics-eetimes.com/en/News/full-news.html?id=222902711 "SMS ban, cellular jam," by Faheem Aslam, Greater Kashmir, 25 July 2010: "With millions of subscribers in Kashmir suffering due to ban on Short Messaging Service across the Valley and on cellular service in north Kashmir areas, the Jammu and Kashmir government is yet to make public the reasons behind the 'drastic move.' It has been almost a month since the SMS service was banned in Kashmir while cellular service was completely snapped in north Kashmir areas of Varmul, Sopur, Rafiabad and Sangrama... Neither the state government nor the private cellular companies, who earn millions of rupees in the Valley monthly, deemed it appropriate to inform the subscribers that their phones were being blocked or SMS banned..." http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Jul/25/sms-ban-cellular-jam-35.asp Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:03:00 GMT http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2010/Jul/25/sms-ban-cellular-jam-35.asp Avery Dennison press release, 23 July 2010: "...Adoption is being spurred by the significant improvements RFID item-level tagging makes to retail operations with inventory accuracy increasing up to 99%, compared to 70-80%. 'Retailers are looking to solve the number one complaint of shoppers "You don't have this item in my size or my color," and to improve their overall inventory productivity...' said Dean Scarborough, Avery Dennison chairman, president and chief executive officer..." http://bit.ly/9w5ULR Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:46:00 GMT http://bit.ly/9w5ULR by Muhammad Yasir, Daily Times, 24 July 2010: "...Operators in Wireless Local Loop (WLL) sector are planning to provide wireless broadband service on their same spectrum allotted for the telephony services in specific regions... The trend emerged as a result of services transition by two operators, namely Mytel and Qubee, which employed 3.5 GHz wireless telephony spectrum for broadband services in different telecom region. The technology used for telephony services, CDMA, is changed into Wimax for Internet broadband. Mytel is now providing broadband services in Peshawar on its wireless phone services licence and Qubee started its broadband services in Karachi after acquiring spectrum of another wireless firm..." http://bit.ly/bdh3gm Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:46:00 GMT http://bit.ly/bdh3gm by Amy Thomson, BusinessWeek, 22 July 2010: "...And as phones continue to shrink, fitting antennas in and making them work correctly often comes down to trial and error, says Stephen Temple, a retired engineer who helped plan Europe's GSM technology. 'It would be fair to say that antenna design is a little bit of a dark art,' Temple says..." http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_31/b4189036932852.htm Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:26:00 GMT http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_31/b4189036932852.htm by Paul Korzeniowski, Brighthand.com, 24 July 2010: "Cellular communications and Wi-Fi networks were at one time bitter foes. Recently, the hostility has abated and rather than competitive alternatives, the two are viewed as complimentary services. Increasingly, handset vendors have been outfitting their high-end phones with Wi-Fi radios. As a result, power users gain more communications flexibility and better performance, but only if they have the right carrier and the right type of application..." http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=16817 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:17:00 GMT http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=16817 "Demanda PRI sancionar a 'piratas' de radio y TV," Notimex (via La Cronica de Hoy), 23 July 2010, in Spanish. Summary: The ruling party's parliamentary group has demanded that Mexico's regulators punish unlicensed broadcasting stations because such stations are increasing in number. http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=520818 Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:57:00 GMT http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=520818 by Sophia Yan and Christopher Flavelle, Bloomberg News (via The Wichita Eagle), 24 July 2010: "...GE's health care unit has asked the Federal Communications Commission to allow devices that transmit patients' vital signs to share the 2360MHz to 2400MHz range of the electromagnetic spectrum, now used by Boeing to test the safety of planes. It's the only section of the spectrum where remote monitoring would be cost effective, according to GE Healthcare. Boeing, the largest U.S.-based aircraft maker, is urging the FCC not to allow new uses of the space. Transmitting medical signals on the spectrum would interfere with flight-test data, causing delays that would cost $50,000 an hour, said Audrey Allison, the company's frequency-management services director..." http://www.kansas.com/2010/07/24/1417167/boeing-ge-want-same-spectrum-of.html Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:34:00 GMT http://www.kansas.com/2010/07/24/1417167/boeing-ge-want-same-spectrum-of.html by Igor Atamenenko, Counterpunch, 23-25 July 2010: "...This device was a passive listening device: there were neither power supply, nor any electronic elements that could be detected by technology available to the experts of the time. The device resembled a tadpole with a small tail - that is, a 4- to 5-inch antenna. The tadpole part was a diaphragm that could vibrate. From an exterior source the eavesdroppers would beam powerful microwaves pointed at the hidden device, forcing the diaphragm of the 'tadpole' to resonate. If someone was speaking in the room, this would alter the resonant frequency of the antenna, which would send back its signal - the conversations in the office - to a receiver, which would be situated out of line with the powerful beam... A powerful transmitter sitting in an apartment across the street [from the US Embassy in Moscow] beamed a strong continuous microwave signal at a distance around 300 meters... Transmitter and receiver were duly installed in two separate apartments on the upper floors of residential buildings, across the street..." http://www.counterpunch.org/atamenenko07232010.html Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:21:00 GMT http://www.counterpunch.org/atamenenko07232010.html by Derek Scally, Irish Times, 24 July 2010: "...In 1910, leading German thinkers, scientists and artists collaborated on a remarkable vision of the future in the book, The World in 100 Years... A runaway success in 1910, the book has been reprinted 100 years later - again to huge acclaim... In his essay 'The Wireless Century', author Robert Stoss predicted: '...Everyone will have his own pocket telephone with which he can connect with whomever he wishes, wherever he is: on the sea, in the mountains, in his room, on a racing train, ship or a plane gliding through the air.' ...He forecasted a kind of public Wi-Fi in 'every train, public house and apartment'..." http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0724/1224275393588.html Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:03:00 GMT http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0724/1224275393588.html Associated Press (via DigitalTrends), 23 July 2010: "...The wireless industry sued the city of San Francisco on Friday to stop a law that requires cell phone stores to post how much radio energy each model emits. It's the first law of that kind in the nation. The industry trade group known as CTIA - The Wireless Association said the law will mislead consumers into thinking that one phone might be safer than another on the basis of radiation measurements..." http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/wireless-industry-sues-san-francisco-wants-radiation-levels-hidden/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:22:00 GMT http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/wireless-industry-sues-san-francisco-wants-radiation-levels-hidden/ by Ian Grant, Computer Weekly, 23 July 2010: "Most consumers will be using mobile handsets with chipsets that provide Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS (Global Positioning System) within the next five years, says market researcher ABI Research... It expected the penetration rate of GPS to double between 2010 and 2015, but Wi-Fi chips would deliver the highest revenue of the three connectivity chips over the next five years, it said... If we are all going to have Wi-fi on our mobile phones, consumers will switch to using free voice-over-internet (VoIP) calls rather than 3G services where they can..." http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/23/242084/wi-fi-mobiles-threaten-3g-revenues.htm Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:22:00 GMT http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/23/242084/wi-fi-mobiles-threaten-3g-revenues.htm by Christopher Mims, MIT Technology Review, 22 July 2010: "...Efficient provisioning of resources requires that consumers be able to switch to cheaper or less-crowded alternatives when the need arises. A group of Stanford Engineers has applied this bit of obviousness to the one area where, to date, it has been less than obvious: wireless spectrum. A 2005 study by the NSF found that only 5.2% of the wireless spectrum from 30 MHz to 3000 MHz was in use at any one time... As Yap et al. outline in a provocative new paper entitled 'Delivering Capacity for the Mobile Internet by Stitching Together Networks,' this leads to all sorts of inefficiencies that could be solved by a network ruled by standards that allowed devices to be agnostic about which portion of the wireless spectrum they are currently using..." http://bit.ly/a8DDKX Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:05:00 GMT http://bit.ly/a8DDKX From Motorsport.com, 23 July 2010: "Formula one teams have lost the ability to censor pit radio messages during official track sessions... Germany's Auto Motor und Sport reports that, as of this weekend's Hockenheim event, all radio broadcasts will be eligible to for the worldwide television feed. A short delay will mean that radio messages containing swearing can be edited..." http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=378801 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:53:00 GMT http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=378801 DASH7 Alliance press release, 20 July 2010: "...DASH7 Mode 2 enables new applications for both enterprise and consumer customers, including improved 'real-time' locating capability for indoor asset tracking and access control, longer range communications for enabling smart billboards, and internet addressing for smart energy applications requiring IPv6. Mode 2's improved support for public key encryption is essential for many consumer applications where privacy is a top concern..." http://www.dash7.org/mode%202%20press%20release%20072010%20FINAL%20FINAL.pdf Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:53:00 GMT http://www.dash7.org/mode%202%20press%20release%20072010%20FINAL%20FINAL.pdf WTRS (via Research and Markets), 20 July 2010: "...'Bluetooth Low Energy will be a significant contributor to the overall Wireless Sensor Network market, representing nearly half of all shipments in 2015', said Kirsten West, Principal Analyst with WTRS. 'Bluetooth Low Energy is designed to compete with protocols like ZigBee in applications which require infrequent and short bursts of data communication. The advantage to this new protocol is that it is totally optimized for low power battery operation.'..." http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/258667/the_wireless_senso Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:13:00 GMT http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/258667/the_wireless_senso Powerpoint by Nick Hunn, presented at the Short Range Wireless SIG, The Technology Partnership, Cambridge, UK, 8 July 2010 (via Zahid Ghadialy). http://www.slideshare.net/zahidtg/ctempessentials-of-short-range-wireless-standards Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:13:00 GMT http://www.slideshare.net/zahidtg/ctempessentials-of-short-range-wireless-standards by Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service (via ComputerWorld), 22 July 2010: "Users are piling on to AT+T's public Wi-Fi hotspots, racking up more than 68 million connections in the second quarter, AT+T said Thursday. The tally of 68.1 million connections, through phones and other devices, was more than four times the number just a year earlier, when AT+T logged 15 million connections in the second quarter of 2009..." http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179565/AT_T_Wi_Fi_use_soared_30_in_Q2 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:36:00 GMT http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179565/AT_T_Wi_Fi_use_soared_30_in_Q2 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission press release, 22 July 2010: "...The policy provides this sector with stable funding, and emphasizes the importance of local reflection as well as the participation of volunteers in all areas of a station's operations... The Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) will see its annual funding increase by over $700,000, which will be distributed among the more than 140 community and campus radio stations. Created in 2007, the CRFC is a not-for-profit organization that supports the development of non-commercial, community-based broadcasters. The funds will be supplied by commercial radio broadcasters through a reallocation of the contributions they must make each year toward the development of Canadian content. As such, this initiative will benefit the campus and community radio sector at no additional cost to the commercial radio sector..." http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2010/r100722.htm Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:30:00 GMT http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/com100/2010/r100722.htm CTV News, 22 July 2010: "...The agency that runs provincial parks in Ontario is experimenting with wireless Internet service at Pinery Provincial Park, near Grand Bend on Lake Huron. It will consider adding the service in other provincial parks if campers agree it's a good idea... The Wi-Fi service was set up on a trial basis this summer after some campers filling out comment cards said they needed to stay connected, even while getting away from it all..." http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20100722/parks-wireless-internet-100722/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:12:00 GMT http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20100722/parks-wireless-internet-100722/ "New Zealanders Unplug: Household Use of Information and Communication Technology: 2009 - Additional tables," by Geoff Bascand, Statistics New Zealand, 22 July 2010: "...One-quarter of Internet users in 2009 used mobile phones or wireless hotspots to access the Internet while they were away from home. This compared with 14 percent of users in 2006... Detailed information on New Zealanders' use of mobile phones, computers, and the Internet was released today by Statistics NZ..." http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/corporate/corporate/corporatecommunications_mr2009-ict.aspx Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:47:00 GMT http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/corporate/corporate/corporatecommunications_mr2009-ict.aspx by John R. Quain, New York Times' Wheels blog, 20 July 2010: "...The software behind AJ [a 2011 Ford Fiesta that's a test bed for company engineers exploring the boundaries of what's possible when an automobile is connected to the Internet] was an app called the AutoMatic Blog. It tapped into the available data on the car, including telemetry information, like location, speed, acceleration and braking. It also gleaned information from the windshield wipers, steering input and GPS data and correlated it with live information culled from the Web. So AJ's software could combine, say, real-time traffic notices about congestion with its current situation (stop-and-go braking) and weather forecasts (storms ahead) and then send a Twitter entry like, 'Stuck in traffic; not looking forward to next 50 miles, either.'..." http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/social-networking-for-cars/ Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:45:00 GMT http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/20/social-networking-for-cars/ by Deane Rimerman, ReadWriteWeb, 20 July 2010: "...From the first-ever thought-generated tweet, to the US military funding the development of advanced prosthetic limbs, to implantable brain sensors, advancements in BCI [brain computer interfaces] are not only transforming the lives of people who are locked in because of total paralysis, but are ushering in an era where we will be able to build the Internet as fast as we can think. Here's a snapshot of the stages of development that these technologies are currently in..." http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/6_brain_sensors_youll_be_using_soon.php Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:34:00 GMT http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/6_brain_sensors_youll_be_using_soon.php Lockheed Martin press release, 21 July 2010: "...MagneLink MCS is a wireless, through-the-earth communications system developed to meet the mining industry's post-accident emergency communications requirement. The system provides voice communication and texting to give trapped miners fail-safe communication during a catastrophe. The system works by transmitting magnetic waves through the earth without the transmission wires and in-ground infrastructure currently required to communicate via standard radio transmissions..." http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2010/072110_LM_MagneLink.html Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:11:00 GMT http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2010/072110_LM_MagneLink.html by Lucy Hood, Forbes Magazine, 16 July 2010: "...In most California cities wireless network builders must obtain a conditional-use permit to erect cell towers or add new technologies to existing facilities. 'The worst case has become the status quo,' says Michael Shonafelt, a land-use lawyer and advisor to the California Wireless Association. Hearings can consume up to a year. Some of the time is rightly spent reviewing a proposed cell tower's effects on the neighborhood's aesthetics and other planning considerations. But when the cost of securing a conditional-use permit for one new cell tower in Los Angeles ranges from $50,000 to $75,000, the question as to whether there is a more efficient way to do business naturally arises..." http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/16/wireless-broadband-local-government-opinions-contributors-lucy-hood.html Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:07:00 GMT http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/16/wireless-broadband-local-government-opinions-contributors-lucy-hood.html by Amitai Ziv and Ronny Linder-Ganz, Ha'aretz, 22 July 2010: Israel's "Health Ministry says that when using a portable phone of any type, it is better to use the speakerphone than to put the handset to your ear. Don't install the base unit of a cordless phone in the bedroom, children's room or office, where you spend much of your time. If the handset isn't in use, return it to the base unit (the charger), because the whole time it's not on that base unit it's emitting radiation..." http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/cordless-phones-emit-as-much-radiation-as-cell-phones-1.303349 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:52:00 GMT http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/business/cordless-phones-emit-as-much-radiation-as-cell-phones-1.303349 by Bonnie Malkin, The Daily Telegraph, 12 July 2010: "Australian scientists have created a mobile phone that can make and receive calls in parts of the world that would normally have no reception. The phones contain a built-in mini-tower that allows them to connect to other phones via Wi-Fi and create their own network. Researchers at South Australia's Flinders University devised the phones to work in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack when normal mobile phone services had been cut off. Dr Paul Gardiner-Stephen said the phones had been tested successfully in the remote Outback where mobiles cannot pick up a signal..." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7885486/Australian-researchers-develop-mobile-phone-antenna.html Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:21:00 GMT http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7885486/Australian-researchers-develop-mobile-phone-antenna.html by Andreas Neubacher, presented at the LTE World Summit, May 2010 (via 3G/4G Wireless Blog, 22 July 2010): "Q1/2009... A couple of leading operators initiated a project in NGMN in order to work on requirements for a first release of an open standard to connect base band units and Remote Radio Heads in an interoperable way. Q2/2010 Set up an ETSI Industrial Specification Group on Open Radioequipment Interface (ORI) in order to continue the work on the detailed interface specification and to maintain the standard in future..." http://www.slideshare.net/zahidtg/open-radio-equipment-interface-ori Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:58:00 GMT http://www.slideshare.net/zahidtg/open-radio-equipment-interface-ori PhysOrg.com, 15 July 2010: "...Digital advertising billboards being trialled in Japan are fitted with cameras that read the gender and age group of people looking at them to tailor their commercial messages... The technology - reminiscent of the personalised advertisements in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi movie 'Minority Report' - forms part of the Digital Signage Promotion Project, which is currently in a test phase. A consortium of 11 railway companies launched the one-year pilot project last month, and has set up 27 of the high-tech advertising displays in subway commuter stations around Tokyo. 'The camera can distinguish a person's sex and approximate age, even if the person only walks by in front of the display, at least if he or she looks at the screen for a second,' said a spokesman for the project..." http://www.physorg.com/news198392688.html Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:38:00 GMT http://www.physorg.com/news198392688.html by Tomoko Hosaka, TwitPic, 19 July 2010. http://twitpic.com/26q15x Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:26:00 GMT http://twitpic.com/26q15x "The future of telecommunications in a technologically neutral spectrum," Interfax.by (in Russian), 8 July 2010. Summary. Telecom operators in Belarus are calling for spectrum management reforms, specifically the introduction of technology neutral bands and faster release of government/military bands for use by the private sector. The regulator responded that it supports technology neutrality but not license exemption. http://www.interfax.by/article/67681 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:44:00 GMT http://www.interfax.by/article/67681 by Jack Loechner, Center for Media Research, 21 July 2010: "According to the findings of a daily tracking survey on Americans' use of the Internet by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for the Pew American Internet and American Life Project, six-in-ten American adults are now wireless internet users, and mobile data applications have grown more popular over the last year. The definition of a wireless internet user includes the following activities: Going online with a laptop using a wi-fi connection or mobile broadband card. Roughly half of all adults (47%) go online in this way, up from the 39% who did so at a similar point in 2009. Use of the internet, email or instant messaging on a cell phone. Two-in-five adults (40%) do at least one of these using a mobile device, an increase from the 32% of adults who did so in 2009..." http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle%26art_aid=132167 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:55:00 GMT http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle%26art_aid=132167 by Rebecca Walberg, Financial Post, 20 July 2010: "...As RFID comes into wider use for functions beyond tracking stock and merchandise, and particularly for monitoring people, controversies... will become more common. In most cases, there is both a potential reduction in privacy as well as an increase in efficiency. Whether the result is ultimately a net good is up for debate. RFID, and electronic storage and transmission of information more broadly, often evokes concerns about breaches of privacy. In practice, the technology often replaces tracking methods prone to security lapses..." http://www.financialpost.com/executive/smart-shift/Balancing+privacy+with+convenience/3297957/story.html Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:52:00 GMT http://www.financialpost.com/executive/smart-shift/Balancing+privacy+with+convenience/3297957/story.html Xinhua News Agency in English (via TMCnet.com), 13 July 2010: "...China Mobile plans to add 12,000 Wi-Fi hot spots, and China Unicom will purchase 70,000 WLAN equipments this year, according to [Edgar Figueroa, CEO of the WiFi Alliance]... According to statistics released by market research firm iSuppli, by the end of 2009 the number of China Telecom's hotspots reached 95,000, rising over 200 percent from a year ago, [while] that of China Mobile topped 90,000 surging about 800 percent year on year... Edgar Figueroa said that 580 million units of Wi-Fi equipment were shipped last year, and mobile phones accounted for one fourth of the total. It is expected that this year the figure will top 800 million..." http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/07/13/4896829.htm Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:02:00 GMT http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2010/07/13/4896829.htm ClearChannel press release, 20 July 2010: "Clear Channel Radio will donate two additional stations to the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) through the MMTC-Clear Channel Ownership Diversity Initiative, an ongoing program to expand ownership and training opportunities for minorities, women, and other underserved groups... The two newly donated channels are: KFXN-AM, Minneapolis, MN [and] WTOC-AM, Newton, NJ, Sussex County..." http://www.clearchannel.com/Radio/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=2737 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:50:00 GMT http://www.clearchannel.com/Radio/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=2737 Link is to the table of contents. Unfortunately, only a few articles are available online. http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/06/radio-redux/ Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:20:00 GMT http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/06/radio-redux/ by Anne Eisenberg, New York Times, 16 July 2010: "...Two types of research groups are extending the boundaries of low-power wireless devices, said Brian Otis, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington. Some researchers are working to reduce the power required by the devices; others are learning how to harvest power from the environment. 'One day,' Professor Otis said, 'those two camps will meet, and then we will have devices that can run indefinitely'..." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/business/18novel.html Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:04:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/business/18novel.html Radio Australia, 19 July 2010: "An Australian-based opponent of Fiji's interim government wants to set up a floating radio station to broadcast uncensored news into the country. Usaia Waqatairewa, the Sydney-based president of the Fiji Democracy and Freedom Movement, says the idea is to put an antenna on a ship which would be located in international waters, outside Fiji's legal jurisdiction. The same concept was used by the so-called pirate radio stations which broadcast pop music to Britain, and New Zealand's Radio Hauraki, in the 1960s. Mr Waqatairewa says people in Fiji need the news that the Bainimarama government isn't letting them hear..." http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201007/s2958089.htm Wed, 21 Jul 2010 06:43:00 GMT http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201007/s2958089.htm Bluetooth SIG press release, 20 July 2010: "...The contest will promote open source collaboration that will allow users to develop new and improved uses for mobile phones and PCs with the help of Bluetooth wireless technology... Contest finalists will be selected by a panel of industry experts who will judge the applications based on creativity, overall functionality, and user appeal. A total prize package of more than $23,000 will be divided amongst the top finalists. Additional prize support will be provided by Frontline Test Equipment..." http://www.bluetooth.com/English/Press/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?ID=107 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:53:00 GMT http://www.bluetooth.com/English/Press/Pages/PressReleasesDetail.aspx?ID=107 The Engineer, 15 July 2010: "Industry acceptance of ISA100.11a is still partly dependent on it gaining acceptance as an international standard. WirelessHART was approved by the IEC, as IEC 62591Ed. 1.0, earlier this year, making it the first global standard for wireless sensor networks... 'The ISA100.12 group will issue a [report] very soon based on the user requirements, including the NAMUR ND133 document,' Penny Chen of Yokogawa's global marketing team said at the press conference. This, she indicated, will involve... developing specifications for convergence of the two technologies..." http://www.theengineer.co.uk/channels/process-engineering/business-news/wireless-yokogawa-weighs-in/1003714.article Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:20:00 GMT http://www.theengineer.co.uk/channels/process-engineering/business-news/wireless-yokogawa-weighs-in/1003714.article Computer Weekly, 20 July 2010: "Airlines are testing a high-capacity wireless service that will allow aircraft to share on-board flight data and maintenance data with the airline's IT systems in real time when planes land at an airport gate. The service, expected next year, could allow airlines to make significant savings by helping them analyse data to predict maintenance and fuel requirements more accurately, its developers claim... The service, know as Gatesync, has been developed by systems integrator CSC, defence and avionics firm, Thales and wireless network specialist, Proximetry..." http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/20/242042/Farnborough-Air-Show-wireless-service-transfers-aircraft-flight-data-at.htm Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:45:00 GMT http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/20/242042/Farnborough-Air-Show-wireless-service-transfers-aircraft-flight-data-at.htm Wireless Watch Japan, 15 July 2010. Machine translation: "...Sharing service that cooperates with KDDI of Japan by SK Telecom of mobile Softbank and South Korea in the use of NFC... is examined... The services such as digital cash, membership cards, and coupons that use the FeliCa chip built into the cellular phone by the name of wallet cellular phone are being provided in Japan. On the other hand, the technology of incompatible 'Mifare' is adopted, and it is not possible to use it mutually with FeliCa even in South Korea though the digital cash service etc. are being similarly provided...." http://wirelesswatch.jp/2010/07/15/japan-and-korea-explore-nfc-sharing/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:15:00 GMT http://wirelesswatch.jp/2010/07/15/japan-and-korea-explore-nfc-sharing/ by Chad Catacchio, The Next Web, 19 July 2010: "Apple has responded in detail to a request from US legislators to explain what location data it is collecting, how it collects it and who it's sharing the data with. The document (PDF), drafted by Apple's general council and SVP Bruce Sewell, goes into great detail... when a GPS enabled device is turned on that has previously enabled the 'On' switch for location-based services, Apple: 'automatically collects Wi-Fi access point information and GPS cooridinates when a device is searching for a cellular network, such as when the device is first turned on or trying to re-establish a dropped connection. The device searches for nearby Wi-Fi access points for approximately thirty seconds. The device collects anonymous Wi-Fi access point information for those that it can 'see.'..." http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/07/19/a-detailed-look-at-apples-letter-to-the-us-government-about-location-data-collection/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:23:00 GMT http://thenextweb.com/apple/2010/07/19/a-detailed-look-at-apples-letter-to-the-us-government-about-location-data-collection/ by Derek Oldman, CompuTeach, 20 July 2010: "There are 'continuing concerns' surrounding open Wi-Fi under the Digital Economy Act, according to Dr Damian Tambini, member of the Communications Consumer Panel and senior lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science. 'This is an area where there could be considerable consumer detriment over the next 12 months,' Dr Tambini said. The expert went on to say that it is establishing liability for any misuse of an open Wi-Fi network under the Act which is the cause of concern. Dr Tambini said that these concerns could 'lead to a diminishing' of community and local Wi-Fi network providers..." http://www.computeach.co.uk/IT-news/IT-Computer-Technology-News/Changes-in-law-could-be-detrimental-to-consumers-with-open-Wi-Fi/19897889 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:15:00 GMT http://www.computeach.co.uk/IT-news/IT-Computer-Technology-News/Changes-in-law-could-be-detrimental-to-consumers-with-open-Wi-Fi/19897889 by Deborah D. McAdams, Television Broadcast, 20 July 2010: "A spectrum bill authorizing the sharing of auction proceeds was unveiled on Capitol Hill Monday. Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) rolled out the Spectrum Measurement and Policy Reform Act requiring a study on 'spectrum occupancy and use.' It also expressly authorizes revenue sharing for licensees who voluntarily relinquish spectrum - as proposed for broadcasters in the FCC's National Broadband Plan..." http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/103634 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:42:00 GMT http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/article/103634 by Raynald C. Rivera, The Peninsula, 18 July 2010: "...Called Automated Child Tracking System (ACTS), the state-of-the-art monitoring system will be adopted for the first time in Qatar by Birla Public School when the school reopens in September after the summer vacations, officials said yesterday... All the buses of BPS will be equipped with RFID readers and each student will be given an RFID card... which incorporates GPS and GPRS technologies, with all the student's particulars printed on it. Using the technology, the parents will get a text message every time the student gets into the bus and alights while going to the school from home and when returning. Alert messages will also be sent to the school authorities..." http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/120683-school-to-use-hi-tech-child-tracking-system.html Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:42:00 GMT http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/120683-school-to-use-hi-tech-child-tracking-system.html IDTechEx (via Research and Markets), 19 July 2010: "...It is categorised into 13 different application areas, each with a summary of that particular area and key statistics related to it. The applications areas are: Airlines and Airports; Animals and Farming; Financial and Security; Healthcare; Land and Sea Logistics; Laundry; Leisure; Libraries and archiving; Manufacturing; Military; Other; Passenger Transport; Retail/CPG. Each case study has a summary of key parameters, including location, partner companies, technologies used (tag type, frequency), status and major benefits and more..." http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/796e26/rfid_case_studies Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:17:00 GMT http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/796e26/rfid_case_studies by David Meyer, ZDNet UK, 19 July 2010: "BT is to bid for the communications part of the UK's smart-metering infrastructure, in partnership with Arqiva and Detica. On Monday, the communications and IT giant said it had entered into an agreement with Arqiva and Detica to offer 'a dedicated and secure long-range radio communications solution for the government's proposed smart-metering initiative'. The partners intend to base these communications on Arqiva's licensed spectrum in the 412-414MHz band..." http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2010/07/19/bt-joins-forces-with-arqiva-detica-for-smart-meter-bid-40089576/ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:17:00 GMT http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2010/07/19/bt-joins-forces-with-arqiva-detica-for-smart-meter-bid-40089576/ by Ian Grant, Computer Weekly, 7 July 2010: "Broadcast signal distribution company Arqiva has opened a pilot network to test the viability of long-range radio to provide the network infrastructure for the UK's [GBP]10bn smart meter/smart grid project... The pilot network covers some 200,000 homes in 80 square kilometres around Reading, using existing Arqiva transmitters. It uses Arqiva-owned frequencies in the 400MHz band. These provide better building penetration at lower energy levels with fewer transmitters than the high frequency GSM and GPRS signals used by mobile phone network operators..." http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/07/241866/Arqiva-tests-long-range-radio-for-smart-meter-network.htm Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:11:00 GMT http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/07/07/241866/Arqiva-tests-long-range-radio-for-smart-meter-network.htm by Zeljka Zorz, Help Net Security, 19 July 2010: "A maintenance worker at a Shell gas station located in Florida was the first one to notice that a gas pump he was checking had been fitted with a credit card skimming device. After he reported the fact to the Alachua County Sheriff's Office, detectives have been sent out to check every pump on every gas station within a mile of the Interstate 75 - and they found three skimming devices on gas pumps on three different has stations. The US Secret Service was notified and joined the investigation, which brought to light the fact that the devices use Bluetooth to transmit the stolen information to the thieves behind this scheme, and that these gas pumps are not the first ones that have been compromised..." http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=9602 Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:41:00 GMT http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=9602 by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica, 20 July 2010: "...Put simply, if we found ourselves trying to get work done and we suddenly needed an Internet connection, we would definitely choose the Overdrive if we were in a 4G coverage area. The data speeds are the Overdrive's saving grace, because otherwise, the hardware is uglier than the MiFi's and is sometimes buggy to the point of hilarity... The MiFi does get points, however, for being thinner and more easily pocketable, which is a huge benefit for people using it with non-laptop devices like the iPad. And, as we pointed out several times in the speed section, the MiFi and Overdrive are at least on roughly equal footing if you're outside of a 4G/WiMAX coverage area, and in some cases, the MiFi is faster..." http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/reviews/2010/07/mifi-v-overdrive-4g-shootout.ars Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:28:00 GMT http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/reviews/2010/07/mifi-v-overdrive-4g-shootout.ars New York Times editorial, 18 July 2010: "...The Supreme Court, if it takes up the case, should end all government regulations on the content of broadcasts. Technological change has undermined any justification for limiting the First Amendment rights of broadcast media outlets... As Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a related concurring opinion last year, digital technology has actually widened the amount of broadcast spectrum available today, undermining the earlier notion that scarce slices of the airwaves justified stricter free-speech rules for broadcasters. He has made it clear he now favors removing all content regulations on broadcasters. Though we are not used to agreeing with him, we hope his philosophy prevails when the Second Circuit's decision eventually comes back to the Supreme Court..." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/opinion/18sun1.html Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:56:00 GMT http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/18/opinion/18sun1.html by Caroline McCarthy, CNET's CarTech blog, 16 July 2010: "...The Autonet Mobile service in the 2011 Outback will be a $499 option, plus a $35 activation fee and $29 monthly subscription. (There's a one-year minimum subscription, but Subaru said in the release that it will give away three months for free.) It's a 3G connection and can handle up to 10 users in a range of about 150 feet. Given the availability of fast cellular data connections and 3G cards for laptops, in-car Wi-Fi doesn't have quite the thunderous appeal that, say, in-flight Wi-Fi does. But there are a few areas where it makes a ton of sense - Internet radio, for example, or for a group of four people on a lengthy road trip..." http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20010774-48.html Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:30:00 GMT http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20010774-48.html by Matt Hamblen, ComputerWorld, 16 July 2010: "...Despite such growth, some users still consider in-flight Wi-Fi to be expensive, especially on longer flights; it can cost $13 for more than three hours of service. Some travelers also say they get confused when they try to figure out which planes actually have Wi-Fi service, according to complaints on various blogs. And on top of that, travelers need to know what kind of DC power adapter to bring on a plane, since Wi-Fi quickly saps laptop batteries..." http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179181/Wi_Fi_available_on_1_in_3_U.S._planes Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:00:00 GMT http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179181/Wi_Fi_available_on_1_in_3_U.S._planes (via InAVate, 2 July 2010): "As the digital switchover continues, frequencies currently occupied by wireless microphone users are being sold off and while the events and music industries lobby for compensation measures, as well as their own dedicated frequencies... Sennheiser has provided InAVate with a handy guide to the situation across Europe. In general the frequency block between 790 to 862Mhz will be given to IMT, International Mobile Telecommunications while license-free frequencies, 863 to 865MHz, are set to be harmonised EU-wide (but not an option for professional users)..." http://www.inavateonthenet.net/article.aspx?ArticleID=34905 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:15:00 GMT http://www.inavateonthenet.net/article.aspx?ArticleID=34905 by Clive Akass, The Inquirer, 2 July 2010: "...Softbank's plans are doubly revolutionary. First, it uses femtocells as public base stations, as opposed to private ones that improve data rates and coverage only for the host subscribers... Secondly, Softbank uses a business model almost guaranteed to ensure a big takeup - it is giving subscribers femtocells for free, bundled with free ADSL broadband... By using the customer's own ADSL lines it can save the cost of the conventional 'backhaul' link from the base station to the backbone, which can represent 50 per cent of operating costs..." http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/1720377/a-whispering-wireless-revolution Fri, 02 Jul 2010 14:52:00 GMT http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/feature/1720377/a-whispering-wireless-revolution by Nicolas Mokhoff, EE Times, 1 July 2010: "Seven players in the Near Field Communication ecosystem have joined forces to form the MIFARE4Mobile Industry Group to standardize MIFARE applications on NFC-enabled secure elements, such as SIM cards, and mobile phones. The seven are Ericsson, Gemalto, NXP, Oberthur Technologies, STMicroelectronics, Venyon (a company in the Giesecke and Devrient group), and ViVOtech. MIFARE is the leading contactless near field communications technology used in public transportation schemes, ticketing systems and access management systems..." http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225702028 Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:10:00 GMT http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=225702028 Research and Markets, 1 July 2010: "In the past, very little practical information or training has been available for engineers, technicians and students in the area of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems at ultra high frequencies (UHF) and super high frequencies (SHF). Here, Dominique Paret offers you a complete guide to the theory, components, practical application areas and standards in RFID at UHF and SHF... This book deals with the real aspects of contactless applications in detail..." http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/09b1ee/rfid_at_ultra_and Fri, 02 Jul 2010 08:00:00 GMT http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/09b1ee/rfid_at_ultra_and "Digital Voice (D-STAR) Situation in France / European Parliament Petition (Update 1)," Digital Radioamateur France / Hamradio Digital Voice, 28 June 2010: "...All European countries allow now Digital Voice modes as APCO25, MOTOTRBO, TETRA and D-STAR with Internet access. France is the last country in Europe to prohibit these new technologies... ARCEP says protocol specifications could allow Amateur Service Operators to connect their station to Internet - that is against the law (art.5 of decision 2010-0537)... We're calling all European Ham radio societies to help us in our battle to allow all Digital Voice modes, Internet access and no restrictive experiment in France...." http://draf.asso.fr/index.php?post/2010/06/28/D-STAR-situation-in-France Fri, 02 Jul 2010 06:59:00 GMT http://draf.asso.fr/index.php?post/2010/06/28/D-STAR-situation-in-France by Olga Kharif, Business Week, 30 June 2010: "Checking e-mail on a plane might be about to turn into a big business. Aircell, which now provides Web access on more than 950 planes in the US - up from fewer than 100 just one year ago - has seen its May revenues rise 50 percent over February's sales, Aircell President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Small said on June 30. 'We are seeing growth every day,' Small says. Revenues from in-flight broadband access are expected to jump from $7 million in 2009 to $95 million this year, according to a June 30 report from consultant In-Stat..." http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100630_485326.htm Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:50:00 GMT http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2010/tc20100630_485326.htm by David Braue, ZDNet.com, 1 July 2010: "...It's not like your kids are going to ask for a femtocell from Santa, and it's not likely to be an impulse buy down at the mall. Heck, just the name alone sounds like something out of a D-grade science-fiction movie. So how to convince enough people to install one in their home that it might make a difference? Why, bury it inside something else that they definitely do want, of course. Like, say, a media centre. That's the Trojan-horse approach now being pursued by Huawei, that upstart Chinese networking company that has burrowed into Australia's telecoms market in recent years..." http://www.zdnet.com.au/the-secret-to-axing-3g-blackspots-you-339304209.htm Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:37:00 GMT http://www.zdnet.com.au/the-secret-to-axing-3g-blackspots-you-339304209.htm