RAA Group

Three articles I want to point out to you that should get you thinking about the future of Wi-Fi:

(1) Andy Abramson’s long and thoughtful piece about sponsored Wi-Fi, sending party pays and the future of media in which he argues:

“Public Wireless” really takes hold, not from the telcos, or even the cable companies, but from the likes of Google, who understand how to monetize “free” better than anyone, and who also have the delivery billing system in place to bill back to a “sender” the same way they can bill back a click to an advertiser. Google, will then work with their “partners” in Clearwire, not to promote 4G WiMax as the pipe, but to use real WiMax in consort with companies like Comcast, Covad and TowerStream to deliver super fast Gigabit wireless to a series of access points around the country, where it then is distributed using WiFi. This is more than a likely scenario as Google has been a pioneer in Public Sponsored WiFi access for sometime, with their Mountain View WiFi network which has been up and running for a few years, surviving the failed Earthlink, MetroFi and other third party operator networks. By blending the “sponsored” public access model as Google has done with “sending party pays” the end user sees little or no cost.

(2) Network World’s eight ways 802.11n changes Wi-Fi

According to Network World, the approval of the 802.11n standard means improved security, higher data rates, better RF and interference management, use of Wi-Fi by devices never before associated with Wi-Fi, connecting to non-WiFi networks, personal area Wi-Fi (e.g. Wi-Fi Direct, which allows a Wi-Fi device such as the iPod Touch to connect directly to another Wi-Fi device such as a printer).

This is nothing new to those of you who have read Ken Biba’s articles on MuniWireless. If you have not read Ken’s articles, click on the links below:

The King is Dead, Long Live the King: 802.11n dramatically improves Wi-Fi outdoors

Real world measurements show muni Wi-Fi networks outperform WiMAX and cellular

(3) What Wi-Fi Direct means for Mac users: Glenn Fleishman has written a very informative article about how the Wi-Fi Alliance’s new Wi-Fi Direct standard greatly improves ad hoc Wi-Fi networking, that is, Wi-Fi connections between two devices (without the need of going through a base station).

via muniwireless.com

DiVitas’s Mobile UC Now Available on the Latest Devices
November 2, 2009
By Ted Stevenson

Since mobile unified communications became a reality in earnest, two to two-and-a-half years ago, the number of dual mode handsets supported by any given provider’s technology has been a big bone of contention—or, more accurately, promotion. (‘We support 437 handsets; we’re better’—you get the idea.)

Mountain View, Calif.-based DiVitas Networks today made an announcement that pretty much sews up that competition for good (or perhaps makes it irrelevant going forward).

The flashy way to state what they’ve done would be something along the lines of: ‘DiVitas’s technology now works with the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android phone—not to mention the desktop PC.’ While those are the big attention-getters, in reality what they’ve done is to make their technology compatible with any device that runs a Web browser—a number that’s growing every day.

According to CEO Vivek Khuller, the market reality that set the company on the development path that ended with today’s announcement was the overwhelming predominance of what they are calling “Bring Your Own” phones.

“We [started with] the notion that the mobile devices would be bought by the enterprise and distributed to the employees,” Khuller told EnterpriseVoIPplanet. “The reality is that people pick their own phones. People pick their own plans, their own carriers.

“So for people like us, who are in the business of writing enterprise mobile applications, if we cannot put our applications on this wide variety of phones, we really lose the ability to drive true gains within the enterprise,” Khuller said.

This clearly called for a new approach: Rather than negotiating with owners of ‘closed,’ proprietary operating systems in order to gain the access necessary to write native applications for more devices, why not build a way to accomplish the same end using a piece of open technology that’s already on the device?

That is exactly what DiVitas has done.

“This is the approach we are taking to mobilizing the suite of enterprise applications that we’re focused on,” Khuller elaborated “—mobilizing the desk phone, corporate IM, and social apps like status and presence and location and network—and tying it all together in a single client and making that available on a phone that could be any phone that’s bought by an individual.”

Not only does this vastly enlarge the potential market universe that DiVitas can address (nice for them), it make the benefits of mobile unified communication (cost savings and enhanced communications efficiency), available to many kinds of organizations that would be unable (or simply unwilling) to try to impose on their end users the kind device uniformity that would have been required heretofore.

“If you want to distribute a client through a large population—say a student body at a school—and there are 10,000 or 20,000 students, and each student had a different device from a different service provider, it becomes a very difficult problem for the school,” Khuller observed by way of example. “But if you can make it Web enabled, it doesn’t matter which carrier or which phone these guys are using, as long as they have a Web browser on the device.”

Not only are enormous deployment hurdles swept away, participation quickly becomes essentially universal. And, of even greater importance from the IT department’s perspective, they’re fully in control of the technology—with little or no device management to attend to.

“The biggest problem we solve for the customer is not only giving them the application mobility around voice and social apps, but more importantly, delivering this functionality in a way that it can be sustained both by corporate IT or the service provider.” Khuller pointed out. “Since the application is Web driven, the amount of device management an enterprise would have to do is minimized; everything is managed at the server, so there is nothing to download or upgrade—or manage on an ongoing basis.”

Ron Hutchins, CTO of Georgia Institute of Technology, agrees. “Universities constitute one of the most diverse handset ecosystems, where IT has minimal control over selection of handsets or carriers by students,” he said. “With support for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry, DiVitas would be able to offer handset and carrier choice that would be very appealing in a college campus environment.”

Also because it is server based, the DiVitas Web interface can be easily customized. Colors and logos can be easily changed, for example. Moreover, custom applications can be integrated into the interface by means of the DiVitas API (DAPI).

Khuller cited a hypothetical example of an international financial organization customizing the DiVitas Web client with its logo other elements and creating a communications portal they could roll out to their employees, worldwide. “It doesn’t matter which phones these guys are using. As long as they have a Web browser on their phone, they’re basically connected to the enterprise communication services through that portal.”

Related Articles

• Avaya, DiVitas Partner for Dual-Mode Mobility
• DiVitas, Samsung Partner for Mobile UC
• Experiencing the Totally Connected Lifestyle

I noted a while ago that the future of enterprise communications is in social networking. It’s easy to see why this should be: e-mail has become a vast wasteland of spam and other irritations, IM is increasingly in popularity among essentially all classes of enterprise users, and there’s a fundamental requirement for file (and many other forms of) sharing within the closed-user-group paradigm. Closing the user base keeps the riff-raff and especially spam and other distractions out, and also enhances integrity and expands the range of possible functions while maintaining security and enhancing ease-of-use and productivity.

And that’s where convergence/mobile unified communications pioneer is DiVitas Networks is going with their recent announcement, which also pursues one of my favorite directions (and a natural fit and requirement for social networking of any form regardless) – Web services. There’s no software to load here, and instant support of a broad range of key handsets. Client behavior is uniform across handsets, minimizing the training and support load and maximizing flexibility. No new apps need to be developed. And a single LDAP directory can be used for all enterprise communications functions, meaning everything works the same whether at one’s desk or out and about. This is a great addition to the overall power of mobility, and builds upon DiVitas’ previous convergence and mobile unified communications capabilities.

What we need, I’ve contended for some time, is an easy-to-use, extensible, multi-modal communications service for the enterprise. The Web is the platform, wireless is the transport, and the handset is the delivery vehicle. Add a small about of software (again, via the Web), and we’re just about there. After all these years, even for those who haven’t been paying attention, mobility is finally getting interesting!

Lawmakers Float Bill to Boost Rural Broadband
By Kenneth Corbin
November 6, 2009

Lawmakers are set to consider a measure next week to reform the federal subsidy paid to telephone companies to provide service to low-income and rural households to include broadband service.

Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) this morning released draft language of a bill that aims to curb waste in the Universal Service Fund (USF) and shift money from phone to Internet service in areas on the wrong side of the digital divide.

“The Universal Service Fund is broken,” Boucher and Terry said in a statement. “The measure will expand who pays into the fund, cap the growth of the fund and modernize the fund by allowing its use for the deployment of high-speed broadband service.”

Boucher issued a nearly identical statement when he and Terry introduced a previous version of the USF reform bill in 2006.

The House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, which Boucher chairs, is set to consider the measure at a hearing Nov. 17.

The drive to reform the USF revisits a long-deferred item on the policy agenda at the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that oversees the fund.

The FCC is currently working to develop a national broadband strategy due to Congress in February. At a conference in Washington yesterday, Brian David, a director of the FCC’s National Broadband Task Force, hinted that USF reform would likely be included in the plan’s recommendations.

David also floated the idea of a federally recognized digital outreach service to speed adoption of broadband technology similar to the AmeriCorps program, as well as an education campaign similar to the media blitz the FCC spearheaded in advance of the digital television transition.

“We are one of the last of the major countries to do this sort of plan,” David said. “We are at a point in this technology … where we are close to if not past the tipping point where it is no longer just an advantage to be online. It has become — in our view, in my view — a disadvantage fundamentally to not be online.”

Boucher and Terry’s bill echoes complaints that the USF has failed to keep pace with the evolving demands of the telecommunications landscape, where

Just yesterday, the leading lobby of the cable industry released a petition it submitted to the FCC calling for USF reform, claiming the program wastes as much as $2 billion annually funding telephone companies in areas where non-subsidized companies already offer service.

The bill also drew early praise from AT&T (NYSE: T). Tim McKone, the telecom giant’s executive vice president of federal relations, said the measure “recognizes that we cannot accomplish President Obama’s goal of universal and affordable broadband for all Americans without also fixing the federal universal service fund.”

Under the bill, recipients of Universal Service funding would be required to provide high-speed Internet service within five years of its enactment, aiming to do for broadband what the fund did for telephone service. Broadband, defined by the bill as access with a download connection speed of 1.5 megabits per second, would be classified as a universal service, and the USF bidding process would be opened to wireless providers.

“This bill brings the fund into the 21st century by modernizing it and allowing it to play a role in our country’s plan for eventual ubiquitous broadband,” Terry said.

The Facts About FM Radio In Mobile Phones

FM Radio Receivers in Mobile Phones

There is a strong belief among many in the radio industry that FM radio receivers should be incorporated into virtually all mobile devices, including mobile phones. Such a move helps to perpetuate the ubiquitous nature of radio and to provide a communication lifeline during times of crisis or natural disaster. Some may wonder why FM radio receivers are necessary when many mobile devices already have access to radio through internet connections. When radio is needed most it’s least likely to be available through an internet connection on a mobile device and only available when a mobile device has an FM receiver built-in.

Radio’s Importance in Times of Crisis

In January 2009, parts of the Midwestern United States were struck by a voracious winter storm. Combinations of snow and ice virtually paralyzed many areas. Owensboro, Kentucky was one area struck exceptionally hard and declared a federal disaster area. Residents were without power, land line communication, mobile phone communication and cable television. The only functioning source of information was “over the air” broadcasting. A nearby radio station run by the Cromwell Group was broadcasting. However, residents could only tap into the radio station with a radio receiving device that did not require an external power source (such as a battery-operated or crank radio, or a mobile phone with a built-in FM receiver).

Mobile phones were incapacitated because the mobile phone infrastructure was not working. That means internet access over the mobile phone network was also incapacitated. Access to information using a mobile phone was only possible if the mobile phone contained an FM receiver.

Capacity and Bandwidth: Over the Air Radio Versus Internet-Based Radio

What about cases in which the mobile networks are still functioning? Mobile networks are built assuming that only a percentage of users will use the network at the same time. On occasions in which usage begins to exceed capacity, the networks begin to exhibit stress (we’ve all experienced the “all circuits are busy” message from time to time). In times of crisis when all other means of communication have been disabled, usage of the network to talk and to access information using a mobile internet connection has been shown to skyrocket. Will networks be able to handle the burden and still be able to support access to critical information from radio broadcasts over mobile internet connections? With FM receivers in mobile devices one would not need to worry about this issue. Essential information would be available from nearby radio stations via “over the air” signals that are unaffected by network burden.

Bud Walters, owner of Cromwell Group, summed it up succinctly after January’s Midwestern storm by saying, “If there ever was a case for FM radio receivers in cell phones, this is it. Everyone has a cell phone, now useless. The cell phone would not be useless if it had an FM radio in it.”

The Current State of FM Radio Receivers in Mobile Devices

Why not add an inexpensive analog FM radio receiver into all mobile devices? It provides essential access to critical information over the air during times of crisis using a device that consumers will already be carrying.

Broadcom recently announced an integrated circuit device that combines WiFi, Bluetooth and FM on a single “chip,” making it easier for manufacturers to integrate essential functionality in one chip.

Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile are including FM radio-capable handsets in their offering and the radio industry is working on getting Apple on board as well. In fact, the Apple iPhone 3GS includes the Broadcom chip described above which has FM receiver capability. It is not a current function of the 3GS but can be easily included in a future upgrade since the FM-capable device is already present in the current design.

Nokia has sold more than 700 million devices with built-in FM radio receivers worldwide, demonstrating consumer recognition of the value.

What Can You Do?

Tell us your thoughts on this initiative by visiting www.radioheardhere.com/fmchip. Spread the word among your radio industry colleagues and ask them to do the same. Spread the word to listeners over the air and on your radio station website and ask them to voice their support for FM radio on cell phones. Together, we can mobilize this initiative throughout the industry and the listening population to demonstrate the fundamental necessity for FM radio receivers in mobile devices.

NEW YORK – The netbook, or ultralight computer designed mainly for Web access, exploded into the public consciousness in the past year. Suddenly netbooks seem to be everywhere, and they have emerged as an important driver for the growth of Internet traffic. ABI Research expects netbooks and related devices to become even more ubiquitous over the next five years. The market research firm forecasts the Ultra Mobile Device (UMD) market – which includes  UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs), netbooks, MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) and mobile consumer electronics devices combined – to achieve a 385 million-unit size in 2014. The diversity of form factors and device types we see today will likely continue as vendors look to meet each audience’s unique preferences.

“Consumers and business buyers are only recently accustomed to the netbook feature set,” says senior analyst Jeff Orr. “Regardless of vendor, the majority of today’s netbooks ship with Intel processors and Windows XP into developed markets.” As uptake continues, developing markets will become the larger opportunity. The premium netbook category will also be established, offering larger screens and greater choices in connectivity solutions. With little distinction today in feature sets and a relatively small price band, brands are differentiating themselves on aesthetics and build quality.

Pocketable MIDs remain a far more interesting product segment to watch, says Orr, as the market is still emerging. While the most common product design remains the tablet form, competing form factors such as models with slider keyboards, clamshells and touch-screen-only interfaces are gaining in popularity. He adds, “However, there is a danger that the MID market will disappear before it gets the chance to mature, as smartphones increase in popularity and mimic most, if not all, tasks performed by MIDs.” The line distinguishing MIDs from smartphones may blur as MIDs add voice: Nokia has equipped its latest “Internet Tablet,” the model N900, with cellular voice capabilities, for example.

Amtrak has released a five-year strategic plan that includes improved customer service, new trains and aggressive passenger growth and revenue goals.

It also is working with individual states as they apply for federal grants to develop high-speed rail corridors.

Amtrak has set a goal to increase ridership by 15 percent in the next five years, from 27.2 million in fiscal 2009 to 31.4 million by the end of 2014. It also hopes to grow revenue by 20 percent, topping $2 billion by 2014.

To do that, it will have to attract more passengers by improving customer service.

Amtrak will move forward with plans to add Wi-Fi service, initially on its Acela high-speed rail trains and eventually on other service. It will upgrade its reservations systems, including e-ticket options that will let passengers retrieve tickets on mobile devices. And, it says it will improve food and drink choices on its trains.

It also will replace aging locomotives and coaches, modernize car interiors and make stations, platforms and trains more handicapped accessible.

Amtrak also says passengers can expect to see more security, “with greater emphasis on random and unpredictable patrols, baggage screenings and other activities” in stations and on trains. It will also expand its K-9 explosives detection teams, it says.