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Femtocell may disrupt dual handset market
Worldwide shipments of dual-mode cellular/WiFi VoIP handsets will exceed 300 million units by 2011, a new report from ABI Research suggests. As we have reported in the past, however, the expected arrival of femtocell AP toward the end of the report's forecast period may well prove "disruptive for the market," as ABI puts it.
Femtocell APs are also known as 3G APs, and they are small cellular base stations designed for use in residential or corporate environments. As is the case …
SPOTLIGHT: WiFi finds its voice
We have written about converged WiFi-cellular handsets, but WiFi-only handsets are also growing in popularity. When their price comes down, they will become even more popular. The idea of a WiFi-only handset is appealing, but there were authentication and encryption issues to resolve, as well as the problem of handing over between the different types of network. Progress is being made, though, and more and more manufacturers are getting serious about using WiFi networks for voice handsets. Analysis
ALSO NOTED: Linksys launches 802.11n in India; WiFi comes to trains in FL; and much more...
> Linksys launches 802.11n in India. Report
> Florida's TriRail is testing WiFi for passengers. Report
> San Francisco is not the only city facing WiFi hurdles--so is Chicago. Report
> Xirrus has been awarded a …
SF metro-WiFi project stalls
Five months after and EarthLink won a headline-grabbing contract to install a city-wide WiFi network in San Francisco, nothing much has changed. Chris Sacca, who is in charge of 's special projects, complained that endless rounds of talks with city officials have not moved the ball forward. "Every meeting is like the first," he said in frustration.
Part of the reason for the delay in finalizing the negotiations about implementation is that politicians and bureaucrats …
Test program for dual-mode phones
Knowledge is power. Dual-mode handsets, combining WiFi and cellular capabilities, are becoming more and more popular (see story #5), so inquiring minds want to know more about them. The Wi-Fi Alliance and CTIA have now joined forces to offer carriers a new source of data on these handsets. The two organizations have developed a testing program for WiFi/cellular phones which offers RF performance mapping in a converged environment. The testing program provides detailed measurements on key …
Rumors of WiFi-WAPI war
In 1972, President Richard Nixon and national security adviser Henry Kissinger made their historic visit to communist China. On the last day of the visit, at a state dinner, Kissinger found himself sitting next to the aging Chairman Mao. He turned to him and said: "Mr. Chairman, before I joined government I was an academic studying revolutions and revolutionary movements. You, Mr. Chairman, led one of the 20th century's greatest revolutions. As a revolutionary, then, how would you …
WiFi banking takes hold in India
There were early adopters of WiFi, then there were late adopters of the technology, and then there are those who have yet to adopt it. Among those who took their time about the technology were financial institutions. The reason: Nagging doubts about the technology's safety. Things are changing, however, and in India, for example, more and more banks are using the technology to offer additional service to customers. In Mumbai, the country's financial center, they have begun to talk about …
Netgear shows WiFi Skype phone
Converged cellular-WiFi phones are all the rage (or, rather, will soon be all the rage) and companies with market savvy have noticed. The latest to join the lengthening list of vendors (e.g., Wistron, Accton) offering cellular-WiFi phones is Netgear, which last week began shipping its SPH101 (it demonstrated the unit in January at a trade show). The company says that the SPH101 is the first publicly announced handset certified to make Skype WiFi calls. However, at $249.99, it's not …
SPOTLIGHT: Zune-iPod battle commences
Last week, Microsoft officially unveiled its Zune portable media player. This response to Apple's iPod features 802.11 connectivity, a FM Tuner, a 30 GB hard drive (surprisingly modest, by the way: What if you are a fan of Bach's Goldberg Variations?), 3.0-inch screen, and more. It also comes in three colors--black, brown, and white. The company says that users who download songs will be allowed to share songs with fellow "Zuners" for a period of up to three days, but then these …
ALSO NOTED: WiFi coming to Colchester, Pittsburgh; WiFi regulation coming to CA?; and much more...
> Colchester is joining other UK cities in offering free WiFi in its downtown area. Report
> Pittsburgh's downtown is now offering WiFi, too. Report
> BT has launched BT Corporate Fusion--an extension of the company's private fixed-mobile convergence service for organizations. …
Nortel banks on 4G
Last week we reported of 4G developments in South Korea, but the Europeans are not standing still. Say what you will about Nortel, but the company puts its money where its mouth is: Last week the company sold its 3G access business to Alcatel so it could concentrate on developing OFDM-based 4G equipment for use in core operator networks. 4G mobile data services will offer up to 40 Mbps of bandwidth to end-users. Darryl Edwards, European president of Nortel, boldly told Computing …
Cellular is fighting back
A few months ago the venerable Economist ran a cover story on VoIP and similar services now being offered to consumers. The story contained dire predictions about the eroding economic basis of traditional telephony, proclaiming the coming end of telephony as we knew it.
Traditional telephony providers, though, are not just standing there waiting for the boom to be lowered. They are fighting back. As we wrote a few weeks ago, the main weapons in their armory are small …
RedZone's broadband plans for Maine
Rugged Maine has beautiful beaches, but not many broadband subscribers: About 21 percent of U.S. households have broadband connection, but in Maine only 15 percent of households have broadband. RedZone Wireless, a start-up located in Rockland, Maine, wants to change that. Because it is a local company, RedZone knows that the state has only one big city, Portland. Any broadband strategy must find a way to make money in rural areas and small towns. The company's approach, therefore, is to …
T-Mobile to offer dual mobile phone
T-Mobile has always looked a bit under-nourished and anemic next to its three sturdier sisters--Cingular, Verizon and Sprint Nextel. Still, these have been two good weeks for T-Mobile. Last week, both Paul Taylor of the Financial Times and Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal offered rave reviews of the BlackBerry 8100, aka BlackBerry Pearl, RIM's latest offering. The Pearl, as is the case with its predecessors, offers a great e-mail feature, but adds to it video, …
Confidence in WLAN security grows
WiFi has many benefits, but since its inception the suspicion has lingered that security was not one of them. True, more and more users now feel confident about the security of their networks, but worries about security remain high on users' priorities.
Joanie Wexler reports that security concerns top the list of enterprise WLAN deployment challenges. Still, there is improvement here, since in 2006 "only" 70 percent of enterprise respondents ranked security as their most pressing …
SPOTLIGHT: Who will guard the guardians?
You may recall the story of a fire fighter in New Mexico a few years back who started a small forest fire so she could perform heroically--and receive the proper recognition for--bringing the fire under control. Trouble was, the weather conditions and wind patterns combined to make the fire spread out of control, to the point of threatening the nuclear labs at Los Alamos. Now we hear that some computer and network security specialists--especially, it would seem, if these specialists …
ALSO NOTED: Canada's largest WiFi zone goes online;Five 802.11n routers; and much more...
> Toronto Hydro has just switched on Canada's largest WiFi zone at the heart of the city's financial district. Report
> Bartlesville, Oklahoma also gets a downtown WiFi. Report
> See the review of five 802.11n routers.
> New …
FierceWiFi September 5, 2006
- Wi-Fi Alliance to certify draft 802.11n products
- Software extends WiFi range five times
- AT&T in Springfield metro-WiFi deal
- Skype showing PC-less phone
- Sharp shows world's smallest WLAN module
- SPOTLIGHT: The shape of things to come
- ALSO NOTED: HP and Cisco partner for indoor wireless; Cell phones sniff out hotspots; and much more...
Wi-Fi Alliance to certify draft 802.11n products
The Wi-Fi Alliance will begin certifying 802.11n products--an audacious move, considering that the standard itself has not yet been finalized. The typically cautious, go-by-the-book organization has decided to take this step in an effort to head off interoperability issues likely to emerge as more and more companies rush to offer pre-802.11n, or draft-802.11n, gear. Rushing to market before standards were finalized has happened before, but the advantages of 802.11n over its predecessors …
Software extends WiFi range five times
The bumble bee is nature's mystery: Physicists say that it should not be able to fly, because its wing span is too small relative to the bee's body size and weight. Yet, it does fly. The same with some WiFi range-extending technologies: Engineers say that these technologies violate the laws of physics, and yet...
Just look at the proprietary software being offered by start-up InspiAir. The company claims its solution extends the typical WLAN range five times--using the same …
AT&T in Springfield metro-WiFi deal
The venerable AT&T has seen better days, so it is gratifying to note a success for the company: Springfield, Illinois, the city which gave us Abraham Lincoln, will likely select AT&T to build a city-wide WiFi network. This will be the company's first major mesh WiFi victory. Mayor Timothy Davlin said that the city will seek a blanket WiFi proposal submitted by AT&T, pending formal approval by the City Council. The mayor said that the network will eventually cover a total of 30 …
Skype showing PC-less phone
Remember Orson Welles's Gallo wine commercials, where he raised his glass to "things worth waiting for"? Well, here is something worth waiting for: A Skype cordless phone which does not require a PC connection. The new Philips VOIP841 plugs into a a RJ-11 jack and can make and receive Skype calls as if it were the regular home phone unit. Manrique Brenes, director of hardware business development for Skype, says: "If someone calls on the regular phone, it will ring. If someone calls you …
Sharp shows world's smallest WLAN module
Small is beautiful. Sharp says it is now offering what it describes as the world's smallest WLAN module. It is not only small--it also consumes less power than any other WLAN module currently available. The unit measures only 8.0 x 7.6 x 1.3 mm. When sending data, the module's power consumption is a mere 654mW. Moreover, power usage drops even lower, to 165mW, when the module handles inbound data. The drain on the battery in stand-by mode is an infinitesimal 0.3mW.
Sharp will …