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FierceWiFi September 7, 2005
- Katrina intensifies 700 MHz spectrum debate
- In the wake of a disaster: WiMax to the rescue
- Renewed 802.11n spec tensions
- Trend: WiMax making steady progress in Europe
- Silex USB 2.0 server with WiFi
- SPOTLIGHT: The water in Israel
- ALSO NOTED: U.S. Wireless Online offering free WiFi access in La.; Intel pledges gear for Katrina relief effort; and much more.
Katrina intensifies 700 MHz spectrum debate
Hurricane Katrina destroyed almost everything in its path, including much of the wired and wireless communication infrastructure along the afflicted area of the Gulf Coast. The result was the great difficulty various emergency agencies and first responders encountered when trying to communicate with each other to coordinate rescue operations. This traumatic experience is intensifying an already-acrimonious debate in Congress about how best to deal with the 700 MHz spectrum which will be …
In the wake of a disaster: WiMax to the rescue
Hurricane Katrina left large areas without radio communication, and it is very likely that most, if not all, of the fiber backbones and telephone switches in these areas have been destroyed beyond repair. If so, restoring communication will take many weeks. Relying on satellite communication, such as that offered by Iridium and Globalstar, would help but would be of limited use because it is slow and the handsets are expensive (both companies shipped thousands of their handsets to …
Renewed 802.11n spec tensions
The plot thickens. Two weeks ago it appeared that the 802.11n war was over, with the two major warring coalitions agreeing to submit a joint proposal to the IEEE task group. WLAN chip heavyweights Intel, Broadcom, Atheros, and Marvell have formed an informal alliance to jointly submit to the IEEE an interoperable PHY and MAC layers. Conspicuously absent is Airgo Networks, the current leader in MIMO technology, a technology which will be at the core of 802.11n.
Critics of the new …
Trend: WiMax making steady progress in Europe
WiMax is making steady progress in Europe. A few recent examples:
- French ADSL operator
the Iliad Group is acquiring Altitude Telecom. Altitude, which owns the only license granted by ARCEP (the French national telecommunications regulatory authority) to operate in the 3.5GHz band throughout France, has deployed an 802.16d-compliant BreezeMAX platform from Alvarion. The company has also …
Silex USB 2.0 server with WiFi
Phoenix-based Silex Technology America showed the Silex SX-2000WG, the first USB 2.0 Hi-Speed 802.11g wireless device server. The USB device servers provide network accessibility or sharing of USB products by client PCs on a LAN or WLAN. The SX-2000WG also extends the short USB cable for a single-user application and is compatible with most USB devices such as scanners and printers. It also connects USB 2.0 Hi-Speed devices such as external storage drives. USB 2.0 Hi-Speed is much faster …
SPOTLIGHT: The water in Israel
It must be something in the water in Israel. Alvarion has long been on the forefront of fixed WiMax developments, and now another Israeli company, Runcom Technologies, is moving to capture the pole position in mobile WiMax. The company was founded in 1997 and in 2000 introduced its proprietary OFDMA technology targeting Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB). OFDMA will be at the heart of 802.16e, so perhaps we should not be surprised that Runcom has signed a deal with Samsung to provide …
ALSO NOTED: U.S. Wireless Online offering free WiFi access in La.; Intel pledges gear for Katrina relief effort; and much more.
> Louisville, Kentucky-based U.S. Wireless Online is offering free WiFi access at its Baton Rouge Hot Zone and all hotspots in Louisiana. Story
> Intel pledges 1500 PCs, wireless APs, and technical support for Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts. Story
> Brevard County, Florida-based Health First has deployed BlueSecure 5000 …