AT&T Buying Centennial Communications
Saturday, November 8, 2008 | 5 comments »
In its second wireless deal in two days (after buy WiFi company Wayport), AT&T announced Friday evening that it would buy Centennial Communications, a regional wireless phone company, for $944 million in cash, a price that is more than double Centennial’s stock market value. It will also expand its wireless network in Puerto Rico and other regions of the United States, reports Reuters.
Centennial has 1.1 million wireless subscribers, of which about 40 percent are in Puerto Rico, where it has a market penetration of about 11 percent. It also has about 596,700 access lines for business customers in Puerto Rico.
“The transaction will enhance AT&T’s wireless coverage for customers in largely rural areas of the Midwest and Southeast United States and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” AT&T said in a statement.
AT&T has nearly 75 million wireless subscribers and aims to obtain approval for the deal from Centennial shareholders and regulators by the second quarter of 2009.
Analysts have said that rural phone companies need to consolidate to cut costs, as more consumers cancel home phones to go completely wireless or switch to all-in-one phone, television and Internet packages offered by cable companies or national phone companies.
Verizon Communications is buying rural wireless service provider Alltel for $28.1 billion, which will help it overtake AT&T as the largest U.S. wireless service provider. Meanwhile, CenturyTel announced a deal last month to buy rival rural phone company Embarq for $5.8 billion in stock.
“The big continue to get bigger,” Nelson said. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the smaller carriers to compete against the large national carriers.”
An AT&T spokesman said there was some overlap in their markets, primarily in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico, but there was “robust competition” in these areas. In the Midwest, he said Centennial’s network primarily covered rural areas and complemented AT&T’s network.
“I don’t think it’s the last of AT&T’s acquisitions. Nor Verizon’s,” said Comack. “They’re going to use their mass to do tuck-in acquisitions like this.”
Top 20 USA Phone Companies
Source: Wikipedia
In other news, MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless will offer free roaming onto each other’s networks, reports RCR Wireless News.
Leap’s markets (Cricket) will be free to MetroPCS customers signed up for the carrier’s $45- and $50-per-month service plans, and can be added to other plans for $5 per month, with similar offers by MetroPCS.
Sam Churchill
www.dailywireless.org
Centennial has 1.1 million wireless subscribers, of which about 40 percent are in Puerto Rico, where it has a market penetration of about 11 percent. It also has about 596,700 access lines for business customers in Puerto Rico.
“The transaction will enhance AT&T’s wireless coverage for customers in largely rural areas of the Midwest and Southeast United States and in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” AT&T said in a statement.
AT&T has nearly 75 million wireless subscribers and aims to obtain approval for the deal from Centennial shareholders and regulators by the second quarter of 2009.
Analysts have said that rural phone companies need to consolidate to cut costs, as more consumers cancel home phones to go completely wireless or switch to all-in-one phone, television and Internet packages offered by cable companies or national phone companies.
Verizon Communications is buying rural wireless service provider Alltel for $28.1 billion, which will help it overtake AT&T as the largest U.S. wireless service provider. Meanwhile, CenturyTel announced a deal last month to buy rival rural phone company Embarq for $5.8 billion in stock.
“The big continue to get bigger,” Nelson said. “It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the smaller carriers to compete against the large national carriers.”
An AT&T spokesman said there was some overlap in their markets, primarily in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico, but there was “robust competition” in these areas. In the Midwest, he said Centennial’s network primarily covered rural areas and complemented AT&T’s network.
“I don’t think it’s the last of AT&T’s acquisitions. Nor Verizon’s,” said Comack. “They’re going to use their mass to do tuck-in acquisitions like this.”
Source: Wikipedia
| #1 | AT&T Mobility | 74.91M subs (09/08) | Will be 2nd largest after VZ mergers |
| #2 | Verizon Wireless | 70.8M subs (09/08) | Acquiring Alltel & Unicel |
| #3 | Sprint Nextel | 51.91M subs (06/08) | Excludes Xohm |
| #4 | T-Mobile USA | 32.11M subs (09/08) | Owned by Deutsche Telekom |
| #5 | Alltel | 13.6M subs (09/08) | being acquired by Verizon Wireless |
| #6 | TracFone Wireless | 10.45M (09/08) | largest virtual operator, uses other celcos |
| #7 | U.S. Cellular | 6.18M subs (09/08) | |
| #8 | Virgin Mobile | 5M subs (06/08) | MVNO, currently acquiring Helio |
| #9 | MetroPCS | 4.85M subs (09/08) | |
| #10 | Cricket | 3.42M subs (09/08) | Includes Jump Mobile |
| #11 | Unicel | .79M subs (09/08) | being integrated into Verizon |
| #12 | Qwest Wireless | .77M (09/08) | Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) |
| #13 | Cellular South | .7M subs (09/08) | |
| #14 | Centennial Wireless | .66M subs (09/08) | Being bought by ATT |
| #15 | Cincinnati Bell | .57M subs (09/08) | |
| #16 | nTelos | .43M subs (09/08) | |
| #17 | SouthernLINC | .28M subs (09/08) | |
| #18 | Movida Wireless | .27M (09/08) | |
| #19 | Helio | .17M subs (09/08) | being acquired by Virgin Mobile USA |
| #20 | Alaska Communications | .15M (09/08) | |
In other news, MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless will offer free roaming onto each other’s networks, reports RCR Wireless News.
Leap’s markets (Cricket) will be free to MetroPCS customers signed up for the carrier’s $45- and $50-per-month service plans, and can be added to other plans for $5 per month, with similar offers by MetroPCS.
Sam Churchill
www.dailywireless.org
Wayport acquisition by AT&T makes me go whoompf: Yesterday’s announcement that AT&T would purchase hotspot operator Wayport for $275m in cash gave me pause for reflection. I started covering the Wi-Fi field in late 2000, spurred by testing Apple’s AirPort system, which, despite being on the market for a year, I was quite dubious about. It worked well, and it led me to find that Wi-Fi was being deployed as an amenity. I hopped on the story, and wrote a very early feature for The New York Times about public-space Wi-Fi in airports, cafes, and elsewhere. (See The Web, Without Wires, Wherever, 22-Feb-2001.)
Of the firms mentioned in the article, several disappeared within a year. And later startups like Cometa had big runs up and then giant flameouts. (I run down the failures as well as some other details of the Wayport deal at Ars Technica.)
Wayport may have survived and thrived due to two moves. First, the operator was an early partner with Boingo, renegotiating its contracts with venues to allow the pricing model of wholesale aggregation resale to work. On a panel at 802.11 Planet after Boingo launched, if I recall correctly, Wi-Fi veteran Phil Belanger (then at Wayport) explained that contracts with its venues needed to be renegotiated, but it was worth it to increase volume of use.
Wayport was right. Firms that resisted reasonable resale pricing or availability seem to have all gone by the wayside. The latest of these was T-Mobile, which had very restrictive roaming/resale agreements, and was replaced at Starbucks by AT&T, which has expansive agreements.
The other element was Wayport grabbing the McDonald’s contract through the use of a still-innovative pricing model. Instead of reselling sessions at McDonald’s to aggregators or others, Wayport offered only a flat rate based on the piece of the McDonald’s network that a reseller sliced. It had hoped to get cable systems interested as a competitive tool against 2.5G networks and other telecom advantages. It didn’t happen.
But the Wi-Fi World model, as it called the program at launch, proved the right approach for consumer electronics and gaming firms, like Nintendo for its Wi-Fi-enabled DS system, ZipIt Wireless for its instant-messaging handheld for teens, and Eye-Fi for the geotagging Explore model of its Wi-Fi memory card.
Wayport also was able to snag AT&T as a resale partner early on; AT&T was providing backhaul to many stores, and wound up buying access to resell to some of its customers. That later expanded into Wayport becoming AT&T’s managed services provider, and AT&T slowly but dramatically expanding cheap ($1.99 per month) and then free access to its base Wi-Fi network to a large portion of its wireline, fiber, business, and smartphone customers.
I’d say Wi-Fi World paid off as an approach.
Some might ask where this puts Boingo in relation to AT&T. Since Boingo is an aggregator, the advantage of which is to take many disparate networks and repackage them for resale at a predictable and reasonable price, why would you need Boingo when you can get 20,000 U.S. locations at no cost (if you’re a qualifying AT&T subscriber) or as part of AT&T’s own aggregated worldwide network of 80,000 locations ($20 per month for non-subscribers; $10 per month for those who qualify for free service)?
I checked with Boingo yesterday, and it has about 24,000 U.S. locations in its network. So…that’s nearly 85 percent AT&T when the Wayport acquisition closes. But don’t worry about Boingo. The company has a trump card: Airports.
Its acquisition a few years ago of Concourse Communications gave them the golden ticket: Boingo controls Wi-Fi access in most major airports in North America. AT&T and T-Mobile each have a handful that they operate, but Boingo has the big plums. Boingo operates the big NY/NJ airports (EWR, JFK, LGA), Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago (ORD and Midway), and on and on. The firm has 24 airports, most of them biggies, across the U.S.
Boingo told me some time ago that the Concourse acquisition was partly for revenue, partly for marketing, and partly for strategy. With airports in hand, it has better bargaining power with networks onto which it wants its users to roam, including outside the U.S.
If AT&T were to try to push to hard as the new Wayport owner with 85 percent of Boingo’s domestic footprint, Boingo has the counterbalance of the critical airports that AT&T’s business travelers want—and increasingly consumer and leisure travelers as those categories of passenger carry mobile devices that rely on a Wi-Fi network for their sole or best performance. (Think iPod Touch as well as iPhone.)
The end of Wayport spells the end of a long period in which many hotspot operators were in play. Now it’s AT&T and a number of much smaller firms—T-Mobile will still have perhaps 3,000 locations—and company-operated networks, like Panera, run through in-house divisions or through managed services.
By Glenn Fleishman
Of the firms mentioned in the article, several disappeared within a year. And later startups like Cometa had big runs up and then giant flameouts. (I run down the failures as well as some other details of the Wayport deal at Ars Technica.)
Wayport may have survived and thrived due to two moves. First, the operator was an early partner with Boingo, renegotiating its contracts with venues to allow the pricing model of wholesale aggregation resale to work. On a panel at 802.11 Planet after Boingo launched, if I recall correctly, Wi-Fi veteran Phil Belanger (then at Wayport) explained that contracts with its venues needed to be renegotiated, but it was worth it to increase volume of use.
Wayport was right. Firms that resisted reasonable resale pricing or availability seem to have all gone by the wayside. The latest of these was T-Mobile, which had very restrictive roaming/resale agreements, and was replaced at Starbucks by AT&T, which has expansive agreements.
The other element was Wayport grabbing the McDonald’s contract through the use of a still-innovative pricing model. Instead of reselling sessions at McDonald’s to aggregators or others, Wayport offered only a flat rate based on the piece of the McDonald’s network that a reseller sliced. It had hoped to get cable systems interested as a competitive tool against 2.5G networks and other telecom advantages. It didn’t happen.
But the Wi-Fi World model, as it called the program at launch, proved the right approach for consumer electronics and gaming firms, like Nintendo for its Wi-Fi-enabled DS system, ZipIt Wireless for its instant-messaging handheld for teens, and Eye-Fi for the geotagging Explore model of its Wi-Fi memory card.
Wayport also was able to snag AT&T as a resale partner early on; AT&T was providing backhaul to many stores, and wound up buying access to resell to some of its customers. That later expanded into Wayport becoming AT&T’s managed services provider, and AT&T slowly but dramatically expanding cheap ($1.99 per month) and then free access to its base Wi-Fi network to a large portion of its wireline, fiber, business, and smartphone customers.
I’d say Wi-Fi World paid off as an approach.
Some might ask where this puts Boingo in relation to AT&T. Since Boingo is an aggregator, the advantage of which is to take many disparate networks and repackage them for resale at a predictable and reasonable price, why would you need Boingo when you can get 20,000 U.S. locations at no cost (if you’re a qualifying AT&T subscriber) or as part of AT&T’s own aggregated worldwide network of 80,000 locations ($20 per month for non-subscribers; $10 per month for those who qualify for free service)?
I checked with Boingo yesterday, and it has about 24,000 U.S. locations in its network. So…that’s nearly 85 percent AT&T when the Wayport acquisition closes. But don’t worry about Boingo. The company has a trump card: Airports.
Its acquisition a few years ago of Concourse Communications gave them the golden ticket: Boingo controls Wi-Fi access in most major airports in North America. AT&T and T-Mobile each have a handful that they operate, but Boingo has the big plums. Boingo operates the big NY/NJ airports (EWR, JFK, LGA), Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago (ORD and Midway), and on and on. The firm has 24 airports, most of them biggies, across the U.S.
Boingo told me some time ago that the Concourse acquisition was partly for revenue, partly for marketing, and partly for strategy. With airports in hand, it has better bargaining power with networks onto which it wants its users to roam, including outside the U.S.
If AT&T were to try to push to hard as the new Wayport owner with 85 percent of Boingo’s domestic footprint, Boingo has the counterbalance of the critical airports that AT&T’s business travelers want—and increasingly consumer and leisure travelers as those categories of passenger carry mobile devices that rely on a Wi-Fi network for their sole or best performance. (Think iPod Touch as well as iPhone.)
The end of Wayport spells the end of a long period in which many hotspot operators were in play. Now it’s AT&T and a number of much smaller firms—T-Mobile will still have perhaps 3,000 locations—and company-operated networks, like Panera, run through in-house divisions or through managed services.
By Glenn Fleishman
There are now 17,000 more reasons for smart shoppers to buy a smartphone from AT&T. AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) announced it will begin offering free AT&T Wi-Fi service to current and new iPhone 3G and iPhone customers. AT&T has the nation's largest Wi-Fi network, with more than 17,000 hot spots including Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, and thousands of other locations.
AT&T plans to make the offer available to more mobile devices in the future. Additional details, including instructions on how to access the hot spots, are available at http://www.attwifi.com .
"AT&T is committed to providing its customers with the best connectivity at the best value," said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T's mobility business unit. "We have the industry's leading lineup of smartphones, along with the nation's largest Wi-Fi network. It only makes sense for us to bring these unique capabilities together for our customers."
Free Wi-Fi access is also available with all AT&T small business broadband plans, AT&T U-verse(SM) High Speed Internet plans and with qualified AT&T LaptopConnect plans. For customers without an AT&T broadband or smartphone plan, Wi-Fi subscriptions are available for $19.99 a month, providing worldwide access to both AT&T and partner locations.
www.wifizonenews.com
AT&T plans to make the offer available to more mobile devices in the future. Additional details, including instructions on how to access the hot spots, are available at http://www.attwifi.com .
"AT&T is committed to providing its customers with the best connectivity at the best value," said David Christopher, chief marketing officer of AT&T's mobility business unit. "We have the industry's leading lineup of smartphones, along with the nation's largest Wi-Fi network. It only makes sense for us to bring these unique capabilities together for our customers."
Free Wi-Fi access is also available with all AT&T small business broadband plans, AT&T U-verse(SM) High Speed Internet plans and with qualified AT&T LaptopConnect plans. For customers without an AT&T broadband or smartphone plan, Wi-Fi subscriptions are available for $19.99 a month, providing worldwide access to both AT&T and partner locations.
www.wifizonenews.com
AT&T to Acquire Wayport; Combined Wi-Fi Networks to Provide Connectivity in More Places
| 0 comments »
Millions of AT&T Customers to Get Free Wi-Fi Access at Nearly 20,000 U.S. Hotspots
DALLAS and AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T - News) announced today that it has agreed, through one of its subsidiaries, to acquire privately-held Wayport, Inc., a leading provider of managed Wi-Fi services in the United States, for approximately $275 million in cash. The deal adds Wayport's focused capabilities and enterprise customer portfolio with AT&T's leading Internet Protocol (IP) and 3G networks, and broad consumer and business customer bases, to deliver enhanced broadband connectivity at home, in the office, on the road, and virtually anywhere in between.
The acquisition expands the AT&T Wi-Fi(SM) footprint to nearly 20,000 domestic hotspots, takes the company's global Wi-Fi presence to more than 80,000 locations*, and creates thousands of new ways for customers worldwide to stay in touch. Millions of AT&T customers -- plus millions of other consumers needing to connect on the go -- will benefit from access to new hotspot locations served by Wayport. Wayport hotspots are in key locations, including select Wyndham, Marriott Vacation Club and Four Seasons hotels; HealthSouth and Sun Healthcare locations; plus McDonald's restaurants.
AT&T's global brand, marketing leadership and extensive enterprise sales force will complement Wayport's expertise in enabling and managing applications over an integrated network. Wayport will also extend AT&T's reach in the hospitality, health care, education and retail sectors.
"We're seeing exponential growth of Wi-Fi-enabled devices -- such as smartphones -- combined with a continued dependency on 24/7, anytime, anywhere Internet access across business and consumer market segments," said John Stankey, president and CEO, AT&T Operations. "Now is the right time for AT&T to affirm our commitment to Wi-Fi leadership. By acquiring Wayport, we're giving consumers more ways to stay in touch and building a more robust network management solution for businesses. We're bringing ready access to the nation's leading Wi-Fi, wireless and IP networks -- on a global scale."
Delivering Greater Value to Consumers
More than ever before, customers worldwide are using AT&T's expansive network to serve today's growing demand for more connectivity in more places -- which is driven by the proliferation of Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
This acquisition enhances AT&T's Wi-Fi presence in the United States, and it delivers a seamless, consistent communications experience to customers at home or on the go -- from one company.
-- Nearly 300 million Wi-Fi-enabled devices were shipped in 2007. Nearly1 billion are predicted by 2012.**
-- With the surge of Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, portable computers, gaming devices and cameras, more consumers can enjoy the benefits of anytime, anywhere access from the nation's largest Wi-Fi network.
-- A broader and deeper AT&T Wi-Fi network means more free connectivity for millions of AT&T customers, including select AT&T smartphone customers, AT&T LaptopConnect customers and AT&T High Speed Internet (including U-verse(SM)) subscribers.
Providing Solutions for Enterprise Customers
The acquisition complements AT&T's ability to deliver a complete end-to-end solution for businesses worldwide with Wayport's experience in facilitating business applications and managing public access to the Internet over a single network. As Wayport currently provides back-office management for AT&T's Wi-Fi Hot Spots, the acquisition expands such capabilities and brings management of Wi-Fi infrastructure completely under AT&T management.
The combined company will be able to deliver a more cost-effective and streamlined solution for enterprises -- and their customers -- by providing more anytime, anywhere access to end-user applications. Plus, with both the back-office infrastructure and end-user content application managed by one company, businesses can reduce operating costs, enhance and customize their customers' experience and reach more customers in new innovative ways."AT&T's premier capabilities in both the enterprise and consumer industries will take Wayport's strength in delivering Wi-Fi solutions over converged networks to an entirely new level," said Dave Vucina, chairman and chief executive officer of Wayport.
-- AT&T will provide a comprehensive solution for businesses seeking converged and managed network capabilities -- on one network -- with global reach, while also ringing ready access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi, wireless and leading global IP network.
-- Enterprise customers will be able to better utilize private-side applications
-- effectively managing costs and increasing productivitylevels -- including inventory management, remote employee learning, point-of-sale applications and remote security monitoring.
-- A unified solution will drive new business partnerships, leveraging AT&T's unique, innovative services and applications available to enterprise customers.
-- Enterprise customers will benefit from new, revenue-generating opportunities with AT&T's ability to bring customized, location-based messaging and advertising to more touch points -- via a streamlined Wi-Fi solution -- reaching more end-users.
"AT&T's ability to reach and service tens of millions of customers will greatly expand the value we currently bring to our customers. As part of AT&T, we'll bring new and better solutions to our customers on a global scale, with greater reach and more innovative services."
The transaction is expected to close as early as the fourth quarter of 2008.
* Including roaming locations
** In-Stat, 2008.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T - News) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No. 1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.
© 2008 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
About Wayport, Inc.
Founded in 1996, Wayport enables breakthrough public and private applications over an integrated network platform which creates new business opportunities and operational efficiencies. Wayport serves notable brands in a variety of vertical markets, including AT&T customers through a managed service agreement. Wayport helps clients create new business capabilities and improve operational efficiencies at premier venues including major hotels, hospitals, McDonald's and Hertz locations, and other retail brands worldwide. Wayport's investors include Sevin Rosen Funds, INVESCO Private Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Scale Venture Partners, Trellis Partners, Advanced Equities, Inc., Lucent Venture Partners, GC Technology Fund, Sanders Morris Harris, Star Ventures and GIC.
Note: This AT&T news release and other announcements are available as part of an RSS feed at http://www.att.com/rss. For more information, please review this announcement in the AT&T newsroom at http://www.att.com/newsroom.
www.fiercewireless.com
The BlackBerry Bold arrived yesterday. The new and much ballyhooed Wi-Fi-enabled BlackBerry with what is said to be a truly gorgeous half VGA 480 x 320 pixels, 65k color TFT display from carrier AT&T is being called the "fastest, most powerful BlackBerry ever." RIM is basing those claims on the processor speed and AT&T's 3G network.
SanDisk has reached yet another milestone in the battle to squeeze more and more storage in a finite amount of space. Earlier this fall, it became the first to announce microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (also referred to as M2) memory cards with 16GB storage capacities.
SanDisk's 16GB microSDHC card ($99.99) is available now at Best Buy. The 16GB Memory Stick Micro ($129.99) should be available soon. Both are expected to be available at Verizon Wireless locations in November, as well. SanDisk is offering a five-year limited warranty on these new cards.
Tiny fingernail-sized microSDHC cards are also available in 4GB and 8GB from SanDisk. It is a very popular format in cell phones and smartphones, but can also be found in many other devices, including video cameras, GPS receivers and MP3 players.
Memory Stick Micro cards, which are about the same size as microSDs, are designed for Sony Ericsson's latest mobile phone and smartphone models. They also come in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities.
"Flash memory cards have increased in storage capacity, but even an 8GB card may be too small for anyone with GPS map data, a few movies, a game or two, a presentation file and other applications. There is an acute need for more mobile storage capacity," according to analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis. "16GB gives consumers the ability to carry their digital content with them and still have room to do more with their mobile phones."
SanDisk is the same company that fended off a buyout offer from Samsung recently. It also, somewhat boldly, introduced a new music-media format.
Called slotMusic, the music distribution format pre-loads an album onto a microSD card. The point of slotMusic, for which all the major labels are onboard, is to allow users to buy and use music without being dependent on a PC or internet connection. They simply insert the card into their microSD-enabled device to hear it.
The music is DRM-free, of high quality (320 kbps), and can be used instantly with any MP3 player, cell phone, etc. with a microSD slot. The cards will be packaged with a tiny USB sleeve, so they'll be easy to use and compatible with PCs (Windows, Linux, and Mac), as well.
SanDisk says the cards will be sold in rick-and-mortar and online stores throughout the U.S., including Best Buy and Wal-Mart, with Europe to follow. They should go for between $7 and $10.
[Article adapted from PDAStreet.com.]
**
Epson America has put a new brand at the top of its inkjet printer line. The Artisan 700 and 800 are elegantly styled home and home-office printer/copier/scanners that emphasize creative applications, printing 4-by-6-inch photos in as little as ten seconds along with text documents at 38 pages per minute (ppm).
Bbeneath their piano black finishes, the Artisans feature six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria ink with five droplet sizes for what Epsons says are "vivid, true-to-life photos with up to four times the fade resistance of photo lab prints."
Automatic photo correction and red-eye removal functions can be previewed on the model 700's 2.5-inch and model 800's 3.5-inch color LCD. Productivity features include standard duplex printing and built-in Wi-Fi, as well as Ethernet networking.
Standing just 5.9 inches tall, the Artisan 700 ($200) offers 2,400-dpi, 48-bit color scanning to a PC, memory card, or USB flash drive; card slots for printing images without a PC; and one-touch color and black and white copying with fit-to-page printing and background removal for clean copies of text documents. Each can create photo layouts with various size photos on a single sheet of paper, or even turn plain paper into college-ruled or graph paper for school.
The Artisan 800 ($300) adds faxing with a 30-page automatic document feeder, as well as 4,800-dpi scanning and a 7.8-inch touch panel that lights up only the buttons necessary for easy selecting, copying, enlarging, rotating, cropping, and printing of photos.
By Naomi Graychase
www.wi-fiplanet.com
SanDisk has reached yet another milestone in the battle to squeeze more and more storage in a finite amount of space. Earlier this fall, it became the first to announce microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (also referred to as M2) memory cards with 16GB storage capacities.
SanDisk's 16GB microSDHC card ($99.99) is available now at Best Buy. The 16GB Memory Stick Micro ($129.99) should be available soon. Both are expected to be available at Verizon Wireless locations in November, as well. SanDisk is offering a five-year limited warranty on these new cards.
Tiny fingernail-sized microSDHC cards are also available in 4GB and 8GB from SanDisk. It is a very popular format in cell phones and smartphones, but can also be found in many other devices, including video cameras, GPS receivers and MP3 players.
Memory Stick Micro cards, which are about the same size as microSDs, are designed for Sony Ericsson's latest mobile phone and smartphone models. They also come in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB capacities.
"Flash memory cards have increased in storage capacity, but even an 8GB card may be too small for anyone with GPS map data, a few movies, a game or two, a presentation file and other applications. There is an acute need for more mobile storage capacity," according to analyst Avi Greengart of Current Analysis. "16GB gives consumers the ability to carry their digital content with them and still have room to do more with their mobile phones."
SanDisk is the same company that fended off a buyout offer from Samsung recently. It also, somewhat boldly, introduced a new music-media format.
Called slotMusic, the music distribution format pre-loads an album onto a microSD card. The point of slotMusic, for which all the major labels are onboard, is to allow users to buy and use music without being dependent on a PC or internet connection. They simply insert the card into their microSD-enabled device to hear it.
The music is DRM-free, of high quality (320 kbps), and can be used instantly with any MP3 player, cell phone, etc. with a microSD slot. The cards will be packaged with a tiny USB sleeve, so they'll be easy to use and compatible with PCs (Windows, Linux, and Mac), as well.
SanDisk says the cards will be sold in rick-and-mortar and online stores throughout the U.S., including Best Buy and Wal-Mart, with Europe to follow. They should go for between $7 and $10.
[Article adapted from PDAStreet.com.]
**
Epson America has put a new brand at the top of its inkjet printer line. The Artisan 700 and 800 are elegantly styled home and home-office printer/copier/scanners that emphasize creative applications, printing 4-by-6-inch photos in as little as ten seconds along with text documents at 38 pages per minute (ppm).
Bbeneath their piano black finishes, the Artisans feature six-color Ultra Hi-Definition Claria ink with five droplet sizes for what Epsons says are "vivid, true-to-life photos with up to four times the fade resistance of photo lab prints."
Automatic photo correction and red-eye removal functions can be previewed on the model 700's 2.5-inch and model 800's 3.5-inch color LCD. Productivity features include standard duplex printing and built-in Wi-Fi, as well as Ethernet networking.
Standing just 5.9 inches tall, the Artisan 700 ($200) offers 2,400-dpi, 48-bit color scanning to a PC, memory card, or USB flash drive; card slots for printing images without a PC; and one-touch color and black and white copying with fit-to-page printing and background removal for clean copies of text documents. Each can create photo layouts with various size photos on a single sheet of paper, or even turn plain paper into college-ruled or graph paper for school.
The Artisan 800 ($300) adds faxing with a 30-page automatic document feeder, as well as 4,800-dpi scanning and a 7.8-inch touch panel that lights up only the buttons necessary for easy selecting, copying, enlarging, rotating, cropping, and printing of photos.
By Naomi Graychase
www.wi-fiplanet.com
7 Wacky Wi-Fi Gadgets
Saturday, October 25, 2008 | 0 comments »
I’m a big believer that Wi-Fi will come to dominate the home networking environment because of its ubiquity and familiarity to consumers. If I needed more proof, I got it earlier this week while chatting with Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, about the more than 1,000 gadgets her organization has certified this past year. The Alliance shared with me some of the more outlandish gadgets they’ve seen. I know they aren’t all new, but taken together they make clear that Wi-Fi is moving way beyond computing equipment and even kitschy nerd wear (but I included the Think Geek T-shirt anyway).
First up is a Kohler bathtub available with Wi-Fi connectivity that allows music to be piped from a computer to the bath without dragging electrical goods in or near the water. At $10,000, this tub isn’t for the faint of wallet, but in addition to the Wi-Fi speakers it also offers four original compositions whose beats the tub will vibrate in conjunction with — totally surrounding your body in music. I can do this in my car with the volume turned up and a sub-woofer, so I personally think this is pretty silly.
Second on the list is another high-end purchase, a Chrysler car with uConnect service, which uses a combined 3G data connection and Wi-Fi to turn your vehicle into a hotspot. Pricing for the uConnect service isn’t out yet, but as cool as such an offering might be, I’m not sure it’s any different than firing up a 3G modem attached to your laptop in order to check email or write blogs during a car trip (only when you’re not driving, of course.)
Third up is the Spark solar-powered lamp, which uses Wi-Fi to notify homeowners if they’ve exceeded daily energy consumption limit. The lamp was conceived by industrial designer Beverly Ng in response to efforts by the Swedish government to reduce energy consumption in Swedish homes. The Wi-Fi in the lamp taps into an energy-monitoring system on a computer, and makes the lamp flash different colors depending on how much energy has been used up.
Then there is the WiFi-detection category, which includes a pair of sneakers, a watch and the aforementioned shirt. The sneakers are still a concept item, but the shirt is available for $29.99, and the watch is ?19.99 ($32). Beyond Wi-Fi detection, I think there are some obvious options for actual reception or transmission of data with these objects. You could track your steps to meet a fitness goal, or have your watch start flashing when you get a VoIP call or have a meeting. For folks who keep their WiFi-enabled phones in a bag, that’d be awesome.
Speaking of bags, our final item is a series of WiFi-sniffing bags that range from backpacks to briefcases, and can tell you where you might find the best locale for sitting down for some intense computing. This is useful if you forgot your WiFi-detecting watch, your WiFi-detecting T-shirt is in the wash and you’re wearing penny loafers instead of your Wi-Fi sneakers. It’s also useful for outgeeking those folks wandering around with solar-powered backpacks. Yeah, Liz and Katie, I’m talking to you.
STACEY HIGGINBOTHAM
www.nytimes.com
First up is a Kohler bathtub available with Wi-Fi connectivity that allows music to be piped from a computer to the bath without dragging electrical goods in or near the water. At $10,000, this tub isn’t for the faint of wallet, but in addition to the Wi-Fi speakers it also offers four original compositions whose beats the tub will vibrate in conjunction with — totally surrounding your body in music. I can do this in my car with the volume turned up and a sub-woofer, so I personally think this is pretty silly.
Second on the list is another high-end purchase, a Chrysler car with uConnect service, which uses a combined 3G data connection and Wi-Fi to turn your vehicle into a hotspot. Pricing for the uConnect service isn’t out yet, but as cool as such an offering might be, I’m not sure it’s any different than firing up a 3G modem attached to your laptop in order to check email or write blogs during a car trip (only when you’re not driving, of course.)
Third up is the Spark solar-powered lamp, which uses Wi-Fi to notify homeowners if they’ve exceeded daily energy consumption limit. The lamp was conceived by industrial designer Beverly Ng in response to efforts by the Swedish government to reduce energy consumption in Swedish homes. The Wi-Fi in the lamp taps into an energy-monitoring system on a computer, and makes the lamp flash different colors depending on how much energy has been used up.
Then there is the WiFi-detection category, which includes a pair of sneakers, a watch and the aforementioned shirt. The sneakers are still a concept item, but the shirt is available for $29.99, and the watch is ?19.99 ($32). Beyond Wi-Fi detection, I think there are some obvious options for actual reception or transmission of data with these objects. You could track your steps to meet a fitness goal, or have your watch start flashing when you get a VoIP call or have a meeting. For folks who keep their WiFi-enabled phones in a bag, that’d be awesome.
Speaking of bags, our final item is a series of WiFi-sniffing bags that range from backpacks to briefcases, and can tell you where you might find the best locale for sitting down for some intense computing. This is useful if you forgot your WiFi-detecting watch, your WiFi-detecting T-shirt is in the wash and you’re wearing penny loafers instead of your Wi-Fi sneakers. It’s also useful for outgeeking those folks wandering around with solar-powered backpacks. Yeah, Liz and Katie, I’m talking to you.
STACEY HIGGINBOTHAM
www.nytimes.com
Wee-Fi: Quantenna In Depth, WalkingHotSpot, T-Mobile's 3G Footprint, Devicescape's Easy Wi-Fi. Boingo on Moto Q 11
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In-depth on Quantenna: For Ars Technica, a great technology site for which I recently started a regular writing relationship, I wrote up a long interview with Quantenna’s founder, in which I examine more detail about how they achieve 1 Gbps with standard Wi-Fi. The secret? Lots of radios, lots of antennas, deployed in what they say will be an inexpensive fashion. Could shake up the market, even if Quantenna isn’t the winner, but they appear to have a real lead over established chipmakers.
Taproot releases WalkingHotSpot: Yet another software package for turning certain smartphones into Wi-Fi hotspots using the built-in cell data service as backhaul. The $7 per month or $25 per day software license turns on the service on Symbian S60 or Windows Mobile phones. There’s a 7-day trial, too. Only WEP security is supported because ad hoc mode is used; infrastructure mode isn’t available.
T-Mobile clarifies 3G availability: T-Mobile must have gotten tired of explaining that 21 markets doesn’t mean 21 cities. For instance, in Los Angeles, they note via email, that market includes Anaheim, Irvine, Long Beach, and Pasadena. For clarity’s sake, they’re now saying 92 major cities across 21 markets now; Wednesday, with the G1 with Google smartphone launches, they’ll be up to 95 cities. They say by the end of November, 120 major cities.
Devicescape expands platforms, renames software: Devicescape announced its availability on HTC phones, dominate in the Windows Mobile market worldwide; on a Fujitsu phone sold in Japan by DoCoMo; and as part of DeFi, a global VoIP over Wi-Fi calling service that’s soft launching. The company also said that it’s software will now be named Easy Wi-Fi across the board, and they’ve split their platform approach into devices, laptops, and handsets, to make it simpler for development and licensing by partners. Easy Wi-Fi is now available on a pretty large selection of smartphones, including those made by Palm, running Windows Mobile or the Nokia E60 platform, the iPhone and iPod touch, among others.
Boingo adds Moto Q 11: Boingo’s software for connecting to its aggregated worldwide hotspot network is now available on the Moto Q 11 phone in the Boingo Mobile flavor ($8/month worldwide). All owners of this model can get a free month of service to test it out.
By Glenn Fleishman
www.wifinetnews.com
Taproot releases WalkingHotSpot: Yet another software package for turning certain smartphones into Wi-Fi hotspots using the built-in cell data service as backhaul. The $7 per month or $25 per day software license turns on the service on Symbian S60 or Windows Mobile phones. There’s a 7-day trial, too. Only WEP security is supported because ad hoc mode is used; infrastructure mode isn’t available.
T-Mobile clarifies 3G availability: T-Mobile must have gotten tired of explaining that 21 markets doesn’t mean 21 cities. For instance, in Los Angeles, they note via email, that market includes Anaheim, Irvine, Long Beach, and Pasadena. For clarity’s sake, they’re now saying 92 major cities across 21 markets now; Wednesday, with the G1 with Google smartphone launches, they’ll be up to 95 cities. They say by the end of November, 120 major cities.
Devicescape expands platforms, renames software: Devicescape announced its availability on HTC phones, dominate in the Windows Mobile market worldwide; on a Fujitsu phone sold in Japan by DoCoMo; and as part of DeFi, a global VoIP over Wi-Fi calling service that’s soft launching. The company also said that it’s software will now be named Easy Wi-Fi across the board, and they’ve split their platform approach into devices, laptops, and handsets, to make it simpler for development and licensing by partners. Easy Wi-Fi is now available on a pretty large selection of smartphones, including those made by Palm, running Windows Mobile or the Nokia E60 platform, the iPhone and iPod touch, among others.
Boingo adds Moto Q 11: Boingo’s software for connecting to its aggregated worldwide hotspot network is now available on the Moto Q 11 phone in the Boingo Mobile flavor ($8/month worldwide). All owners of this model can get a free month of service to test it out.
By Glenn Fleishman
www.wifinetnews.com
Boston University's College of Engineering is launching a program, under a National Science Foundation grant, to develop the next generation of wireless communications technology based on visible light instead of radio waves. Researchers expect to piggyback data communications capabilities on low-power light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to create "Smart Lighting" that would be faster and more secure than current network technology.
This initiative aims to develop an optical communication technology that would make an LED light the equivalent of a Wi-Fi access point.
"Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires," said BU Engineering Professor Thomas Little. "This could be done with an LED-based communications network that also provides light - all over existing power lines with low power consumption, high reliability and no electromagnetic interference. Ultimately, the system is expected to be applicable from existing illumination devices, like swapping light bulbs for LEDs."
Boston University researches will focus on developing computer networking applications, notably the solid state optical technology that will form the network's backbone.
"This is a unique opportunity to create a transcendent technology that not only enables energy efficient lighting, but also creates the next generation of secure wireless communications," Little added. "As we switch from incandescent and compact florescent lighting to LEDs in the coming years, we can simultaneously build a faster and more secure communications infrastructure at a modest cost along with new and unexpected applications."
Little envisions indoor optical wireless communications systems that use white LED lighting within a room - akin to the television remote control device - to provide Internet connections to computers, personal digital assistants, television and radio reception, telephone connections and thermostat temperature control.
With widespread LED lighting, a vast network of light-based communication is possible, Little noted. A wireless device within sight of an enabled LED could send and receive data though the air - initially at speeds in the 1 to 10 megabit per second range - with each LED serving as an access point to the network. Such a network would have the potential to offer users greater bandwidth than current RF technology.
Moreover, since this white light does not penetrate opaque surfaces such as walls, there is a higher level of security, as eavesdropping is not possible. LED lights also consume far less energy than RF technology, offering the opportunity to build a communication network without added energy costs and reducing carbon emissions over the long term.
The ability to rapidly turn LED lights on and off - so fast the change is imperceptible to the human eye - is key to the technology. Flickering light in patterns enables data transmission without any noticeable change in room lighting. And the technology is not limited to indoor lights; its first real test may very well come outdoors, in the automotive industry.
"This technology has many implications for automobile safety," Little said. "Brake lights already use LEDs, so it's not a stretch to outfit an automobile with a sensor that detects the brake lights of the car in front of it and either alerts an inattentive driver or actively slows the car."
www.cellular-news.com
This initiative aims to develop an optical communication technology that would make an LED light the equivalent of a Wi-Fi access point.
"Imagine if your computer, iPhone, TV, radio and thermostat could all communicate with you when you walked in a room just by flipping the wall light switch and without the usual cluster of wires," said BU Engineering Professor Thomas Little. "This could be done with an LED-based communications network that also provides light - all over existing power lines with low power consumption, high reliability and no electromagnetic interference. Ultimately, the system is expected to be applicable from existing illumination devices, like swapping light bulbs for LEDs."
Boston University researches will focus on developing computer networking applications, notably the solid state optical technology that will form the network's backbone.
"This is a unique opportunity to create a transcendent technology that not only enables energy efficient lighting, but also creates the next generation of secure wireless communications," Little added. "As we switch from incandescent and compact florescent lighting to LEDs in the coming years, we can simultaneously build a faster and more secure communications infrastructure at a modest cost along with new and unexpected applications."
Little envisions indoor optical wireless communications systems that use white LED lighting within a room - akin to the television remote control device - to provide Internet connections to computers, personal digital assistants, television and radio reception, telephone connections and thermostat temperature control.
With widespread LED lighting, a vast network of light-based communication is possible, Little noted. A wireless device within sight of an enabled LED could send and receive data though the air - initially at speeds in the 1 to 10 megabit per second range - with each LED serving as an access point to the network. Such a network would have the potential to offer users greater bandwidth than current RF technology.
Moreover, since this white light does not penetrate opaque surfaces such as walls, there is a higher level of security, as eavesdropping is not possible. LED lights also consume far less energy than RF technology, offering the opportunity to build a communication network without added energy costs and reducing carbon emissions over the long term.
The ability to rapidly turn LED lights on and off - so fast the change is imperceptible to the human eye - is key to the technology. Flickering light in patterns enables data transmission without any noticeable change in room lighting. And the technology is not limited to indoor lights; its first real test may very well come outdoors, in the automotive industry.
"This technology has many implications for automobile safety," Little said. "Brake lights already use LEDs, so it's not a stretch to outfit an automobile with a sensor that detects the brake lights of the car in front of it and either alerts an inattentive driver or actively slows the car."
www.cellular-news.com
Delta Air Lines plans to block inappropriate Web sites from its in-flight Wi-Fi service to be launched this year.
Delta previously said it planned to rely on flight attendants to handle inappropriate situations, such as pornography surfing. But after feedback from customers and attendants, the airline changed its policy and is working with Wi-Fi provider Aircell to use a system to block inappropriate content.
“Blocking will be limited in scope and will be for sites that few, if any, would question are inappropriate to be viewed on an aircraft,” Delta spokesman Kent Landers said Thursday. “Our focus is to achieve a balanced approach.”
While other systems have been criticized for blocking relatively non-racy sites such as Vanity Fair magazine, Landers said Delta’s system would work differently.
Delta’s move comes after American’s attendants expressed concerns about passengers’ ability to “potentially go to inappropriate sites,” said David Roscow of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. American said it is examining options.
By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Delta previously said it planned to rely on flight attendants to handle inappropriate situations, such as pornography surfing. But after feedback from customers and attendants, the airline changed its policy and is working with Wi-Fi provider Aircell to use a system to block inappropriate content.
“Blocking will be limited in scope and will be for sites that few, if any, would question are inappropriate to be viewed on an aircraft,” Delta spokesman Kent Landers said Thursday. “Our focus is to achieve a balanced approach.”
While other systems have been criticized for blocking relatively non-racy sites such as Vanity Fair magazine, Landers said Delta’s system would work differently.
Delta’s move comes after American’s attendants expressed concerns about passengers’ ability to “potentially go to inappropriate sites,” said David Roscow of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. American said it is examining options.
By Kelly Yamanouchi
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite the fact that mobile WiMAX has a time-to-market advantage over LTE by at least two years, analysts at IMS Research believe the technology at best will remain a niche mobile technology. That's because network operators are just now beginning to see a return on their 3G networks and won't be ready to upgrade to an OFDM-based technology until about the time LTE is ready.
The fact that LTE won't be ready for another two to three years may actually turn out to be a boon for LTE as the time frame will allow mobile operators to get as much life as possible out of their existing 3G networks, says a new report from IMS Research. Incremental upgrades to enhanced 3G technologies such as HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev B will allow for almost the same data rates as the initial LTE deployments, which will effectively set the stage for large-scale LTE commercial rollouts in three to four years.
LTE has a further advantage because the majority of cellular operators around the world will choose LTE as their migration path given the fact that 3GPP has tabbed LTE as the next-generation standard for the GSM community.
"The truth is that WiMAX is a very robust technology that has been quite successful in many parts of the world as a fixed broadband solution and will continue to do so, especially in under-served markets," said IMS Research analyst Bob Perez. "Although mobile WiMAX networks are already going live thanks to Sprint/Clearwire and Korea Telecom, the prospect of additional mobile WiMAX networks from Tier 1 operators are looking pretty grim."
Lynnette Luna
www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com
The fact that LTE won't be ready for another two to three years may actually turn out to be a boon for LTE as the time frame will allow mobile operators to get as much life as possible out of their existing 3G networks, says a new report from IMS Research. Incremental upgrades to enhanced 3G technologies such as HSPA+ and EV-DO Rev B will allow for almost the same data rates as the initial LTE deployments, which will effectively set the stage for large-scale LTE commercial rollouts in three to four years.
LTE has a further advantage because the majority of cellular operators around the world will choose LTE as their migration path given the fact that 3GPP has tabbed LTE as the next-generation standard for the GSM community.
"The truth is that WiMAX is a very robust technology that has been quite successful in many parts of the world as a fixed broadband solution and will continue to do so, especially in under-served markets," said IMS Research analyst Bob Perez. "Although mobile WiMAX networks are already going live thanks to Sprint/Clearwire and Korea Telecom, the prospect of additional mobile WiMAX networks from Tier 1 operators are looking pretty grim."
Lynnette Luna
www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com
Sierra Wireless announced it is working with Australia's Telstra, Qualcomm and Ericsson to deliver the first HSPA+ devices capable of peak download speeds of 21 mbps, which is three times faster than currently available HSPA modems. Sierra said shipments for customer trials are expected to begin in the coming months with a commercial launch to follow. Telstra will be the first to get its hands on the devices. The Australian operator recently confirmed it is on track to begin rolling out the new technology to its Next G wireless network by the end of this year.
Lynnette Luna
www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com
Lynnette Luna
www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com
Ubiquiti Networks was founded in 2005 to develop embedded radios for OEMs and the military. "We've since expanded from there—and we've taken it to a very broad offering," says Ben Moore, Ubiquiti's vice president of business development.
Ubiquiti's product categories include embedded radios with a range of output power and frequency options, embedded systems for a variety of applications, mobile and portable products—and, specifically for WISPs, complete CPE solutions, including the PowerStation and the smaller, lower-priced NanoStation, both of which are available at 2.4 GHz and at 5 GHz. "What sets us apart there is the ease of use: the software is very easy to work with," Moore says.
The company's newest offering is a range of high performance embedded 802.11n MIMO products: the 2.4/5 GHz SR71-A, the 2.4 GHz SR71-2, and the 5 GHz SR71-5. "We're just releasing those products now, and we're very excited about the performance that's we're going to be able to get out of them," Moore says.
Price and performance
For WISPs, Moore says, the products' balance of price and performance makes them particularly attractive. "The PowerStation has an MSRP of $159 for the 2.4 model, and there's an MSRP of $79 for the 2.4 NanoStation," he says. "We feel like we're bridging the digital divide with the performance and the price points that we're able to put the product out to the market in."
The point, Moore says, is that while Ubiquiti's pricing is attractive, that's really not the company's main focus. "Price is definitely a key differentiator, but you're also looking at the innovative software," he says. "It's very easy to use, very user friendly, yet at the same time very powerful. And we've built some key features into the product—dual polarity, an external connector being offered in the same unit so you can extend the range of the product—and we've also come out with innovative accessories: we've got a window/wall mount available for the NanoStation that really makes it easy to install."
For support, in addition to phone and e-mail contact with the company itself, Moore says Ubiquiti's online forum is a popular source of information and advice on the products—as well as a good indicator of the products' global reach. "We actually provide a free t-shirt to anyone that signs up on our forum, because we want to drive people to our website and to increase the visibility of Ubiquiti," he says. "We have many support people that follow that forum on a daily basis to provide feedback and support for different applications."
Sticking with Wi-Fi
Looking ahead, Moore says Ubiquiti's current focus on Wi-Fi products (rather than WiMAX) is likely to continue. "That's our bread and butter right now, and at this point, we're probably going to continue on with that," he says. "We've got a lot of new products that we're working on that will also be tailored towards that environment."
That said, Moore also says the company remains open to all possibilities. "There is the opportunity for OEM work that will be done on the WiMAX side… as requests come in for us to build products for OEMs, we will look into doing that," he says. "But right now, our focus is on Wi-Fi, on the 802.11b/g/a/n networks… the performance that we're able to get out of our products, with the price points, is really hitting home with our customer base. And we see that demand continuing."
In fact, Moore says many of Ubiquiti's Wi-Fi products are able to give WiMAX a run for its money. "The capacity that our products offer really rival even the highest end WiMAX networks at this point in the game, in terms of performance, reliability, throughput, things like that… and it really enables WISPs to be free to use different access points, different base station products," he says.
And Moore says the company will continue to develop new solutions in the space. "We see there's a lot of opportunity for additional growth and additional products that will hit the market similarly to what we've done with the NanoStation… and with the MIMO product," he says. "The throughput that we're able to get on a product like that really opens up additional doors for our WISP customers."
By Jeff Goldman
www.wi-fiplanet.com
Ubiquiti's product categories include embedded radios with a range of output power and frequency options, embedded systems for a variety of applications, mobile and portable products—and, specifically for WISPs, complete CPE solutions, including the PowerStation and the smaller, lower-priced NanoStation, both of which are available at 2.4 GHz and at 5 GHz. "What sets us apart there is the ease of use: the software is very easy to work with," Moore says.
The company's newest offering is a range of high performance embedded 802.11n MIMO products: the 2.4/5 GHz SR71-A, the 2.4 GHz SR71-2, and the 5 GHz SR71-5. "We're just releasing those products now, and we're very excited about the performance that's we're going to be able to get out of them," Moore says.
Price and performance
For WISPs, Moore says, the products' balance of price and performance makes them particularly attractive. "The PowerStation has an MSRP of $159 for the 2.4 model, and there's an MSRP of $79 for the 2.4 NanoStation," he says. "We feel like we're bridging the digital divide with the performance and the price points that we're able to put the product out to the market in."
The point, Moore says, is that while Ubiquiti's pricing is attractive, that's really not the company's main focus. "Price is definitely a key differentiator, but you're also looking at the innovative software," he says. "It's very easy to use, very user friendly, yet at the same time very powerful. And we've built some key features into the product—dual polarity, an external connector being offered in the same unit so you can extend the range of the product—and we've also come out with innovative accessories: we've got a window/wall mount available for the NanoStation that really makes it easy to install."
For support, in addition to phone and e-mail contact with the company itself, Moore says Ubiquiti's online forum is a popular source of information and advice on the products—as well as a good indicator of the products' global reach. "We actually provide a free t-shirt to anyone that signs up on our forum, because we want to drive people to our website and to increase the visibility of Ubiquiti," he says. "We have many support people that follow that forum on a daily basis to provide feedback and support for different applications."
Sticking with Wi-Fi
Looking ahead, Moore says Ubiquiti's current focus on Wi-Fi products (rather than WiMAX) is likely to continue. "That's our bread and butter right now, and at this point, we're probably going to continue on with that," he says. "We've got a lot of new products that we're working on that will also be tailored towards that environment."
That said, Moore also says the company remains open to all possibilities. "There is the opportunity for OEM work that will be done on the WiMAX side… as requests come in for us to build products for OEMs, we will look into doing that," he says. "But right now, our focus is on Wi-Fi, on the 802.11b/g/a/n networks… the performance that we're able to get out of our products, with the price points, is really hitting home with our customer base. And we see that demand continuing."
In fact, Moore says many of Ubiquiti's Wi-Fi products are able to give WiMAX a run for its money. "The capacity that our products offer really rival even the highest end WiMAX networks at this point in the game, in terms of performance, reliability, throughput, things like that… and it really enables WISPs to be free to use different access points, different base station products," he says.
And Moore says the company will continue to develop new solutions in the space. "We see there's a lot of opportunity for additional growth and additional products that will hit the market similarly to what we've done with the NanoStation… and with the MIMO product," he says. "The throughput that we're able to get on a product like that really opens up additional doors for our WISP customers."
By Jeff Goldman
www.wi-fiplanet.com
The New York Times and BusinessWeek are bullish on the Sprint Xohm launch in Baltimore: Two veteran tech reporters, who have had time to see it all and be cynical about it all, are fairly positive about the Sprint launch of WiMax. This is the first city-wide launch in the U.S. for regular signups, and one of the largest networks now operating in the world. (As far as I can tell, Seoul’s WiMax-compatible WiBro network is still not designed for 100-percent city coverage, but is boutique.)
Bob Tedeschi at the Times found solid performance wherever he tested, but he notes the caveat that the network is nearly empty at the moment. While comparing Sprint’s promised up to 4 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up, he uses an outdated number for AT&T’s 3G network. AT&T used to give out the numbers he states, but as of their HSUPA upgrade a few months ago, they claim 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps downstream and 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps upstream. I haven’t had the opportunity to test these rates, but this is their current claim, not what Tedeschi reported.
Tedeschi checked out various adapters and devices, including the Nokia N810 WiMax Edition ($500) that just went on sale. He had problems with video playback, but that could have been the network or the phone’s operating system or the site he was accessing. He did like the quality of VoIP calls.
BusinessWeek’s Stephen Wildstrom was more enthusiastic, seeing rates of 3 Mbps down and 500 Kbps to 1 Mbps up, and was able to watch Hulu.com streaming content as a passenger in a moving vehicle.
Both reporters note that WiMax seems to improve on Wi-Fi and cell data service in both speed (as 3 Mbps is faster than most Wi-Fi hotspots, and much faster than the average of most 3G networks), availability (for Wi-Fi), and cost (for 3G).
Subscriptions are a little complicated: $30 for roaming, $35 for home, $45 for a combined plan, and $60 for multiple devices, if I have all that right. Subscribers also need to buy a dongle, card, adapter, or CPE (home bridge), which seem to run under $100. Adapters will eventually be built into Intel-designed laptops.
By Glenn Fleishman
www.wifinetnews.com
Bob Tedeschi at the Times found solid performance wherever he tested, but he notes the caveat that the network is nearly empty at the moment. While comparing Sprint’s promised up to 4 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up, he uses an outdated number for AT&T’s 3G network. AT&T used to give out the numbers he states, but as of their HSUPA upgrade a few months ago, they claim 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps downstream and 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps upstream. I haven’t had the opportunity to test these rates, but this is their current claim, not what Tedeschi reported.
Tedeschi checked out various adapters and devices, including the Nokia N810 WiMax Edition ($500) that just went on sale. He had problems with video playback, but that could have been the network or the phone’s operating system or the site he was accessing. He did like the quality of VoIP calls.
BusinessWeek’s Stephen Wildstrom was more enthusiastic, seeing rates of 3 Mbps down and 500 Kbps to 1 Mbps up, and was able to watch Hulu.com streaming content as a passenger in a moving vehicle.
Both reporters note that WiMax seems to improve on Wi-Fi and cell data service in both speed (as 3 Mbps is faster than most Wi-Fi hotspots, and much faster than the average of most 3G networks), availability (for Wi-Fi), and cost (for 3G).
Subscriptions are a little complicated: $30 for roaming, $35 for home, $45 for a combined plan, and $60 for multiple devices, if I have all that right. Subscribers also need to buy a dongle, card, adapter, or CPE (home bridge), which seem to run under $100. Adapters will eventually be built into Intel-designed laptops.
By Glenn Fleishman
www.wifinetnews.com
WIFI access in Corpus Christi is being enhanced by local companies and quality equipment
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As most of you already have experienced EarthLink has taken advertising to the next level as you have received bright orange flyers every two weeks for the last few months. EarthLink is doing a great job at advertising the City’s WIFI Network and adding users to the network. It has been a few months since I have sat down with EarthLink to talk about their plans and progress. When I last met with EarthLink they expressed plans to expand and re-arrange the many wireless nodes thought the city. Their goal is to create more substantial and consistent coverage for the users of the network. So be aware that the coverage and the quality of signals will likely increase over the next few months. EarthLink has established an office in Corpus Christi with local individuals managing the office. EarthLink is currently distributing PepLink BG-200 access point to any users that need to increase their WIFI reception capabilities. The down side is that EarthLink will be charging a monthly fee to use this device. Here is the actual post from EarthLink.
EarthLink brings Corpus Christi residents a ‘landline free’ way to access the Internet throughout the 55 square mile network. Consumers who sign up for EarthLink Wi-FiSM will enjoy download and upload speeds up to 1 Mbps for a limited time promotional rate of $6.95 a month for the first six months, returning to the recurring rate of $19.95 a month thereafter. For consumers that want even more speed, EarthLink is offering an “extreme” product at 3 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload service for only $9.95 for the first six months, returning to the recurring rate of $21.95 a month thereafter.
Residential customers can also receive a Wi-Fi modem, which strengthens the Wi-Fi signal indoors, at no additional charge, if they sign up for a one-year commitment. The modem can also be purchased through EarthLink without the contract for $69.95 and monthly rental fees will be available in early June. Customers will also receive all the products and support they have come to expect from EarthLink, including eight mailboxes and the ISP’s powerful protection tools, such as spamBlocker and the EarthLink Protection Control Center™.
I do believe that PepLink is a good product but over the last few months I have been able to test many different devices with the Corpus Christi Network. I will refer to a press release from Ruckus Wireless some time last year. There is a local WIFI provider that is reselling many of the wireless devices that can be used to effectively connect to the city’s network. I borrowed a PepLink, EnGenius, and Ruckus device from Rightway Online, a local wireless service provider. After using the devices the past few months I am going to recommend purchasing the Ruckus MetroFlex equipment because of the ease of installation and the consistent quality of service that I have been able to obtain.
Getting Subscribers Reliably Connected at Home
The Ruckus MetroFlex system provides reliable wireless broadband connections into homes and offices, delivering better than DSL speeds.
Designed to work with any standard metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh network, the Ruckus MetroFlex system is the most sensitive and reliable in-home Wi-Fi receiver in the world. It has demonstrated the ability in rural environments to sustain above 5 Mbps at one kilometer away from the nearest Wi-Fi node. Additionally, unique software developed by Ruckus Wireless specifically for its MetroFlex product determines the fastest Wi-Fi node with which to associate, based on the best data rates and strongest Wi-Fi signal.
Rightway Online in Corpus Christi, TX is among the first to start deploying the Ruckus MetroFlex to extend outdoor Wi-Fi signals indoors.
You may remember the above information from an article from last year but with I think the ruckus wireless equipment and EarthLink service is a winning combination.
www.ccwifinews.com
EarthLink brings Corpus Christi residents a ‘landline free’ way to access the Internet throughout the 55 square mile network. Consumers who sign up for EarthLink Wi-FiSM will enjoy download and upload speeds up to 1 Mbps for a limited time promotional rate of $6.95 a month for the first six months, returning to the recurring rate of $19.95 a month thereafter. For consumers that want even more speed, EarthLink is offering an “extreme” product at 3 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload service for only $9.95 for the first six months, returning to the recurring rate of $21.95 a month thereafter.
Residential customers can also receive a Wi-Fi modem, which strengthens the Wi-Fi signal indoors, at no additional charge, if they sign up for a one-year commitment. The modem can also be purchased through EarthLink without the contract for $69.95 and monthly rental fees will be available in early June. Customers will also receive all the products and support they have come to expect from EarthLink, including eight mailboxes and the ISP’s powerful protection tools, such as spamBlocker and the EarthLink Protection Control Center™.
I do believe that PepLink is a good product but over the last few months I have been able to test many different devices with the Corpus Christi Network. I will refer to a press release from Ruckus Wireless some time last year. There is a local WIFI provider that is reselling many of the wireless devices that can be used to effectively connect to the city’s network. I borrowed a PepLink, EnGenius, and Ruckus device from Rightway Online, a local wireless service provider. After using the devices the past few months I am going to recommend purchasing the Ruckus MetroFlex equipment because of the ease of installation and the consistent quality of service that I have been able to obtain.
Getting Subscribers Reliably Connected at Home
The Ruckus MetroFlex system provides reliable wireless broadband connections into homes and offices, delivering better than DSL speeds.
Designed to work with any standard metro-scale Wi-Fi mesh network, the Ruckus MetroFlex system is the most sensitive and reliable in-home Wi-Fi receiver in the world. It has demonstrated the ability in rural environments to sustain above 5 Mbps at one kilometer away from the nearest Wi-Fi node. Additionally, unique software developed by Ruckus Wireless specifically for its MetroFlex product determines the fastest Wi-Fi node with which to associate, based on the best data rates and strongest Wi-Fi signal.
Rightway Online in Corpus Christi, TX is among the first to start deploying the Ruckus MetroFlex to extend outdoor Wi-Fi signals indoors.
You may remember the above information from an article from last year but with I think the ruckus wireless equipment and EarthLink service is a winning combination.
www.ccwifinews.com
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