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Archive for January, 2007

Wireless-N Receives Unanimous Vote

At a gathering in London, the IEEE 802.11n working group has unanimously approved the second draft of the much-awaited next generation Wi-Fi standard. This development, along with the likely approval by the IEEE membersehip, would allow the Wi-Fi Alliance to begin certification of Draft N products by March. Glenn Fleishman of Wi-Fi Net News expects the alliance to release details of its branding scheme and sees “waves of firmware upgrades for existing products.” The latter could be the case for Draft 1.0 products like Netgear DG834N, Linksys WRT300N, Belkin N1, D-Link Rangebooster N650 and Buffalo Airstation Nfiniti, which failed to deliver the 300Mbit/s plus expected from 802.11n. Upgrade is likely to be easier for Draft 2.0 products, according to Eric Bangeman at Ars Technica.

Via [techworld.com]
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Skype: No Cell Phone Now

High carrier fees are preventing the massive adoption of Skype’s Internet telephone service via cellphone, according to Eric Lagier, who heads Skype’s hardware and software business development division. Skype users can call each other for free via broadband Internet connection and only pay a small amount for calls to normal phones. But most telecommunications network operators impose large fees per megabyte downloaded to a mobile phone.

At present, Skype’s version for mobile phones can work on a Nokia handset that operates on 3’s third generation wireless broadband network. The U.K. wireless operator offers its subscribers unlimited Skype calls, Internet access, Podcasts and Windows Live Messenger for a monthly fee of £5 ($9.69). Compatible Wi-Fi phones can also host Skype but these handsets cannot perform calls through a cellphone network.
Via [redherring.com]
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Intel Bumps Centrino Wi-Fi To 802.11n

Intel is upgrading its Centrino Duo laptops’ wireless component to enable connection based on the recently approved draft 802.11n specification. The company plans to offer an 802.11 a/b/g/Draft-N PCIe Minicard network adapter card that can work on both the 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz spectra. It claimed that the new device can improve performance five-fold and double the wireless range of the earlier 802.11 a/g technologies. The adapter, Intel further stated, also offers an extra hour of battery life as compared to similar products.

Meanwhile, because of the early approval by the IEEE 802.11 working group of Draft 2.0, the 802.11n’s schedule has been changed. Final approval of the draft is due by the end of January, with voting expected by the end of March. The panel plans to work on Draft 3.0 and have it approved by June. With the endorsement of 75 percent of members, the draft could be the basis for the final standard, which is likely to be ratified by October 2008.
Via [extremetech.com]
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Skype Revamps SkypeOut Plans Again

Skype revised its pricing structure to allow U.S. and Canadian customers to make calls for free. The changes apply to the Skype Unlimited Calling plan, which costs $29.95 per year. Those who would subscribe to the plan before January 31 will only pay half the said price or only $14.95. In addition, users calling a mobile or landline phone in the U.S. or Canada would not incur additional cost. However, if they call overseas, they will will have to pay a flat-rate “connection fee” per call of $0.039. For European users, Skype imposes EUR 0.039, exclusive of value-added tax, per call. This new scheme along with “Skype Pro” package in Europe and Asia are part of Skype’s plan to remove per-minute fees for SkypeOut calls and instead charge users with a connection fee.
Via [pcmag.com]
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Businesses Too Scared To Switch To VoIP

In a new study commissioned by VoIP software company Shortel, some 70 percent of companies cited cost reduction as the biggest reason for adopting VoIP. They also mentioned ‘managing calls more effectively’ and ‘enabling home and mobile working’ as other benefits. But a third believed VoIP is too expensive to deploy and operate.

Quocirca principal analyst Rob Bamforth said the findings underscored the need for companies to understand the degree of commitment that is necessary to enjoy VoIP’s long-term benefits. He agreed that deploying the technology would incur costs, such as installing additional infrastructure to upgrade the system in order to accommodate extra traffic from VoIP calls. He also recommended that service providers offer VoIP as a service and charge a fixed rate for calls to encourage companies to use the technology.
Via [networks.silicon.com]
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Households Pick Up VoIP

BT boasted that sign-ups for its Broadband Talk and Softphone Voice-over-IP (VoIP) services have reached one million. The figure includes subscribers to the Broadband Talk service and those who have secured a dedicated VoIP number. The company also said many of its 500,000 Business Broadband customers are also VoIP users though it declined to say the specific figure.

BT also unveiled a WiFi variant to its fixed mobile convergence (FMC) package. The solution allows subscribers to perform calls using cellular networks, Wi-Fi hotspots or private wireless LANs for a fixed monthly charge. Nokia, Samsung and Motorola are selling handsets that are compatible with this service.
Via [computing.co.uk]
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Testing Faster Wi-Fi

VeriWave is mounting a new blade in its WaveTest 90 chassis for testing 802.11n devices. According to VeriWave vice president of marketing Eran Karoly, the company has received requests for 802.11n device tests from infrastructure equipment makers like Cisco. The new WaveBlade houses a channel emulator for multipath signal simulation. It can perform tests on all the IEEE channel models and produce traffic to simulate up to 500 11n clients. The company said it can upgrade the blade’s baseband, MAC and protocol engines to complement the ratified 802.11n specification. Depending on the MIMO implementation, the new blade can have between two and four radio connectors. It will come with a $30,000 price tag and is due for market release in the second quarter of this year.
Via [wi-fiplanet.com]
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Intel To Launch 802.11n Wi-Fi Chipset Next Week

Intel is ready to release its new WiFi chipset code-named Kedron to the market. The firm originally planned to launch the product along with its new mobile chipset code-named Santa Rosa in the second quarter of 2008. Kedron’s 802.11 n draft-capable version will be named “WiFi Link 4965 AGN” while the non-draft n capable variant will go by the name “WiFi Link 4965 AG”.

Santa Rosa would replace the Napa64 platform and features the ICH8-based mobile 965 chipset code-named Crestline, along with support for FSB800 and the company’s Active Management Technology (AMT). It will house processors with Merom core, including the Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.8 GHz) and the Core 2 Duo T7700 (2.4 GHz). Intel intends to sell T7100 with 2M of L2 cache for $209 and T7700 with 4 MB L2 cache for $530.
Via [tgdaily.com]
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802.11n Devices Are Fully Compatible With .11b/g

SMC Networks has released its first 802.11n draft v.1-compatible products. It is offering SMC Barricade N wireless 4-port broadband router, which enables wired, 802.11b, g, or n wireless devices to share cable or DSL connections. The router features a 4-port 10/100Mbps LAN switch that is integrated with Automatic MDI-MDIX and a wireless access point that can deliver speeds of up to 300Mbps. It also comes with a NAT firewall with Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) to ensure its security, and renders sufficient bandwidth to perform applications like gaming, high-definition video streaming, file sharing and VoIP. The company’s latest 802.11n product line also includes EZ Connect N wireless PCI adapter and EZ Connect N wireless Cardbus adapter. SMC Networks is selling the router for $119.99, the PCI adapter for $89.99, and the Cardbus adapter for $79.99.
Via [eetasia.com]
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Report: Apple Will Charge For 802.11n Access

Mac owners will need to pay if they want to enable the 802.11n draft standard in their machines, according to Mac enthusiast websites, AppleInsider and MacFixIt. The said technology is integrated but not turned on in all Macs operating on Core 2 Duo or Xeon processors save for the 17-inch 1.83GHz iMac. The fee is only for those who opt not to buy the new $179 AirPort Extreme Base Station, which can enable the patch, and would rather use the unsanctioned protocol alongside third-party wireless access points. Apple’s latest home media offering, Apple TV, depends on the 802.11n standard to perform audio and video streaming.
Via [informationweek.com]
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WiMAX IPOs Are On The Way

Clearwire and NextWave plan to go public by early 2007 and have already filed their S-1 forms with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Both companies, which are beset by losses, are banking on WiMax for future profitability.

Clearwire already secured backing from chip manufacturer and WiMax champion Intel and cell phone maker Motorola for its venture. Based on the documents it filed with the SEC, the company, whose shares are likely to go by the symbol CLWR, holds $1.25 billion in cash, equivalents, and short-term investments. Analysts estimate the IPO to generate $400 million for Clearwire.

IPO expert Tom Taulli believes the success of Clearwire’s IPO could generate great interest for NextWave’s public debut. “If Clearwire has a good IPO, then you have a benchmark to work from,” Taulli said. The firm, however, does not see itself gaining a lot of cash from the offering since the transaction only involves a share resale. NextWave’s financial assets are smaller than Clearwire’s, with just $222 million in cash, equivalents, and short-term investments, as per its filing.
Via [businessweek.com]
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Weigh The Pros And Cons Of VoIP Over Wireless

A study by Infonetics Research predicted that Wi-Fi IP phone sales will grow to $3.7 billion by 2009, a considerable leap from the 2005 level of $125 million. The trend suggests increasing interest among organizations particularly those with a sizable mobile workforce, such as hospitals. Companies like D-Link, NETGEAR, and Linksys are taking advantage of this development and are currently offering IP phones that are compatible with their Wi-Fi routers.

Wireless VoIP is relatively cheaper when compared to traditional cellular connection. But reliability and security risks remain the big issues that prevent the massive adoption of the technology. Aside from sensitivity to packet loss, VoIP is vulnerable to dropped calls due to RF interference, range limitations, weak signals, and other problems associated with wireless technologies. Fortunately, tools like AirMagnet’s VoFi Analyzer, which evaluates the quality of service of calls, are available to address VoIP performance problems.

In addition, since data are transmitted across airwaves, VoIP is also prone to confidentiality attacks. To tackle these dangers, companies should ban “rogue” access points and check the authentication and encryption of all wireless VoIP calls. They should also use Wi-Fi Protected Access instead of the weaker Wired Equivalent Privacy for encryption as well as opt for “hard phones” that are better at withstanding viruses and attacks than “soft phone” software installed in a regular PC.
Via [resources.zdnet.co.uk]
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Is WiMax Secure?

The IEEE 802.16 committee has introduced mechanisms aimed at minimizing possible security risks associated with WiMax.

The committee included support to the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) for 802.16e networks. The amendment is in response to earlier authentication issues. Under the fundamental principle, each subscriber station will carry X.509 certificates that are required for uniquely identifying the subscriber. WiMax’s privacy and key management (PKM) protocol, however, lacked base station (BS) or service provider authentication. This makes the system prone to man-in-the-middle attacks, which in turn present various confidentiality and availability inroads to subscribers. The amendment led to the availability of support for the AES cipher, which bolsters confidentiality of data traffic.

In spite of the innovations, WiMax could remain vulnerable to attacks such as rogue base stations, WiMax protocol fuzzing, and network manipulation with spoofed management frames. The ability of the technology to withstand these dangers will only be known once the market sees large scale WiMax deployments.
Via [techworld.com]
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Wi-Fi Cities May Fail To Realise Potential

BT’s Wireless City initiative hopes to make wireless data access pervasive in large U.K. cities such as Newcastle and Birmingham initially as well as six other city centers in the future. The program is limited to allowing local government employees and citizens access to local government content such as tourism information. It does not include providing an open channel to the web, either for free or for a fee, thus traveling professionals like journalists should look for other infrastructure to connect wirelessly to the Internet while in these cities.
Via [computing.co.uk]
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Mobile Operators Defensive Over 3G Auctions

UK’s 3G market is circumspect over Ofcom’s announcement on spectrum auction. The public sale, the first in six years, will involve the 2500-2690 MHz band, which the British regulator deemed compatible with 3G and mobile WiMax.

Although stating that it welcomed the proposal, O2 urged Ofcom to retain its current condition demanding that 3G operators extend service to 80 percent of the population. The company, along with Vodafone, urged the agency to study whether 3G services can tap the 2G spectrum, which could expand their cell sizes and allow them to provide better service to their clients. Ofcom chief technologist William Webb believed “refarming” spectrum is not feasible at the moment. According to Webb, such move could lead to competitive imbalances.

Pipex, meanwhile, supported Ofcom’s plans and expects new entrants and traditional players to bid for spectrum. Graham Currier, the ISP’s business development director, said there is high interest in the event among companies hoping to deploy WiMax. He declined, however, to confirm that Pipex, which is partly owned by WiMax champion Intel, will participate in the auction and state the company’s plans concerning WiMax.

Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]
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