Siemens Communications and DiVitas Networks have launched solutions that enable seamless call switching between corporate cellular and wireless networks.
The Siemens HiPath Mobile Connect Appliance maintains an SIP registry of all client handsets like dual-mode phones or Wi-Fi VOIP handsets, thus allowing for round-the-clock monitoring of these devices. The appliance links with SIP-based PBX, which serves as a clearinghouse of all incoming and outgoing calls, via a built-in SIP server. It is already certified for the HiPath 8000 communications server, the HiPath WLAN product line, and also for the Nokia E60 and Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX dual-mode handsets. The company is due to release the product to the market in April. The appliance will come in three models that would support 10, 20 or 150 users and will cost $3,950 to $39,500, plus an additional $2,600 to about $18,000 in license fees.
DiVitas’s Mobile Convergence Appliance meanwhile is already available in the market. It operates with existing PBXs via SIP as well as with Microsoft Live Communications Server, Microsoft Exchange Server and other backend solutions for presence, instant messaging and collaboration.
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘Two Vendors Bridge Cellular And Wi-Fi Nets’
Although having Wi-Fi features, sales of Microsoft’s Zune have not taken off. Part of the reason is the lack of networking capabilities like an online store that can be accessed sans a PC, wireless syncing and Internet radio.
Sandisk’s 4GB Sansa Connect device provides an alternative to Zune. The $250 gadget uses Zing to allow playlist sharing, Internet radio station streaming and track downloads so long as the Sandisk portable has Wi-Fi connection. Sansa Connect features a microSD card slot, and support for PlaysForSure downloads and subscription services. It also enables users to view photos through its 2.2-inch color screen.
Via [pcworld.com]
Continue reading ‘Music And Video Players Add Wi-Fi Access’
A new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed that people with home wireless networks go online more often than those with a wired broadband connection. In a survey of 798 Internet users, 72 percent of WiFi users check their email at least once daily while only 63 percent of wired broadband users do the same. The trend is similar for reading news online. Despite the figure, wireless use remains relatively low — only 19 percent have WiFi connection at home.
The study also indicated that WiFi users are younger (18-49 years of age) than the general Internet population, whose ages range from 30 to 64. More men (56 percent) use WiFi but more women (54 percent) go online. The survey also found that young WiFi users opt for cellphones and laptops to connect wirelessly to the Internet. Of Internet users under the age of 30, laptop and cellphone owners account for 40 percent each and those using PDA with wireless features only make up 17 percent.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Continue reading ‘People With WiFi Spend More Time Online’
Vodacom announced it will expand its offerings to include WiMax and WiFi services. The company recently made an investment in Wireless Business Solutions (WBS) or iBurst, one of only four firms that own a WiMax spectrum. Vodacom has earned a reputation of being unafraid to readily adopt new technologies - it is among the first companies to deploy 3G HSDPA.
Via [mybroadband.co.za]
Continue reading ‘Vodacom Looking At WiMax And WiFi Services’
Skype has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to remove restrictions by wireless phone carriers on the kind of software communications applications that their subscribers want to use. The company requested the agency to apply the “Carterfone” decision to the wireless industry. The said rule permits consumers to connect any device to a phone network even if it has not been approved by the company so long as it does not impair the network. At present, the principle only covers wired telephone, cable TV, and data networks offered by both services such as DSL and cable.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Continue reading ‘Skype Asks FCC To Open Up Cellular Networks’
The IEEE has started working on 802.16m, a protocol that promises WiMAX speeds of up to 1Gbps and backward compatibility with 802.16e-2005 or Mobile WiMax. The group hopes to conclude the technology development phase by the end of this year, vote on the spec in 2008, and ratify as well as finalize it by the following year.
The proposed “Gigabit WiMax” standard will employ multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology but the arrays will be larger to boost bandwidth. Cellular companies are banking on the new spec to enable “convergence” 4G as it would combine two parallel streams of wireless technology, i.e., 3G and 802.16. The protocol could also allow wireless providers to offer a range of services similar to those by wired networks, including video streaming, IPTV, and VoIP.
Via [arstechnica.com]
Continue reading ‘Work Begins On 1Gbps Mobile WiMAX Spec’
RTX has unveiled its new cordless Skype handset. Dualphone 3088 removes the need for users to turn on their PCs to enable Skype connection since the base station connects to a broadband router/modem via an Ethernet cable, rather than to a USB link at the back of a PC.
When switched on, Dualphone 3088 initially asks a series of setup questions to ensure proper configuration with a land line in the country where the user is located. Skype connection is established via registering existing Skype account details, i.e., Skype username and password. The phone allows free calls to Skype “buddies” and calls to any phone so long as the user has SkypeOut credits.
Via [theinquirer.net]
Continue reading ‘Skype Phone Arrives With No String Attached’
Verizon Wireless is upgrading its network with CDMA 1x EV-DO Revision A to enable faster BroadbandAccess wireless data services in several U.S. cities. The said technology delivers downstream speeds ranging from 450K to 800Kbps and upstream speeds between 300K and 400Kbps. BroadbandAccess subscribers pay a monthly fee starting from $60 — if they already have a wireless voice plan worth no less than $40 per month — to $80. The company is also selling two two Rev. A compatible products, i.e., the USB720 wireless modem and the AirCard 595 PC card.
Via [pcworld.com]
Continue reading ‘Verizon Continues High-Speed Wireless Data Rollout’
Sify Limited, India’s leading ISP, has opted for Proxim Wireless’s 5.8 GHz Tsunami MP.11 WiMAX-ready product line to serve as its core platform for last-mile access and other mobile features. The decision came following an eight-month testing and evaluation of products from various vendors. MP.11, which enables WiMAX capabilities for unlicensed frequency bands, houses shock-resistant base stations and indoor/outdoor subscriber units. Sify has so far deployed over 700 MP.11 base stations and 3,500 subscriber units in more than 200 cities in the Asian country.
Continue reading ‘Sify Picks Proxim For WiMAX’
VoIP startup Vonage announced plans to begin offering dual-mode handsets with support for both cellular and Wi-Fi access during the second half of the year. This is the latest in a series of steps taken by the company as part of its diversification strategy. It is selling V-Phone — a VoIP phone in a stick that enables users to make calls online when it is attached to a PC — and plans to go into resale deals with ISPs, similar to what it has with Charter Communications.
Analysts believe Vonage is making the latest movie because it suffered a decline in subscription growth over the last holiday season as rival companies such as Comcast, Cablevision, and Cox Cable companies started offering VoIP or Web-calling services. In addition, other VoIP providers have decided to go mobile (Norway’s Telco) or wireless (Skype).
Via [businessweek.com]
Continue reading ‘Coming Up: Vonage Wireless?’
Over half of the wireless LAN devices at the RSA Conference were found to be prone to security attacks - particularly “Evil Twin” and “zero day” - during two days of WLAN traffic scanning by wireless security vendor AirDefense. The first type happens when a victim wirelessly connects to a laptop or handheld device masquerading as a legitimate access point or hot spot. The other involves preying on newly discovered software flaws in applications like Internet Explorer, which have neither been repaired nor provided with a patch.
On Day 1, AirDefense saw vulnerabilities in 347, or 56 percent, of 623 devices. Day 2 testing had a similar result, with 481 devices of 847, or 57 percent, having been found to be vulnerable. AirDefense Chief Security Officer Richard Rushing clarified that the conference network was not the cause of the vulnerabilities, and even commended it for being as secured if not “better than most standard corporate networks.”
Via [computerworld.com]
Continue reading ‘RSA: Attendees Drop Ball On Wi-Fi Security’
Proxim Wireless is now offering WiFi mesh base nodes with wireless backhaul in licensed or unlicensed spectrum. MeshMAX is a system that integrates AP4000MR, the company’s outdoor mesh nodes, with broadband wireless radios for backhaul, which can be either 802.16d fixed WiMAX in the 3.5GHz range or Proxim’s “pre-WiMax” MP11 base station in unlicensed spectrum of 2.4GHz or 5.1GHz-5.8GHz. MeshMAX relies on thin BSTs, which can be installed in streetlights or existing cell towers and operated centrally from a network management system. Proxim CEO Robert Fitzgerald said the solution allows carriers with 3.5GHz spectrum to “do 16d with a 16e-like (mobile WiMAX) experience,” and, with the existence of about 300 million devices today, removes the need to issue special 16e data cards for machines such as laptops.
Via [cbronline.com]
Continue reading ‘Proxim Unveils Mesh Nodes With Wireless Backhaul’
Reducing communication costs is not the only advantage to using VoIP. Some companies are now opting for the technology because it allows them to reach their employees even when they are not in the office or on the phone.
Jon Levey, broker/owner of ReMax Real Estate Advocate in Lincoln Park, Chicago is thanking the hosted VoIP telecommunications system from local firm Geckotech for not only saving him thousands of dollars but also helping him attract and retain real estate agents. For a flat monthly fee ranging from $35 to $55 per phone, companies subscribed to Geckotech’s solution get unlimited calling privilege and access to a variety of services including “Find Me/Follow Me,” which reroutes calls to a phone number of choice by the user. Sphere Communications’ VoIP system can also perform such service and be dovetailed with a company’s e-mail, customer-relationship marketing databases, and accounting and human resources applications to boost communication within and productivity of the organization.
Because of the advances, the growth of the VoIP market is expected to be sustained. According to Boston-based research firm Yankee Group, this section will see a compounded annual growth rate of 31 percent, reaching nearly $3.3 billion by 2010 from $840 million in 2005. Hosted VoIP will have the fastest expansion with $1.2 billion in 2010, or 400 percent greater than the 2005 level.
Via [chicagotribune.com]
Continue reading ‘VoIP Systems Extend Workers’ Reach’
BT is keeping mum on rumors it is having secret negotiations with FON. The company said it wants to expand its Wi-Fi coverage but it has no deal with the Spanish Wi-Fi sharing network at the moment. According to Reuters, however, the two firms are holding talks with each other. Many ISPs, including BT, have been dissuading people from using FON, which allows its subscribers to share wireless Internet access with each other.
Via [news.zdnet.co.uk]
Continue reading ‘BT Keeps Quiet On Wi-Fi Sharing Talks’
S.F. Should Not Rush Free Wi-Fi Deal
Jake McGoldrick, a supervisor for San Francisco’s First District, raised concerns over the city’s deal with EarthLink and Google to build a citywide Wi-Fi network. He cited a report by a Budget Analyst for the Board of Supervisors recommending that the city explore several business models. This move, the report said, “would encourage creativity and innovation” and enable the city to select the best proposal that would suit its financial needs. McGoldrick believes the city government should not rush the deal and still consider viable options that could result to offering free or universally accessible service. He said the deal provides little money for “digital inclusion,” which would make WiFi accessible to poor residents of San Francisico. McGoldrick also proposed that a municipally-owned enterprise run the network because this could ensure cheaper rates if not free Wi-Fi connection.
Via [examiner.com]
Continue reading ‘S.F. Should Not Rush Free Wi-Fi Deal’