Colubris AP Adds Security

Wi-Fi vendor Colubris Networks Inc. has released a new access point aimed at the ever-more-crowded enterprise wireless intrusion detection and prevention marketplace. The Waltham, Mass.-based company claims that its MAP-330 Integrated Sensor/AP is different from the rest because it can operate as a normal access point and a security scanner at the same time. This, Colubris says, will reduce the cost and complexity of deploying IDS-type systems in the office and elsewhere.

Qualcomm CEO: Wireless Broadband Faces Threats

Qualcomm's CEO thinks that wireless broadband services just now becoming popular will face threats as data becomes ubiquitous, as it knows no bounds. Data, voice, video, GPS and other forms of data are all traveling -- or will travel -- down the same pipe. Paul Jacobs said "wireless technology is moving quickly from initial third-generation data capabilities to becoming a true computer that transmits myriad applications, including GPS location, data, video and voice, using a variety of wireless networks simultaneously. The wireless device, he said, stands to inherit the PC's versatility and capability combined with mobility."

Rotani Claims to Solve Wi-Fi Interference Problems

Another small startup is making a ruckus with technology it claims can solve Wi-Fi interference problems. Earlier this summer, Rotani, a Scottsdale, Arizona company, released reference designs for its patent-pending AirReferee technology, which it says makes 11g Wi-Fi networks interference-resistant and able to deliver consistent throughput of 35 Mbps even in densely populated wireless environments. Today, Rotani launched a product, VideoPuck, that targets the IPTV market specifically. VideoPuck is software that can be added to the firmware of standard access points and set-top boxes. It addresses the interference issues as well as problems with running multicast signals over Wi-Fi.

Fon Is a Wired Network

Glenn Fleishman rips apart an article in The New York Times about FON. A small sample: "I have to disagree with an assertion in the article, not credited to any interviewed subject, that 125 routers in the East Village constitute complete coverage. There's no way in which 125 routers of any kind but high-powered, externally mounted Wi-Fi nodes could provide any form of non-spotty coverage over that area. That's distinctly different than providing coverage in the right place."

October 7 public hearing on muni broadband in Santa Clara, CA

On 7 October 2006, Santa Clara University%u2019s Center for Science, Technology, and Society and the Broadband Institute of California will host a public hearing on municipal broadband and the underserved from 9 am to 4 pm in the Arts and & Sciences Building. The hearing is part of a unique project to educate representatives from the region%u2019s underserved groups (including low-income people, seniors, the disabled, people of color, rural residents, and English language learners) so that they can make well-informed policy recommendations to regions like Silicon Valley about commissioning their own broadband networks.

Washington's 1500mi Cloud

Just south of Seattle, the Pierce County Wi-Fi network -- at roughly 1,500 square miles -- may rank among the largest in the country, reports the News Tribune. The Rainier Communications Commission, a countywide consortium of municipalities, voted last week to give the contract to CenturyTel to provide WiFi service to Pierce County's 754,000 residents. CenturyTel will build the Wi-Fi quilt at its own expense. The company will install canister-style antennas manufactured by SkyPilot, the same gear being used in Portland's WiFi cloud being built by MetroFi.

Wither the MVNO?

Mobile ESPN just updated its website with a farewell letter. The company says December 31 is the end of the road for existing customers and sales of ESPN handsets and services are discontinued immediately. Does this portend management shakeups at SprintNextel. Former COO Len Lauer was just released and he was big pusher of the MVNO strategy, as is current CEO Forsee.

FCC Sued For Broadband Data

By law the FCC is required to issue an annual report on the state of the broadband union. The commission has received ample criticism for the accuracy of these reports and their data collection methods, with critics charging the agency is skewing data 'up and to the right' in order to justify hands-off deregulatory policies. Policies lobbied for by the nation's largest incumbent providers that may result in coverage gaps. Most criticized (see General Accounting Office report) has been the FCC's low broadband watermark of 200kbps, and their methodology for determining broadband penetration in the United States. For years the FCC's annual reports have stated that if a zip code has just one broadband customer, that zip-code is considered "wired." The end result: the FCC claims that 99% of the country is wired. In an effort to get more accurate data, the Center for Public Democracy has sued the FCC to obtain a database that shows which companies serve which zip-codes, and how extensively.

WiMAX Plugfest

The WiMAX Forum has brought 21 equipment vendors and operators together for the first public mobile WiMAX Forum PlugFest, an interoperability showcase hosted by Bechtel Telecommunications at its Training, Demonstration, and Research Laboratory in Frederick, Maryland. The PlugFest kicked off on Sunday, September 24, 2006 and will conclude on Sunday, October 1. Participating companies include: Adaptix, Accton Technologies, Airspan, Alcatel, Altair Semiconductor, Alvarion, Beceem Communications, CETECOM-Aeroflex, GCT Semiconductor, Intel, M/A-Com, Motorola, Navini Networks, picoChip, POSDATA, Runcom, Samsung, SEQUANS Communications, SOMA Networks,TTA Labs, Wintegra, and test equipment vendors: CETECOM, Invenova, and Rohde and Schwarz.

Firetide and Axis Partner on Wireless Mesh Video Surveillance

Firetide and Axis Communications announced a strategic partnership to deliver high quality video over wireless mesh networks. Firetide's mesh technology allows security and network professionals to install and operate Axis network cameras, video servers, and video management software, without the expense and physical limitations of wires or cabling. Firetide's mesh technology works indoors and outdoors. The two companies also announced a joint public safety deployment in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

An alternative to the proposed SF wireless network? - The Wireless Report

It seems the partnership between EarthLink and Google to build and maintain San Franciso's wireless network has given the impetus for some people to explore alternatives.

WiMax Spectrum Owners Launch WiSOA

The WiMax Spectrum Owners Alliance (WiSOA), launched last week at an inaugural meeting in Paris, is the first global organization composed exclusively of owners of WiMax spectrum. The founding members are Unwired Australia, Network Plus Mauritius, UK Broadband, Irish Broadband, Austar Australia/Liberty Group, Telecom New Zealand, WiMAX Telecom Group, Enertel and Woosh Telecom. Patrick Cruise O'Brien, the group's secretary general, says the driving concept behind WiSOA is to focus on the issues specific to those who are actually building businesses around WiMax.

Philadelphia offers a map of its pilot area

Wireless Philadelphia is starting to gear up. They’ve got a CEO and a staff, and are starting to push out dollars and other information. In a newsletter distributed locally today, they included a map of neighborhoods covered by the 15-square-mile pilot project that EarthLink will build to prove its system works and to test parameters for the system; and rates. Retail residential pricing is $21.95 per month, with a Digital Inclusion rate of $9.95 per month for those earning at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level or participants in certain “supportive programs,” such as the free lunch program.

Intel "World Ahead" Program for WiMAX

As if they hadn't already invested enough money into WiMAX in order to give it critical mass, Intel is forging ahead with their quasi-philanthropic effort "World Ahead."

Can a publicly owned municipal Wi-Fi network be viable?

The Institute for Local Self Reliance (ILSR) has published a preliminary analysis entitled "Is Publicly Owned Information Infrastructure a Wise Public Investment for San Francisco" (PDF format) on the financial viability of a publicly owned citywide Wi-Fi network. Media Alliance asked ILSR to investigate the economics of publicly owned infrastructure, i.e. when will the city get a return on its investment, how much in revenue will the network make, etc.

International WiMAX Roaming

The newly formed WiMAX Spectrum Owners Alliance left their inaugural meeting in Paris yesterday determined to sign an international WiMAX roaming agreement by December that will cover all WiMAX services and operate in all WiMAX frequency ranges.

Growing momentum for WiMax?

Today's Seattle Times features a story on the growing momentum of WiMax. Despite the lack of spectrum space currently available, there have been a number of WiMax deployments throughout the world lately, and it appears that the U.S. market may be ripe in the near future for the technology. Companies like Motorola, Intel, Sprint Nextel, and Clearwire will be pushing the envelope.

Chicago releases wireless RFP

Esme Vos details the just-released RFP for the city of Chicago’s Wi-Fi network at Muniwireless.com: The highlights are that the city requires wholesale resale of the network; the city won’t provide dollar one for the network; it must be ubiquitous and egalitarian in coverage; there is no access to the city’s fiber infrastructure; access to city facilities for mounting is non-exclusive; any form of free access to residents or visitors isn’t required for winning bidder.

Meshed Wi-Fi Video

Axis Communications AB and Firetide Inc. are combining to fight crime with 'meshed WiFi video.' The deal is an extension of the work that Firetide already does in the video surveillance field. (See Case Study: Texas State Fair.) The firms are now partnering to offer a complete system with video cameras from Axis and mesh hardware and software from Firetide. 'The system is easy and cost-effective to deploy and does not require any modification or additional configuration of the video equipment,' says Firetide."