Telecom trends for 2015

In few years there’ll be close to 4bn smartphones on earth. Ericsson’s annual mobility report forecasts increasing mobile subscriptions and connections through 2020.(9.5B Smartphone Subs by 2020 and eight-fold traffic increase). Ericsson’s annual mobility report expects that by 2020 90% of the world’s population over six years old will have a phone.  It really talks about the connected world where everyone will have a connection one way or another.

What about the phone systems in use. Now majority of the world operates on GSM and HPSA (3G). Some countries are starting to have good 4G (LTE) coverage, but on average only 20% is covered by LTE. 4G/LTE small cells will grow at 2X the rate for 3G and surpass both 2G and 3G in 2016.

Ericsson expects that 85% of mobile subscriptions in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa will be 3G or 4G by 2020. 75%-80% of North America and Western Europe are expected to be using LTE by 2020. China is by far the biggest smartphone market by current users in the world, and it is rapidly moving into high-speed 4G technology.

The sales of mobile broadband routers and mobile broadband “usb sticks” is expected to continue to drop. In year 2013 those devices were sold 87 million units, and in 2014 sales dropped again 24 per cent. Chinese Huawei is the market leader (45%), so it has most to loose on this.

Small cell backhaul market is expected to grow. ABI Research believes 2015 will now witness meaningful small cell deployments. Millimeter wave technology—thanks to its large bandwidth and NLOS capability—is the fastest growing technology. 4G/LTE small cell solutions will again drive most of the microwave, millimeter wave, and sub 6GHz backhaul growth in metropolitan, urban, and suburban areas. Sub 6GHz technology will capture the largest share of small cell backhaul “last mile” links.

Technology for full duplex operation at one radio frequency has been designed. The new practical circuit, known as a circulator, that lets a radio send and receive data simultaneously over the same frequency could supercharge wireless data transfer, has been designed. The new circuit design avoids magnets, and uses only conventional circuit components. The radio wave circulator utilized in wireless communications to double the bandwidth by enabling full-duplex operation, ie, devices can send and receive signals in the same frequency band simultaneously. Let’s wait to see if this technology turns to be practical.

Broadband connections are finally more popular than traditional wired telephone: In EU by the end of 2014, fixed broadband subscriptions will outnumber traditional circuit-switched fixed lines for the first time.

After six years in the dark, Europe’s telecoms providers see a light at the end of the tunnel. According to a new report commissioned by industry body ETNO, the sector should return to growth in 2016. The projected growth for 2016, however, is small – just 1 per cent.

With headwinds and tailwinds, how high will the cabling market fly? Cabling for enterprise local area networks (LANs) experienced growth of between 1 and 2 percent in 2013, while cabling for data centers grew 3.5 percent, according to BSRIA, for a total global growth of 2 percent. The structured cabling market is facing a turbulent time. Structured cabling in data centers continues to move toward the use of fiber. The number of smaller data centers that will use copper will decline.

Businesses will increasingly shift from buying IT products to purchasing infrastructure-as-a-service and software-as-a-service. Both trends will increase the need for processing and storage capacity in data centers. And we need also fast connections to those data centers. This will cause significant growth in WiFi traffic, which will  will mean more structured cabling used to wire access points. Convergence also will result in more cabling needed for Internet Protocol (IP) cameras, building management systems, access controls and other applications. This could mean decrease in the installing of special separate cabling for those applications.

The future of your data center network is a moving target, but one thing is certain: It will be faster. The four developments are in this field are: 40GBase-T, Category 8, 32G and 128G Fibre Channel, and 400GbE.

Ethernet will more and more move away from 10, 100, 1000 speed series as proposals for new speeds are increasingly pushing in. The move beyond gigabit Ethernet is gathering pace, with a cluster of vendors gathering around the IEEE standards effort to help bring 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps speeds to the ubiquitous Cat 5e cable. With the IEEE standardisation process under way, the MGBase-T alliance represents industry’s effort to accelerate 2.5 Gbps and 5 Gbps speeds to be taken into use for connections to fast WLAN access points. Intense attention is being paid to the development of 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) and next-generation Ethernet access networks. There is also development of 40GBase-T going on.

Cat 5e vs. Cat 6 vs. Cat 6A – which should you choose? Stop installing Cat 5e cable. “I recommend that you install Cat 6 at a minimum today”. The cable will last much longer and support higher speeds that Cat 5e just cannot support. Category 8 cabling is coming to data centers to support 40GBase-T.

Power over Ethernet plugfest planned to happen in 2015 for testing power over Ethernet products. The plugfest will be focused on IEEE 802.3af and 802.3at standards relevant to IP cameras, wireless access points, automation, and other applications. The Power over Ethernet plugfest will test participants’ devices to the respective IEEE 802.3 PoE specifications, which distinguishes IEEE 802.3-based devices from other non-standards-based PoE solutions.

Gartner expects that wired Ethernet will start to lose it’s position in office in 2015 or in few years after that because of transition to the use of the Internet mainly on smartphones and tablets. The change is significant, because it will break Ethernet long reign in the office. Consumer devices have already moved into wireless and now is the turn to the office. Many factors speak on behalf of the mobile office.  Research predicts that by 2018, 40 per cent of enterprises and organizations of various solid defines the WLAN devices by default. Current workstations, desktop phone, the projectors and the like, therefore, be transferred to wireless. Expect the wireless LAN equipment market to accelerate in 2015 as spending by service providers and education comes back, 802.11ac reaches critical mass, and Wave 2 products enter the market.

Scalable and Secure Device Management for Telecom, Network, SDN/NFV and IoT Devices will become standard feature. Whether you are building a high end router or deploying an IoT sensor network, a Device Management Framework including support for new standards such as NETCONF/YANG and Web Technologies such as Representational State Transfer (ReST) are fast becoming standard requirements. Next generation Device Management Frameworks can provide substantial advantages over legacy SNMP and proprietary frameworks.

 

U.S. regulators resumed consideration of mergers proposed by Comcast Corp. and AT&T Inc., suggesting a decision as early as March: Comcast’s $45.2 billion proposed purchase of Time Warner Cable Inc and AT&T’s proposed $48.5 billion acquisition of DirecTV.

There will be changes in the management of global DNS. U.S. is in the midst of handing over its oversight of ICANN to an international consortium in 2015. The National Telecommunications and Information Association, which oversees ICANN, assured people that the handover would not disrupt the Internet as the public has come to know it. Discussion is going on about what can replace the US government’s current role as IANA contract holder. IANA is the technical body that runs things like the global domain-name system and allocates blocks of IP addresses. Whoever controls it, controls the behind-the-scenes of the internet; today, that’s ICANN, under contract with the US government, but that agreement runs out in September 2015.

 

1,044 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel 5th Gen vPro Goes 60GHz Wireless
    vPro Wireless Display (WiDi)/wireless docking
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325466&

    Intel’s new Pro Wireless Display (WiDi) and 60-GHz Wireless Docking technology enables tablets, laptops, detachable 2 in 1s and any other x86-based form factor to cut all cords. Keyboards, large-screen displays, printers, network connections, mice, USB accessories and everything else that once required a wire is now obsolete when using Intel’s 5th gen vPro core processors, according to Intel’s Tom Garrison, vice president and general manager of the Business Client Platform Division within the PC Client Group.

    HP and Fujitsu already have models available for sale, 12 worldwide OEMs have committed to 5th gen vPro and the top six OEMs will be showing demonstrations of their offerings today in New York City and London.

    “5th generation vPro processors are cutting the last cords to the computers using them,”

    The main additions to the 5th gen core processors is the integration of new on-chip capabilities to drive wireless displays and 60GHz docking stations, which Garrison claims will multiply employee productivity with automatic connection to the nearest large-screen displays in the meeting room and to keyboards, printers, mice and displays in the office cubicle.

    “Intel’s new ‘no wires workplace’ will increase employee efficiency by moving designs into the physical world more quickly, increasing productivity,”

    Original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs), such as ActionTec, are already manufacturing Pro WiDi adapters that connect to projectors, large-screen displays, printers, docking stations and anything else in the office that used to require a wired connection.

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Todd Shields / Bloomberg Business:
    FCC considers formal complaint process for reviewing paid peering deals

    Netflix Deals With Broadband Providers Said to Get Oversight
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-28/netflix-deals-with-broadband-providers-said-to-get-fcc-oversight

    U.S. regulators plan to issue rules next month allowing them to review the terms Internet service providers demand for accepting heavy Web traffic from companies such as Netflix Inc., according to a person briefed on the plan.

    Such agreements aren’t regulated now, and the move — part of highly anticipated net-neutrality rules — would mark an expansion of the Federal Communications Commission’s authority over the Internet. Cable providers led by Comcast Corp. have argued against restrictions on what they can charge content providers while companies such as Netflix sought to ban any fees.

    FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has decided the rules, scheduled for a vote next month, will permit the agreements but include a procedure for companies to ask for agency review

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  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    TE touts 40G serial PAM4 direct attached cable
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/designcon-central-/4438480/TE-touts-40G-serial-PAM4-direct-attached-cable?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150129&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_weekly_20150129&elq=61227c51cb2842198647f445f6d18682&elqCampaignId=21409

    DesignCon may still be in pre-event mode with companies now assembling their booths before the show officially begins tomorrow, but PAM4 (4-level pulse amplitude modulation) is already proving itself as a front-runner hot topic.

    Ahead of planned panel discussions and sessions on the topic, TE Connectivity today announced a 40G serial PAM4 direct attached cable among its demonstrations.

    “PAM4 is kind of the big topic these days,” Nathan Tracy, technologist, system architecture team and manager of industry standards at TE Connectivity, told EDN ahead of DesignCon.

    True, the limits of NRZ (non-return to zero) and FEC (forward error correction) make PAM4 a foreseeable move.

    In the 40G serial PAM4 DAC demonstration, TE and partner Broadcom will share what they claim to be the industry’s first 40Gbps PAM4 IC, showing how it allows TE to develop and deploy the next generation of DAC cables with higher throughput while optimizing power and cost.

    “Normally the way anyone carries 40G over a copper cable is with 10G closed differential pairs so that the copper cable has 4 differential pairs for transmit, 4 differential pairs for receive, each one is run at 10G, it makes the cable big and bulky,”

    PAM4 isn’t without its issues, still TE, and many others at DesignCon 2015, are optimistic on its possibility.

    “There’s still a lot of hard work to be done but I am never disappointed by the industry’s ability to solve tough problems,” Tracy said. “I think that we will see 100G serial transmission eventually by using a combination of high-performance connectors and cabling and combining it with PAM 4, or PAM8, or PAM16 signaling.”

    To be fair, TE isn’t closing its door on NRZ signaling.

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  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Micah Singleton / The Verge:
    FCC redefines broadband: minimum download speed raised from 4 to 25 Mbps, minimum upload from 1 to 3 Mbps — The FCC has changed the definition of broadband — The Federal Communications Commission has voted to change the definition of broadband by raising the minimum download speeds needed …

    The FCC has changed the definition of broadband
    The minimum broadband download speeds now begin at 25Mbps, up from 4Mbps
    http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/29/7932653/fcc-changed-definition-broadband-25mbps

    As part of its 2015 Broadband Progress Report, the Federal Communications Commission has voted to change the definition of broadband by raising the minimum download speeds needed from 4Mbps to 25Mbps, and the minimum upload speed from 1Mbps to 3Mbps, which effectively triples the number of US households without broadband access. Currently, 6.3 percent of US households don’t have access to broadband under the previous 4Mpbs/1Mbps threshold, while another 13.1 percent don’t have access to broadband under the new 25Mbps downstream threshold.

    FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler was vehement in his support for the new broadband standard. “When 80 percent of Americans can access 25-3, that’s a standard. We have a problem that 20 percent can’t. We have a responsibility to that 20 percent,” Commissioner Wheeler said.

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  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel Announces Broadwell vPro Processors: Wireless Docking and More
    by Stephen Barrett on January 29, 2015 7:00 AM EST
    http://www.anandtech.com/show/8943/intel-announces-broadwell-vpro-processors-wireless-docking-and-more

    Intel Wireless Docking could be the most exciting new feature. Using four channels of 802.11ad at 60 GHz radio frequency, Intel claims a total bandwidth of 7 Gbps. All data passed between the dock and device is protected with 128-bit AES hardware encryption, and two monitors plus USB 3.0 are supported

    One important note about Intel Wireless Docking is that while it uses 802.11ad 60 GHz networking (WiGig), the actual protocol layer Intel runs is different than devices such as the Dell D5000 that also uses 802.11ad; the two are not compatible. Intel stated devices such as the Dell D5000 are typically using 802.11ad as a simple USB bridge using the WiGig Bus Extension (WBE) layer, whereas Intel Wireless Docking is a tight integration with the Broadwell SoC providing new experiences such as those listed above, on-screen-display, and remote firmware management. Intel uses the WiGig Display Extension (WDE) and WiGig Serial Extension (WSE) layers. Intel states they are working with the other Wi-Fi Alliance members through various plug fest and other activities to promote interoperability.

    Intel Pro Wireless Display (Pro WiDi) might sound familiar, and this is a variation of the Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) technology with the key naming difference being the insertion of Pro.

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  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Michael Geist Blog:
    Canadian carriers Bell, Videotron ordered to stop exempting own TV services from data caps

    “No Fast Lanes and Slow Lanes”: CRTC Rules Bell’s Mobile TV Service Violates Telecommunications Act
    January 29, 2015
    http://www.michaelgeist.ca/2015/01/crtc-rules-bells-mobile-tv-service-violates-telecommunications-act-fast-lanes-slow-lanes/

    The CRTC has issued a major new decision with implications for net neutrality, ruling that Bell and Videotron violated the Telecommunications Act by granting their own wireless television services an undue preference by exempting them from data charges. The Commission grounded the decision in net neutrality concerns, stating the Bell and Videotron services “may end up inhibiting the introduction and growth of other mobile TV services accessed over the Internet, which reduces innovation and consumer choice.”

    The case arose from a complaint filed by Ben Klass, a graduate student, who noted that Bell offers a $5 per month mobile TV service that allows users to watch dozens of Bell-owned or licensed television channels for ten hours without affecting their data cap. By comparison, users accessing the same online video through a third-party service such as Netflix would be on the hook for a far more expensive data plan since all of the data usage would count against their monthly cap. Videotron was later added to the case, based on similar concerns with its mobile television service.

    The CRTC ruled that mobile television services effectively invoke both broadcast and telecom regulation, since a data connection is required to access the service. Indeed, it agreed with Klass that “from a subscriber’s perspective, the mobile TV services are accessed and delivered under conditions that are substantially similar to those of other Internet-originated telecommunications services.”

    The decision was clearly grounded with net neutrality principles in mind.

    CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais, speaking just prior to the release of the decision, stated that there would be “no fast and slow lanes”, adding:

    At its core, this decision isn’t so much about Bell or Vidéotron. It’s about all of us and our ability to access content equally and fairly, in an open market that favours innovation and choice.

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  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The big 4 carriers will bring LTE to Chicago’s subways
    https://gigaom.com/2015/01/30/the-big-4-carriers-will-bring-lte-to-chicagos-subways/

    4G services are finally coming to Chicago’s subways. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are collectively installing a $32.5 million LTE upgrade in the Chicago Transit Authority’s 22 miles of subway tunnels, allowing commuters to continue chatting, streaming and gaming when they go underground.

    As a Chicagoan I know the frustration of losing your smartphone connection when your train car dips below ground level, but you non-Chicagoans may be asking yourselves “Chicago has subways?”

    for many L riders, the last 10 or 15 minutes of the commute becomes a wireless dead zone, forcing you to deal with the reality that you’re in a train packed wall-to-wall with other people.

    T-Mobile, which is taking the lead on the project, will coordinate the construction of a distributed antenna system (DAS) throughout Chicago’s tunnels. Then all four of the operators will connect their networks to it.

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  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Broadcom Flips on Future Set Tops
    Chip vendor courts cable, over-the-air boxes
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325481&

    Broadcom is nestled in a sweet spot between traditional cable companies and newer over the top (OTT) content providers, which are both battling and enabling each other in a fight for viewers and dollars.

    The company’s chipsets for next generation set top boxes enable the downlink speeds necessary for both sides of the TV equation, while providing a possible hub for a smart home. Broadcom’s DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem SoC is the basis for its set top box vision, combing dual-band Wi-Fi and a custom applications processor to reach 5 Gbit/second downstream speeds and 2 Gbit/s upstream.

    The new DOCSIS standard binds channels to achieve its downstream speed, while moving the noisy upstream beyond 40 MHz to 150 MHz for faster acknowledgments and improved performance. Cable companies such as Time Warner need to continuously improve their technology in order to compete with the likes of Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber, Broadcom’s Rich Nelson told EE Times.

    “Cable companies have a quandary: do I keep offering better and better broadband speeds, but I keep putting my video in peril because it’s enabling a competitor,” Nelson continued.

    Broadcom’s 1×1 Wi-Fi and video chips are already inside the Roku and Amazon Fire streaming services, and the company demonstrated a 2×2 .11ac chip at the International CES.

    DOCSIS 3.1 deployments will likely occur in 2016 with lower rates around 1 Gbit/s. Nelson was skeptical about the immediate future of 60 GHz in the television space

    Broadcom is also counting on set-top boxes with Wi-Fi to increase chip demand as higher speeds coming into the home drive 4K content. To show how set-top boxes can use Wi-Fi, the company demonstrated an 802.11ac 5 GHz WiFi chip streaming 4K video at 25 Mbits/s.

    Once those set-top boxes are wirelessly connected, they could serve as a hub for a smart home.

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  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    WiFi is soon in trouble

    Wireless LAN technology or WiFi has conquered all the equipment, all of the homes, all public spaces and progressing all the time for new frequencies. Wi-Fi Alliance is the first time admitted that the new standards development and certification of equipment will soon be too complicated.

    – Today when we certified the new WLAN device, it must be able to communicate with devices that have been certified in 2000.

    WiFi still receives constantly new variants. One of the new techniques is 802.11ah, which is the IoT devices intended for low-power, long-range technology, which should be completed in 2017.

    Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2359:wifi-on-pian-vaikeuksissa&catid=13&Itemid=101

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  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Frequency Auction produced a giant sum in the USA

    Federal Communications Commission FCC auctioned a set of frequencies on Thursday last week ended the auction. All in all, provide new frequencies cried with a massive 44.9 billion dollars.

    The frequencies in auction were in 1695-1710 MHz, 1755-1780 MHz and 2155-2180 MHz. Operators use them mainly in the expansion of 4G networks.

    Among the major operators AT & T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile cried as expected, more frequencies to use. Also two companies connected to Dish network was reaching for frequencies (maybe to expand the distribution of TV signals to the mobile frequencies).

    Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2361:taajuushuutokauppa-tuotti-jattisumman-usa-ssa&catid=13&Itemid=101

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  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    BT aims for 500Mbps broadband by 2020 with G.Fast technology
    http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2392830/bt-aims-for-500mbps-broadband-by-2020-with-gfast-technology

    BT aims to offer broadband speeds as high as 500Mbps by rolling out G.Fast technology that can significantly boost speeds without the need for costly and time-consuming upgrades.

    BT chief executive Gavin Patterson said that the firm will pilot the technology in two areas this summer – Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and Gosforth in Newcastle – with some 4,000 homes and businesses.

    If these prove successful BT will look to begin widespread commercial deployments from 2016 with a view to offering services to customers by 2020.

    “We believe G.fast is the key to unlocking ultrafast speeds and we are prepared to upgrade large parts of our network should the pilots prove successful,” said Patterson.

    This has seen speeds of 786Mbps delivered over a 19-metre piece of copper and uploads of 231Mbps. Over a longer 66-metre copper connection, tests achieved downloads of 696Mbps and uploads of 200Mbps.

    BT said that the 66-metre results are particularly notable as this is the average length of a copper connection between a premise and the BT network, so there is significant potential for G.Fast to boost broadband connections around the UK.

    G.Fast takes fibre closer to the premise by running it from a cabinet to a telephone pole or footway box.

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  12. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Time Warner Cable’s 97 Percent Profit Margin on High-Speed Internet Service Exposed
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-kushnick/time-warner-cables-97-pro_b_6591916.html

    In our Petition for Investigation of Time Warner Cable (TWC) and Comcast, we point out that TWC’s High-Speed Internet service has a 97 percent profit margin and a number of people asked how that statistic was derived. Simple. Time Warner Cable provides the information, (with some caveats).

    Time Warner Cable supplies the ‘average monthly revenue per unit’ for “video” (cable TV), “high-speed data” (High-Speed Internet) and “voice” service; I.e., what customers are paying for these services to TWC. While I have no idea what ‘customer relationships’ are, we see that High-Speed Data’s (Internet) average revenue was $43.92 for 2013, up from $39.66 in 2012. Note that the annual report explained that this increase was in part due to an “increase in equipment rental charges.”

    Simply put: For Phone Service (Voice)

    TWC charges the customer, on average, for Voice (phone) service –$34.40
    Minus
    It costs TWC to offer the Service –$8.94
    Equals– The company makes $24.46 in profit per customer per month — 74 percent.

    Not bad, huh?

    But, using identical calculations we find that the High-Speed Internet, while it costs customers, on average, $43.92, the total costs to TWC to offer the service was only $175 million — resulting in a 97 percent profit margin.

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  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    10Gb fiber-optic transceiver cuts power consumption
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4438490/10Gb-fiber-optic-transceiver-cuts-power-consumption

    The TRX10GVP2010C1 is an 850-nm pluggable SFP+ transceiver from FCI that is fully compliant with 10Gb Ethernet and Fibre Channel signal transmission protocols and boasts a 50% to 70% reduction in power consumption compared to other market offerings. Operating between 0°C and 70°C, the transceiver is capable of a 300-m reach over OM3 multimode fiber.

    VCSEL technology operates at 850 nm and is optimized with low-power drive electronics resulting in a total power consumption of approximately 250 mW.

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  14. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:
    Eero aims to eliminate WiFi dead-spots in homes using a mesh network created by a set of boxes

    Eero Is A Smart Wireless Routing System That Wants To Do For WiFi What Nest Did For Thermostats
    http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/03/eero/

    Have you tried to purchase or install a wireless router lately? I have, and it is hell.

    First you have to make sense out of dozens of available options available on sites like Amazon.com or at your local Best Buy, trying to parse various Wireless Gigabit speeds and ranges and how many of those octopus antennas you’d need to get the best coverage in your house.

    Then you have to install the damn thing, which means setting up new admin passwords and such so your wireless network isn’t hacked or whatever. And even when that is all done, you never actually know how well the setup will work. I live in an apartment with a long hallway and thick walls, and frankly, my current WiFi setup doesn’t always cover the entire space.

    A new startup called Eero hopes to change the way we think about wireless routers. It hopes to make an affordable, smart wireless networking system that will do to WiFi routers what Nest did for thermostats or Sonos did for home audio.

    The product works either as a standalone box or in a set that creates a mesh network around the house.

    Once Eero is connected to a cable or DSL modem, the device uses Bluetooth to pair with users’ smartphones during a five-minute setup process. After one device is connected, users need only plug in another Eero router and it will automatically connect to and manage the network.

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  15. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Verizon close to deals to sell over $10 billion in assets: WSJ
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/02/us-verizon-comms-divestiture-idUSKBN0L622920150202

    Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) is nearing wrapping up deals to sell more than $10 billion in assets, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

    The planned sales include cellphone towers and parts of its landline phone business, the WSJ reported.

    “There are certain assets on the wireline side that we think would be better off in somebody else’s hands so we can focus our energy in a little bit more narrow geography,” McAdam said.

    The largest U.S. carrier purchased 181 licenses worth $10.4 billion in the AWS-3 spectrum auction that closed last week.

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  16. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Reuters:
    Obama seeks $14 billion to boost U.S. cybersecurity defenses
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/02/us-usa-budget-cybersecurity-idUSKBN0L61WQ20150202

    President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for the 2016 fiscal year seeks $14 billion (9 billion pounds) for cybersecurity efforts across the U.S. government to better protect federal and private networks from hacking threats.

    Federal cybersecurity funding has steadily increased in recent years, reflecting the intensity of threats U.S. companies and government agencies are facing from cyber intruders, both domestic and foreign.

    The budget, released on Monday, calls for deployment of more intrusion detection and prevention capabilities, greater sharing of data with the private sector and other countries and more funding to beef up the government’s ability to respond to attacks

    It is unclear how much funding the Republican-controlled Congress will dedicate to cybersecurity efforts during the next fiscal year.

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  17. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Stacey Higginbotham / Gigaom:
    Cisco mobile network report: data traffic to grow tenfold to 25 exabytes/month by 2019

    The whole world is sucking down mobile data like it’s water
    http://gigaom.com/2015/02/03/the-whole-world-is-sucking-down-mobile-data-like-its-water/

    We may be pushing more of our cellular activity over to Wi-Fi, but we’re still guzzling mobile data like it’s going out of style, according to the latest estimates from Cisco’s Mobile Visual Networking Index.

    And when it comes to cellular, the entire world is going to go from consuming about 2.5 exabytes a month in 2014 to 25 exabytes a month in 2019, with a large portion of that growth coming from new device users in developing countries in Latin America, China and the Middle East. Just for comparison’s sake, an exabyte is a billion gigabytes. My cellular plan lets me have 5GB a month

    That’s a lot of cellular activity and some of that will be spread among 2G, 3G and 4G connections according to the folks at Cisco. But what’s more notable is that the individual data usage will increase so much — from almost 2GB used per month in 2014 in North American to almost 11 GB — brought about in part by adding more devices to the network. Think about not only traditional tablets and laptops, but also cars and connected gadgets, such as backup connections for a home hub or a connected medical device.

    Thomas Barnett Jr., director of Cisco’s VNI program, expects there to be changes in carrier pricing to go with this increase in data, but it will most likely be in the guise of new shared device plans, not necessarily in more generous gigabit allotments given directly.

    It’s worth noting here that these numbers do not include Wi-Fi offload, which worldwide takes about 44 percent of the traffic off the network, according to Barnett. In the U.S., that number is about 66 percent.

    The big drivers behind this growth won’t surprise many: People coming online and more devices. In developing countries, people coming online and the rise of smartphones in the hands of those people will drive much of the traffic growth in those countries.

    In North America and Western Europe, the reason for traffic growth will come from more video consumption, but also more devices coming online in the form of the internet of things.

    Cisco has taken a closer look at both wearables and how the rise of newer, low power wide area networks (it calls these LPWA) like the Weightless or Sigfox networks might affect traffic. It thinks that those networks have a possible advantage for certain types of traffic, especially in western Europe where they seem to be taking off, but they don’t seem to be taking a significant burden off the existing cellular networks anytime soon.

    Cisco also broke down some trends in the wearables market, and estimated that a GoPro camera connected to a cellular network running for 2 hours would generate 600 MB of data.

    Meanwhile Cisco estimated that currently only two million wearables were connected to the cellular network in 2014 and estimated that number would only increase to about 42 million by 2019

    Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI)
    http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/index.html

    Reply
  18. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Wannabe Rulers of the Internet hit control-alt-delete on power plan
    Controversial body goes back to the drawing board with online survey
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/03/netmundial_attempts_net_governance_reboot/

    The NetMundial Initiative – ICANN and Brazil’s plan to wrest the internet from the US and the NSA – is attempting a reboot by asking everyone what it should actually do.

    An online survey, opened on Monday for two weeks, will be used to develop new “terms of reference” including what its focus should be, what work it should undertake, and what the role of its coordination council should be.

    Regardless, the organizers and in particular ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade pushed ahead in an effort to meet a planned launch of the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. That push resulted in the creation of a coordination council, but in the process caused a big loss of goodwill and trust in the process and organizers.

    Overall, the survey shows a level of openness that has been severely lacking in the organizers to date. The big question is whether it will be sufficient to bring the internet community on board.

    Skeptics fear that the same initiative will simply be relaunched with new packaging in several months’ time.

    Reply
  19. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Intel to Buy Lantiq, Get Ready for Smart Gateways
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325519&

    Intel Corp. announced a definitive agreement to buy Lantiq, a Munich, Germany-based supplier of broadband access and home networking technologies. Intel did not disclose the terms of acquisition.

    By leveraging Lantiq — armed with extensive DSL solutions and a strong patent portfolio related to broadband communications, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based CPU giant hopes to put itself on the map for global broadband gateway business. Intel plans to expand the company’s current cable residential gateway business to others, including “DSL, Fiber, LTE, retail and IoT smart routers,” according to Intel.

    Lantiq’s presence in the broadband customer premises equipment (CPE) is believes to be particularly attractive to Intel, who wants to be in the market for next-generation gateways that connect a variety of devices and services at home.

    Lantiq, formerly Infineon Technologies’ wireline communication div.

    One thing to note about Lantiq is that it is a loyal user of MIPS processing cores, now owned by Imagination Technologies.

    One thing for sure about the acquisition is that Intel will inherit a number of Lantiq’s network processors, designed to develop fast and flexible gateways for network equipment manufacturers and service providers.

    Lantiq’s recent examples include the industry’s first resident gateway reference design built around G-fast announced last fall.

    Lantiq has a large footprint in the global market, with more than 100 global operators deploying Lantiqs DSL solutions.

    Beyond DSL, Lantiq offers carriers a variety of solutions including the pre-integrated LTE module combined with the Lantiq platform (offering throughput of up to 300Mbp with minimum CPU load); and the first commercially available reverse powered fiber to the distribution point solution (delivering aggregated data rates up to 250Mbps over 200m twisted-pair copper line lengths).

    In January 2011, Infineon’s wireless solutions business unit was sold to Intel, now operating as Intel Mobile Communications.

    Reply
  20. Tomi Engdahl says:

    China’s internet population hits 649 million, 86 percent on phones
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/03/us-china-internet-idUSKBN0L713L20150203

    (Reuters) – China had 649 million internet users by the end of 2014, with 557 million of those using handsets to go online, said a government report on Tuesday, as the world’s biggest smartphone market continues its shift to mobile.

    While growth is slowing, China’s total internet population still rose by 31 million in 2014, said the report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).

    Growth in mobile internet users was faster, at 57 million.

    Riding this wave are some of China’s, and the world’s, biggest technology companies

    Reply
  21. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Analyst: 25G, 50G Ethernet will transform data center switching market
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/01/infonetics-25ge-50ge-report.html?cmpid=EnlDataCentersFebruary32015

    The analyst reports that the global data center Ethernet switch market put in a good showing in 3Q14, up 5 percent sequentially to $2.2 billion. Positive forces include the U.S. public sector and cloud service providers.

    “The data center switching market is poised for another transformation, with 25GE and 50GE enabling new data center network architectures, targeting large cloud service providers looking to migrate from 10GE switching and server connectivity to 100GE switching and 25GE server connectivity,” predicts Cliff Grossner, Ph.D., directing analyst for data center, cloud, and SDN at Infonetics Research.

    Report: Data center interconnects spur increased demand for fiber-optic network gear
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/01/ovum-datacenter-interconnects.html?cmpid=EnlDataCentersFebruary32015

    Technology market research firm Ovum predicts that demand for optical network (ON) hardware will increase 3% each year through 2019. The slow but steady growth will see the optical transport market worth $17 billion in 2019, the analyst expects.

    The demand for fiber-optic network equipment for data center interconnect (DCI) will be a primary driver, according to Ovum’s Optical Networks Forecast Report. Sales of DCI equipment now exceed $3 billion globally on an annualized basis, making Internet content and cloud providers an important new market segment for equipment providers, in Ovum’s view.

    “Spending on DCI is having a material effect on the market, particularly in North America where many of the Internet and cloud providers have large networks connecting hyper-scale data centers,” explains Ian Redpath, principal analyst at Ovum.

    Redpath adds, “Our capex research indicates that Internet content providers (ICPs), whose primary business is the creation, storage, and dissemination of digital information, and carrier-neutral providers are spending heavily on data center infrastructure, including optical transmission for DCI. Shipments of 100G equipment in particular are growing strongly in the Internet content and carrier-neutral markets.”

    Optical network hardware vendors have taken note. Companies such as ADVA Optical Networking, Alcatel-Lucent, BTI Systems, Ciena, Cisco, and Infinera have already targeted the DCI space in North America, according to Redpath

    Other regions of the world also should see an uptick in spending on fiber-optic network systems. “China is the second largest market for the broader ON equipment sector after North America and is projected to grow 9% in 2014 as Chinese carriers invested in LTE and fixed broadband rollouts,” Redpath says. Over the next five years Redpath and Ovum forecast a 4% CAGR for China.

    Reply
  22. Tomi Engdahl says:

    BSRIA data center cabling research shows upcoming migration to 40/100G, ToR’s popularity
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/01/bsria-data-center-cabling-survey-2015.html?cmpid=EnlDataCentersFebruary32015

    BSRIA has released data from a recent survey it conducted focused on data center cabling. Among the high-level conclusions that can be drawn from the survey are that the top-of-rack (ToR) architecture is more popular in colocation facilities than it is in enterprise data centers, the shift from 1G and 10G to 40G and 100G for switch-to-switch connections is on, and a significant number of data center operators consider their cabling to be permanent—with no history of replacing it nor any plans to do so.

    As a predicate to the survey results, BSRIA explained that approximately 19 percent of the global market for structured cabling is installed in data centers, while the remaining 81 percent is installed in LAN applications. Based on its yearly research, BSRIA has determined the structured cabling installed in data centers is estimated at $1.2 billion in 2014. “The data centre segment is expected to continue its increase with huge demand for backup data, video storage, peer-to-peer file sharing, cloud computing and the uptake of the Internet of Things with numerous devices being connected in the future,” BSRIA commented.

    This latest research covers five countries—U.S., U.K., Germany, China, and Brazil—which combine to account for approximately 68 percent of worldwide data center cabling, according to BSRIA.

    “The study highlighted quite significant levels of 1G and 10G both in switch-to-switch and switch-to-server links and expected progression to 40G and 100G planned for 2016,”

    “The uptake of ToR is higher for the colocation segment, at 61 percent, than for the enterprise segment, with 42 percent opting for ToR,” BSRIA reported. “A third of the enterprise data centres use centralized switching.”

    “The usage of non-structured cabling point-to-point links was significantly higher for the colocation segment, which also has a higher usage of ToR architecture,”

    In total, the survey yielded dead-even results with 50 percent using point-to-point and the other 50 percent using structured cabling.

    “The main reasons for the use of point-to-point links have remained largely unchanged from 2011,” BSRIA said. “They are: the ability to reduce the amount of cabling used, higher-density port count, the ability of SFP+ for fiber, Cisco’s recommendations, and the ability to use cheaper cable than structured category cable.”

    “The typical replacement rates are very similar for copper and fibre cable and connectivity. Around a quarter replace the cabling every 4 to 5 years, and around 15 percent every 8 to 10 years. A significant portion do not replace their cabling.”

    Reply
  23. Tomi Engdahl says:

    40GBase-T update: 25GBase-T likely to ride along, March 2016 a hopeful finish line
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/01/40baset-25gbaset-update.html?cmpid=EnlDataCentersFebruary32015

    The IEEE has its sights set on March 2016 as the finish line for the 40GBase-T specification, and there is some likelihood that the standard also will include specifications for 25GBase-T

    Chalupsky told Cabling Installation & Maintenance the 40GBase-T project “expects to have a ratified standard in about a year from now, approximately March 2016.”

    “One bit of excitement anticipated is the inclusion of 25GBase-T in a future draft,” he added. “The 25GBase-T Study Group has just generated the documentation necessary to add 25GBase-T into P802.3bq (the 40GBase-T project). If this documentation is approved by the IEEE Standards Board in March 2015, then P802.3bq will quickly add the specifications for 25GBase-T into the next draft with the goal of meeting the original P802.3bq completion schedule.”

    Reply
  24. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Leviton announces Intertek-confirmed Category 8 connectivity system
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/02/leviton-atlas-x1-category-8-connectivity.html?cmpid=EnlDataCentersFebruary32015

    Leviton has announced its Atlas-X1 Category 8 connectivity hardware—a system of products it will formally introduce at the BICSI Winter Conference—and says the connectivity has been confirmed by Intertek to meet draft Category 8 performance specifications. “The Atlas X-1 is the industry’s first system to support shielded applications from Category 8 to 5e and UTP applications from Category 6A to 5e, all from one unified connectivity platform,

    Leviton further explained, “The Atlas-X1 system has been tested and confirmed by Intertek, an independent electrical testing lab, to meet the current draft 2.0E of the TIA-568-C.2-1 Category 8 proposed standard (October 2014). The pending standard defines performance and testing requirements up to 2 GHz for Category 8 cabling systems to support the operation of IEEE 802.3bq 40GBase-T applications up to 30 meters.”

    The Atlas-X1 Category 8 connectivity will be part of the Berk-Tek Leviton Technologies Category 8 structured cabling system,

    Reply
  25. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Bloomberg Business:
    BT Agrees to Buy U.K. Wireless Carrier EE for $19 Billion
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-05/bt-agrees-to-buy-u-k-mobile-phone-carrier-ee-for-19-billion

    (Bloomberg) — BT Group Plc agreed to buy British mobile carrier EE Ltd. for 12.5 billion pounds ($19 billion) to create a wireless and broadband giant set to shake up the country’s telecommunications industry.

    If the transaction is completed, London-based BT will control the biggest high-speed broadband network as well as the largest wireless operator in the U.K.

    “Fixed and mobile are coming together driven by the consumption of mobile data,”

    The purchase price values EE at 7.9 times the target’s 2014 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and excluding synergies.

    Carriers worldwide are pursuing a strategy that lets them sell a broader array of services to increase revenue and customer loyalty. Europe’s mobile companies are still coping with declining sales after years of intense competition to win subscribers in saturated markets.

    Reply
  26. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
    FCC’s net neutrality rules will ban throttling but allow “reasonable network management”

    Don’t call them “utility” rules: The FCC’s net neutrality regime, explained
    Not the end of the world: What Tom Wheeler’s proposal will and won’t do.
    http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/dont-call-them-utility-rules-the-fccs-net-neutrality-regime-explained/

    One thing they were clear on: this isn’t “utility-style regulation,” because there will be no rate regulation, Internet service providers (ISPs) won’t have to file tariffs, and there’s no unbundling requirement that would force ISPs to lease network access to competitors.

    But the order does reclassify ISPs as common carriers, regulating them under Title II of the Communications Act, the same statute that governs telephone companies. ISPs will not be allowed to block or throttle Internet content, nor will they be allowed to prioritize content in exchange for payments. The rules will apply to home Internet service such as cable, DSL, and fiber, and to mobile broadband networks generally accessed with smartphones.

    Internet providers will be common carriers in their relationships with home Internet and mobile broadband customers; they will also be common carriers in their relationships with companies that deliver content to subscribers over the networks operated by ISPs. That includes online content providers such as Amazon or Netflix.

    The rules apply only to retail Internet providers, those that offer consumers the ability to access the Internet. They do not regulate Web applications or other network operators. Content delivery networks like Akamai, which improve performance by optimizing delivery of content across the Internet, would not be affected by the paid prioritization ban.

    Possible loophole? “Reasonable network management”

    Wheeler is allowing for “reasonable network management,” which “recognizes the need of broadband providers to manage the technical and engineering aspects of their networks.”

    But ISPs cannot claim “reasonable network management” in order to meet a business need.

    Reply
  27. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
    FCC will apply net neutrality to mobile for the first time
    http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/4/7977633/fcc-will-apply-net-neutrality-to-mobile-for-the-first-time

    The Federal Communications Commission has proposed bringing full net neutrality rules to wireless carriers for the first time. As with wired broadband, the commission plans to use Title II regulations to ban paid prioritization as well as the blocking and throttling of legal websites, apps, services, and other data.

    This is a huge change. Under the 2010 Open Internet Order, wireless providers were prohibited from blocking legal websites as well as apps that competed with their own voice and video products, which still gave them a lot of space to block or limit other content.

    The change is likely to be ardently opposed by wireless carriers.

    Chris Welch / The Verge:
    ISPs, wireless carriers, and Washington insiders react to FCC’s net neutrality proposal
    http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/4/7978313/fcc-net-neutrality-title-ii-reactions

    With FCC chairman Tom Wheeler now firmly planted behind the idea of classifying internet providers under Title II, we’re expecting a massive reaction to his new plan for preserving net neutrality. ISPs have been arguing against the Title II approach for months, warning it could risk jobs and stifle investment (and innovation) in broadband. But the chorus of those supporting Wheeler and an open, fair-to-all internet has been much more vocal — and only grown louder in recent days.

    In pursing Wheeler’s outlined path, the FCC is setting itself up for major legal tangles with mega-corporations like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T. Those companies will no doubt deliver strongly worded responses to the FCC’s plan.

    Reply
  28. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Closing eye panel highlights PAM4
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/rowe-s-and-columns/4438540/Closing-eye-panel-highlights-PAM4?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&elq=85156694d4bf41f896e62d171c512dc1&elqCampaignId=21506

    Chris Loberg opened the panel saying that “Network data keeps growing. Video and now HD video are driving demand for ever more network bandwidth.”

    Ransom Stephens then described the history of the panel. “We started when we realized that jitter measurements among test equipment didn’t match. This year, we are going to discuss a new type of signal: PAM4.”

    “We can’t just turn up the frequencies anymore,” said Stephens, “so we came up with better equalization. You people in the audience are way too clever to think that a technology has gone as far as it can go. FEC (forward-error correction) helped. Now we’re going to PAM4.” Stephens explained that PAM4 has four amplitude levels and thus three eyes.

    Pavel Zivny asked “What do we really need to measure? We can measure linearity, time and level, and eye center deviation, but you have to tell us what you want us to deliver.”

    Cathy Liu of Avago spoke next. She developed a simulated PAM4-based 56 Gbit/s system using IBIS. “The PAM4 eye is less than 1/3 that of NRZ,” she said. “PAM4 operates at half the Nyquist frequency of NRZ, but eye separation is the cost. We will need better equalization with PAM4.”

    Showing her 56 Gbit/s PAM4 simulation
    She also noted the use of FEC (forward-error correction) coding with PAM4. The error correction means that raw BER (bit-error-ratio) at the PHY can be as low as 1E-6 BER before adding FEC.

    After all, many of these high-speed signals end up on fiber. “Size is shrinking and power is dropping,” he said. “That lets line cards carry more bandwidth per box. We want to get to 4×100 Gbits/s, which will let us achieve 400 Gbit/s speeds. Marlett concluded by noting that from an optical perspective, PAM4 is the preferred modulation.

    Next, Altera’s Mike Peng Li discussed ultra-short, extra short, medium, and long reach PHYs basedon OIF standards. “PAM4 is one modulation that can cover all lengths,” he said, “but, NRZ needs different types to cover different lengths. PAM4 can have an open eye but not NRZ because of PAM4′s smaller bandwidth.”

    “PAM4 has the promise of 56G and the next generation 112G. PAM4 will do it.”

    PAM4 has 12 different transitions as opposed to two for NRZ and it can have different frequency of occurrences for different eyes.

    “How will we implement DFE (decision-feedback equalization) and FFE (feed-forward equalization)?” Plus, PAM4′s four amplitude levels will result in more measurements than NRZ.

    Reply
  29. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Net neutrality: Someone WILL sue. So will the FCC’s rules hold up?
    A deep look into the legality of chairman Wheeler’s Title II plans
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/06/so_will_the_fccs_net_neutrality_rules_hold_up/

    Analysis More details about what is contained within new net neutrality rules outlined yesterday by FCC chairman Tom Wheeler have made it a virtual certainty that they will be approved by the watchdog later this month.

    But that will not be the end of the matter. US cable companies are fiercely opposed to being regulated, so there will likely be two significant challenges to the rules: a legal challenge from cable companies, and Congressional efforts to limit or undermine the FCC and/or the new rules. Let’s dig into both.

    Now to the challenges

    The most immediate threat to the FCC rules is a legal challenge. Verizon was the company that challenged the original open internet rules – and won. It is expected to be working on a similar challenge. This time around, AT&T – which has just given the $18bn in spectrum auction costs – is also expected to challenge the rules.

    The big difference this time around is that the FCC knew in advance that whatever rules it created would be subject to legal challenge and so it has drawn them up specifically to resist such efforts.

    “We are confident that there are ways that the FCC can write the rules to withstand the challenge.”

    In his post, Hultquist reaches an aggressive conclusion: “Those who oppose efforts at compromise because they assume Title II rests on bullet proof legal theories are only deceiving themselves.”

    Of the two main legal arguments put forward, one is highly technical, even obscure, while the second claims that AT&T has done insufficient analysis to warrant the changes it is pushing through. The first hinges on the fact that the service that ISPs provide to consumers is two things in one: it is both a telecoms service and an information service. The two are, for fairly obvious reasons, viewed differently under the law (think telephone provider versus newspaper).

    This combination of two services has been behind most of the legal complexities surrounding ISPs and which laws do and do not apply.

    You can start applying one set of rules intended for one service onto the other service just because it is the same company, AT&T argues.

    The validity of this argument is uncertain

    And now to Congress

    The other significant challenge to the FCC rules lies in Congress.

    In recent weeks, heavily prodded by the cable companies, both houses of Congress (both Republican right now) have been working on legislation that would both tackle the most common fears of not having net neutrality while specifically limiting the authority of the FCC to deal with other broadband access issues in future.

    That immediate effort will be dead in the water when the FCC passes its rules later this month.

    Of course, when President Obama steps down at the end of 2016, the entire landscape could change. The net neutrality fight has been going on for a decade so two more years is nothing. The presidential elections may even coincide with the cable industry’s legal challenge reaching the courts.

    In other words, this is all far from over.

    Reply
  30. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Laundry detergent, cat litter, and Wi-Fi
    http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/brians-brain/4438574/Laundry-detergent–cat-litter–and-Wi-Fi-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20150205&elq=85156694d4bf41f896e62d171c512dc1&elqCampaignId=21506

    And for almost five months, everything worked well; the E4200′s 2.4 Ghz signal adequately blanketed the residence footprint

    About a week ago, however, things started going awry. Time Machine backups from my MacBook Pro to my NAS seemed to be taking much longer than usual, although the laptop still reported a strong router-sourced wireless signal at both 2.4 and 5 GHz. And more tangibly, the Web interfaces to my Gmail account and other Google services would repeatedly and randomly disconnect for few-to-many seconds at a time, only to auto-reconnect for a few minutes-to-hours.

    Next question; was the problem with my ISP, or my own network? I answered both possibilities with a single experiment.
    CAT5-connected to the router, was working just fine …

    Next question; was the router’s wireless subsystem failing, or was something environmental causing packet-dropping destructive interference? A quick Wi-Fi network scan found no new neighbors’ routers or access points that might be hanging out on the same (or nearby) channels as the ones I was using. Admittedly, there could have been other ISM band broadcasters in the area (Bluetooth, microwave ovens, etc); a more thorough spectrum inspection (using a tool such as Oscium’s WiPry) would have fingered them. But given that both of the router’s wireless transmitters were misbehaving, I suspected that the router itself versus the environment was the culprit.

    In following the typical debugging thought process underlying “it worked before, but it doesn’t any more…what changed?”, I remembered that somewhere around the time the wireless network had started giving me fits, I’d added some items to the shelf containing the networking gear

    These incremental shelf “residents” were in addition to an already present large bag of dry cat food and a bunch of cans of wet cat food

    Clumping cat litter is, after all, predominantly a particular type of clay called Sodium Bentonite. Clay and other building, etc. products like it are known high-interference materials … as is water, a dominant ingredient in laundry soap.

    the MIMO nature of 802.11n antenna arrays makes them susceptible to overall performance degradation from an interference source in any location.

    Reply
  31. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Quentin Hardy / New York Times:
    VPNs increasingly used to circumvent geo restrictions, access content on sites like Netflix

    VPNs Dissolve National Boundaries Online, for Work and Movie-Watching
    http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/in-ways-legal-and-illegal-vpn-technology-is-erasing-international-borders/

    Rod Drury, an entrepreneur in Auckland, New Zealand, regularly visits the United States. Sometimes there are multiple visits a day.

    “People here can’t get Netflix, so they get a VPN that gives them a U.S. I.P. address, and watch Netflix like they’re in America,” he said. “If I want something off iTunes, I buy U.S. cards online.”

    Decoding the jargon: Millions of people around the world now pay for virtual private computer networks — a security method that uses encryption to hide Internet traffic — and similar services to hook into a server in the United States. As far as the video and retail services can tell, Mr. Drury is one more American customer.

    If the Internet breaks down national boundaries, it may happen from the comfort of our couches. VPNs were originally thought of as a way for companies to guarantee security or dissidents to avoid the prying eyes of their governments. Now they are part of a larger movement for people to work and play anywhere on the planet, at all times.

    And if the software can’t come to consumers, the customers use VPN to get to the software.

    “Unblock geo-restricted websites and web services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Skype, and many more!” says the webpage of PureVPN, which charges $45 a year to turn you into a virtual American. You might prefer being Canadian, since Netflix Canada has a bigger selection of films.

    Reply
  32. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Daniela Velázquez / Fast Company:
    In Kansas City, Google Fiber penetrates wealthier neighborhoods, but digital divide remains

    Lessons From Google’s First Rollout Of Google Fiber
    In Kansas City startups are growing, cable companies are catching up, but the digital divide is as wide as ever.
    http://www.fastcompany.com/3036659/elasticity/lessons-from-googles-first-rollout-of-google-fiber

    Google Fiber: a welcome treat for people with disposable income, but still out of reach for others.

    What Google Fiber Can and Can’t Do

    The divide between the haves and the have-nots runs deep in Kansas City: 70% of children on the Missouri side don’t have at-home Internet access, and 25% of Kansas City-area residents don’t have Internet access at all, according to local nonprofit Connecting for Good.

    Those numbers are a lot higher than the nationwide average, where only 9% of adults don’t have at-home Internet access, and the 15% of adults across the U.S. who don’t use the Internet, according to a 2013 survey from the Pew Internet Research Project.

    “What Google did for Kansas City and the digital divide, which already existed, was put a spotlight on it,” says Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Pro Tempore Cindy Circo.

    “We’re damn lucky to have the private sector do it,” Circo said. “There was no way I could get a bond issue passed for this.”

    Reply
  33. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Introduction to Preemphasis and Equalization in Maxim GMSL SerDes Devices
    http://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/maxim/introduction-to-preemphasis-and-equalization-in-maxim-gmsl-serdes-devices

    Recent advances in video applications, along with the exponential expansion of data traffic volume, have raised the demand for higher data rates. As a result, low-cost twisted-pair (TP) cables have gained special interest. However, frequency-dependent attenuation over long runs of these TP cables is a major limiting factor to their optimal use. This frequency-dependent attenuation causes significant intersymbol interference (ISI) in the received signal, which, in turn, creates difficulty for clock and data recovery and causes a higher bit-error rate (BER)

    The high-speed 3.125Gbps transceivers in Maxim GMSL parts provide a robust link, by allowing the system designer to dynamically program the equalization level for a specific cable. The transmitter and receiver both have equalization adjustments that can be programmed either separately or together to extend the transmission distance. This flexible equalization adjustment allows the use of a wide range of low-cost lossy cables.

    The GMSL link employs transmitter preemphasis and receiver equalization to compensate the losses of the transmission.

    The cable has a lowpass transfer function due to the conductor and dielectric losses

    Effective use of this equalization technique will affect three main system design parameters:

    Cable length
    Cable type
    Maximum system data rate

    For instance, the totally closed eye at the end of a 10m cable can be reasonably opened by 6dB preemphasis

    utilize both the transmitter and receiver equalizers

    Reply
  34. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Cablevision’s WiFi-only unlimited mobile phone service is live
    http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/06/cablevisions-wifi-only-unlimited-mobile-phone-service-is-live/

    The all-WiFi phone service Cablevision announced in January is now available. Unlike the usual mobile carrier, the Freewheel phone (currently a $100 second generation Moto G) only operates on WiFi — to keep costs down it doesn’t look for 3G, LTE or any other kind of signal. Of course, if you’re consistently in the range of wireless hotspots then that’s not a problem, and it’s pre-programmed to log in to any of 1.1 million Optimum hotspots in the New York area or “Cable WiFi” hotspots elsewhere. As promised, it’s $10 per month for customers with Cablevision’s internet service or $30 without, all to get unlimited calling, data and text messaging with no annual contract.

    For now it’s a curious alternative to traditional cellphones

    Reply
  35. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Cisco adds Ethernet VXLAN BGP support to Nexus switches
    Old dogs get new SDN overlay tricks
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/09/cisco_adds_ethernet_vlan_bgp_support_to_nexus_switches/

    Cisco is giving another nod in the direction of support for open software-defined-network standards, announcing support for BGP EVPN on its Nexus 9000.

    BGP EVPN – Border Gateway Protocol, Ethernet Virtual Private Network – is an Internet draft authored by members from Cisco, Juniper, Verizon, AT&T, Alcatel-Lucent and Bloomberg.

    The draft marries the ubiquitous BGP – one of the foundation protocols of the Internet – to Ethernet-based VPNs to create an open network virtualisation overlay.

    This, Cisco says, provides a control-plane protocol for VXLAN-based overlays.

    Deploying BGP-EVPN also fits with OpenStack strategies, the Borg says, allowing users “to automate the creation, provisioning and management of their VXLAN-based overlay environments, including the ongoing management of endpoint address mappings, allowing native workload mobility support”.

    If the customer wants to stick with the Cisco environment, they can run it on Nexus 9000 and the company’s Application-Centric Infrastructure (ACI) and VXLAN.

    The BGP EVPN draft says it’s trying to solve data centre requirements like isolation of traffic between thousands of tenants; providing layer 2 connectivity between a tenant’s virtual machines (VMs) within a data centre or between different DCs; and the migration of VMs between different physical ports within the L2 segment.

    Reply
  36. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Half a billion wearables… and guess whose kit has to support all that data, asks Cisco
    Smart fridges won’t stock themsel… oh. OK then
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/06/half_a_billion_wearables_and_guess_who_has_all_the_iot_kit_thats_right_big_daddy_cisco/

    Analysis Video will continue to be the primary engine of mobile data growth over the next five years, but will be reinforced by an explosion in M2M (machine-to-machine) applications and particularly wearables as a subset of that, given they are more data-intensive.

    As a result, total mobile data traffic will reach 292 exabytes (292 x 10^18 bytes) per year by 2019, up from 30 exabytes in 2014, according to the latest Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast for 2014 to 2019.

    Video is predicted to represent 72 per cent of global mobile data traffic by 2019, up from 55 per cent in 2014.

    The number of wearable devices globally will grow five times, reaching 578 million by 2019 from 109 million in 2014, with North America and Asia Pacific accounting for a large proportion of that growth. This in turn is expected to drive an 18-fold growth in mobile traffic from wearable devices between 2014 and 2019, mostly channelled through smartphones as tethering devices.

    The other headline trend is a continued rise in dominance of so called smart traffic, that is data generated by more sophisticated software in devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, as opposed to texting and data from basic handsets. This already accounted for 88 per cent of global mobile data in 2014 and Cisco predicts this will all but take over completely by 2019 at 97 per cent.

    This is being fuelled by the worldwide shift from basic feature phones to smartphones, coupled with the continued growth in tablets and a resurgence in laptops on the back of tablet-like capabilities. The expanding M2M sector is now adding further fuel to the flames of smart data growth. This trend in turn will be supported by a continued increase in speeds supported both by mobile networks and the client devices.

    We tend to forget that 2G is still the most prevalent cellular technology, but Cisco predicts that this will be overtaken by 3G some time in 2016. By 2019, 44 per cent of global mobile connections are expected to be 3G, with 4G rising fast at 26 per cent.

    Beneath these headline findings lay some interesting nuggets, one concerning the emerging battle for mobile data supremacy between 4G and Wi-Fi. To an extent these are complementary with a growth in HetNet (Heterogeneous Network) services anticipated over the next few years

    But now there is another factor with the emergence of mobile voice over IP services, such as Skype apps, that enable users to bypass conventional dial up voice and save money, especially for international calls. Increasingly there is a choice between Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) and Voice over 4G or LTE (VoLTE), with a swing towards the former.

    We anticipate growth in dual Wi-Fi/4G capable tablets in developed markets more especially, driven by more de-mand for virtual or soft SIM services that enable global data roaming.

    The other significant driver of mobile data is the M2M sector, which somewhat confusingly includes wearables, generating large amounts of data, alongside embedded monitoring devices that may produce very little. Cisco is most interested in wearables because of their impact on mobile data, although large numbers of small data transmissions can affect network performance more than the raw bandwidth consumed would suggest. Cisco predicts that the number of wearable devices globally will grow five times to reach 578 million by 2019 from 109 million in 2014.

    the likes of Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify are becoming major players and Cisco expects this sector to outperform the whole mobile arena slightly, experiencing nearly 11-fold growth from 2 exabytes a month in 2014 to 21.8 exabytes a month in 2019.

    Reply
  37. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Crap mobile coverage costs UK biz £30m a week, reckons survey
    Workers hunt for bars in the office
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/09/crap_phone_coverage_costs_uk_biz_30m_a_week/

    Indoor mobile coverage is pants, says ip.access, a company which makes kit to improve indoor coverage.

    To quantify just how pants it is the Cambridge-based company commissioned a poll from survey outfit OnePoll. They carried out research in the form of an online survey, and then did some sums to come up with the claim, “UK businesses losing over £30m a week as employees waste time hunting for mobile phone reception in the workplace to take business calls.”

    ip.access’ business aim is to persuade mobile networks to buy its femtocells to put into businesses to handle mobile traffic.

    According to ip.access: “UK office workers are collectively spending 2.53 million hours a week searching for better mobile coverage, which comes from 61 per cent of company employees claiming to have poor or variable mobile reception at their place of work. Even 50 per cent of telecoms professionals responded that the mobile signal in their offices was inadequate.”

    “There is a fundamental issue here for businesses and mobile operators,” said Ray. “While companies across the UK are employing the latest technology to streamline processes and boost revenue, a reliable mobile signal has become a basic necessity, and the lack of one is having a detrimental effect on the productivity and flexibility of companies’ workforces. This surely feeds into missed revenue and growth opportunities.”

    Reply
  38. Tomi Engdahl says:

    40GBase-T update: 25GBase-T likely to ride along, March 2016 a hopeful finish line
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/01/40baset-25gbaset-update.html?cmpid=EnlCIMFebruary92015

    The IEEE has its sights set on March 2016 as the finish line for the 40GBase-T specification, and there is some likelihood that the standard also will include specifications for 25GBase-T.

    Chalupsky told Cabling Installation & Maintenance the 40GBase-T project “expects to have a ratified standard in about a year from now, approximately March 2016. Currently the project is nearing completion of the Task Force Review phase, which means technical proposals have been adopted, a draft specification has been generated and undergone a couple review cycles within the task force. That task force now feels that the draft is technically complete, and will seek approval to start the Working Group Ballot phase in March 2015.

    “One bit of excitement anticipated is the inclusion of 25GBase-T in a future draft,” he added. “The 25GBase-T Study Group has just generated the documentation necessary to add 25GBase-T into P802.3bq (the 40GBase-T project)”

    Reply
  39. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Report: Verizon nearing $11 billion sale of wireless towers, plus landline assets
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/02/verizon-wireless-towers-sale.html

    BloombergBusiness has reported that “Verizon Communications Inc. is close to announcing deals to sell wireless towers and some local landline operations for more than $11 billion combined, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.”

    Reply
  40. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Super Bowl final score: 1.7 Terabytes of data over AT&T’s DAS network
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/02/att-das-super-bowl.html

    On Monday, February 2, AT&T’s senior executive vice president of technology and operations John Donovan reported that on Super Bowl Sunday, more than 1.7 Terabytes of data were transmitted across AT&T’s distributed antenna system (DAS) networks inside and immediately surrounding University of Phoenix Stadium. “Total in-venue data usage was more than 696 Gigabytes,” Donovan explained in this blog post. “When looking at numbers from both the in-stadium DAS network and outdoor-stadium DAS network serving the parking lot areas, we did more than 1.75 Terabytes of data.” He pointed out that is the equivalent of 4.8 social media posts with photos.

    “The 1.7 TB total surpasses the total cellular usage of 1.41 TB from the college football championship game in Dallas last month,”

    Donovan added that in preparation for the Super Bowl, AT&T built or upgraded 13 permanent DAS at the stadium and nearby locations, including tripling the stadium’s DAS capacity over its end-of-2013-season level. “The stadium is the first venue in the country in which we deployed four-carrier LTE coverage”

    Reply
  41. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Belden joins AVnu Alliance’s new industrial market segment
    http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2015/02/belden-avnu-industrial.html

    Belden recently joined a new industrial market group through its membership with AVnu Alliance, the industry consortium driving open standards deterministic networking through certification.

    AVnu Alliance is adding support for the industrial controls market through a new industrial-specific market segment that includes Belden, as well as other leaders in the space. Together, these industrial, automation and IT infrastructure companies hope to become the driving force behind future developments in open standards.

    AVnu Alliance’s industrial market segment will develop the foundational elements needed for industrial applications based on the common elements of audio video bridging (AVB) and time sensitive networking (TSN), working to enhance real-time capabilities that meet the needs and embrace the future promise of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

    Reply
  42. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Brian Fagioli / BetaNews:
    Google Chrome to ditch SPDY — implementing HTTP/2
    http://betanews.com/2015/02/09/google-chrome-to-ditch-spdy-implementing-http2/

    The web is unnecessarily complicated. Competing web browsers support differing technologies and standards, leading to varying performance and compatibility issues. The problem is, it may be naïve to think there are truly open standards. True, there are standards that can be pointed to, but stop and think for a moment — who decided on the standards? In other words, if the web is truly open, why does it seem like big companies are steering the ship when it comes to the major decisions?

    Google is one such company that is making decisions that will form the future of the web, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The thing to take issue with is that the company could arguably have a conflict of interest when contributing to web standards. Why? It develops its own web browser (Chrome) and associated operating system (Chrome OS).

    Today, Google announces that it is abandoning SPDY for the HTTP/2 protocol in Chrome.

    “HTTP is the fundamental networking protocol that powers the web. The majority of sites use version 1.1 of HTTP, which was defined in 1999 with RFC2616. A lot has changed on the web since then, and a new version of the protocol named HTTP/2 is well on the road to standardization. We plan to gradually roll out support for HTTP/2 in Chrome 40 in the upcoming weeks”, says Chris Bentzel, Google.

    “Chrome has supported SPDY since Chrome 6, but since most of the benefits are present in HTTP/2, it’s time to say goodbye.”

    Reply
  43. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Real-Time Rogue Wireless Access Point Detection with the Raspberry Pi
    http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/real-time-rogue-wireless-access-point-detection-raspberry-pi

    Years ago, I worked for an automotive IT provider, and occasionally we went out to the plants to search for rogue Wireless Access Points (WAPs). A rogue WAP is one that the company hasn’t approved to be there. So if someone were to go and buy a wireless router, and plug it in to the network, that would be a rogue WAP. A rogue WAP also could be someone using a cell phone or MiFi as a Wi-Fi hotspot.

    The tools we used were laptops with Fluke Networks’ AirMagnet, at the time a proprietary external Wi-Fi card and the software dashboard.

    The payment card industry, with its data security standard (PCI-DSS), is the only one I could find that requires companies to do quarterly scans for rogue WAPs.

    Later, when I was a network engineer at a publishing company, I found it was good to know what was on my employer’s network. The company wanted to know if employees followed policy. The company also was worried about data loss, especially around a couple projects.

    One thing I always wanted was a passive real-time wireless sensor network to watch for changes in Wi-Fi. A passive system, like Kismet and Airodump-NG, collects all the packets in the radio frequency (RF) that the card can detect and displays them. This finds hidden WAPs too, by looking at the clients talking to them. In contrast, active systems, like the old Netsumbler, try to connect WAPs by broadcasting null SSID probes and displaying the WAPs that reply back. This misses hidden networks.

    Today lots of wireless intrusion detection systems exist on the market, but as listed in the Hardware sidebar, mine cost me little more than $400.00 USD to make. Based on numbers I could get, via Google Shopping, using Cisco Network’s Wireless IDS data sheet from 2014, a similar set up would have cost about $11,500 USD.

    Cost of parts: $69.95 per sensor; I used six Raspberry Pis in the project.

    Raspberry Pi Wireless Sensor Drone:

    Wireless Survey

    A wireless survey is usually a map of a building or location showing the signal strengths associated with wireless access points. Surveys are usually the first step when a new wireless network is installed. Surveys give the installers how many WAPs are needed, where they should be spaced, and what channels would be best to use in those areas.

    Surveys normally are done with a WAP and a Wi-Fi-enabled device. The WAP is placed in a location, and signal strength is recorded as the client is moved around the area.

    A rogue WAP or a survey WAP can be built from a Raspberry Pi with a wireless card and Hostapd.

    Kali Linux:

    Kali Linux is the new version of Backtrack Linux—one of the specialized Linux distributions for penetration testing and security. It is currently based off Debian Linux, with security-focused tools preinstalled.

    Airodump-NG
    Airodump is a raw 802.11 packet capture device. It is part of the Aircrack-NG suite.

    What Is Kismet?
    Kismet is an 802.11 wireless network detector, sniffer and intrusion detection system. Kismet will work with any wireless card that supports raw monitoring mode, and it can sniff 802.11b, 802.11a, 802.11g and 802.11n traffic (devices and drivers permitting).

    Configuring the Raspberry Pi with Kali
    Configure the Kismet Drone
    Configure the Kismet Server on a PC or Server for the Drone Sensors

    Reply
  44. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
    Facebook Takes Internet.org And Its Free Mobile Data Services To India
    http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/09/internet-org-india/

    Facebook’s Internet.org project to provide basic mobile internet services for free just took its biggest step to date after it launched in India.

    The service, which is run by non-profit organization Internet.org with input from a number of telecom industry partners, has thus far been available in a handful of Africa countries and Colombia, but now it is making its way to India’s billion-plus population.

    The app isn’t available to the full Indian population yet, since Facebook partnered with operator Reliance to offer free access to Internet.org sites in an initial six states: Tamil Nadu, Mahararashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Telangana. That’s the first step on a path to “provide internet access to more than a billion people in India who aren’t yet connected,” Facebook said in a statement.

    There are an initial 38 websites and services bundled into the free service in India. The selection ranges from Facebook and Facebook Messenger (of course), to news services — BBC, Reuters, ESPN and India Today — music site Hungama, news aggregator NewsHunt, Wikipedia and government relations site AP Speaks. Other general services include travel, weather, sports and parenting information.

    Emerging markets are an important focus for Facebook since it has long become a mainstream service in Western markets, and the lion’s share of new internet users will come online from Africa, Asia and Latin America… via mobile phones.

    Of course, the benefits of more people trying out mobile internet services is that they might find the web compelling and go out and buy a smartphone, data plan or pre-pay SIM with mobile internet.

    Reply
  45. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Software Radio Debuts at MWC
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325584&

    UK-based Cambridge Consultants developed a core and software for an all-digital radio transmitter that could cost less than $1, aimed at conserving precious spectrum.

    The company’s software-defined radio, Pizzicato, will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress running on a Xilinx FPGA to demonstrate how it manipulates radio signals at high frequency. The design enables frequency-agile radios in MHz or GHz bands without interference between adjacent transmitters.

    Cambridge Consultants leveraged its experience developing custom ASICs to estimate Pizzicato’s technical feasibility, using the radio design and parameters for a 28nm digital ASIC process. A complete Pizzicato core, from baseband samples through to digital bitstream output, would result in a less than 1mm2 chip.

    The company will demo its design, which uses an FPGA rather than an ASIC, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, March 2-5. Pizzicato can achieve 3 Gbits/second digital output at up to 1.5 GHz while consuming less than 300 mW and delivering up to 1mW to the antenna. The demonstrator is able to emulate 14 basestations with a single signal, running at 900 MHz for 2G technology and test equipment, and able to cover 100 MHz of spectrum.

    “One of the things driving software-defined radio is that different frequencies are restricted and some are licensed,” Barlow said. “A cell phone switching on somewhere in world has increasing number of frequencies it has to work with, and that is difficult with analog.”

    “As the boundary of software moves closer and closer to the antenna, it’s possible to have an antenna to be more flexible. The ultimate goal is to have a tiny antenna capable of dealing with any situation,” Barlow said.

    Still, Cambridge’s demonstration is more in the “software defined” rather than software-only radio space.

    “Over time even the final analog part — the filtering — will be rendered increasingly unimportant,”

    Reply
  46. Tomi Engdahl says:

    7 Communications Technologies to Watch in 2015
    http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1325616&

    LTE & LTE-A, VoLTE & HetNets, 802.11ac, NFV, IoT, and 5G will all make significant forward strides in 2015, from development to deployment.

    Developing technologies such as LTE and LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), VoLTE (voice over LTE), small cells, heterogeneous networks (Het Nets), NFV/SDN will continue shaping the industry in 2015.

    Data rates have helped LTE-A gain prominence in the global communications market. While LTE’s peak downlink speed is 300 Mbits/s, LTE-A is theoretically capable of reaching 1 Gbit/s. LTE’s highest rates are 75 Mbits/s while LTE-A clocks 500 Mbit/s.
    The introduction of LTE and LTE-A-compatible mobile phones has generated competition among mobile manufacturers.

    More than 330 global networks deployed 4G LTE in the first half of 2014. The second quarter of 2014 saw almost 60 LTE-A trials
    The transition from LTE networks to LTE-A is most visible in North America and Asia-Pacific, followed by Western Europe.
    According to Frost & Sullivan, by the end of January 2015, the number of LTE subscribers is expected to exceed 400 million while LTE-A will reach an estimated 22 million subscribers.

    VoLTE will lead to a recovery in mobile voice services and enable a new conversation experience—one much better than Skype. Because consumers still value voice services, VoLTE will remain significant for SPs.
    HD voice will be available within the same network

    Small cells are gaining momentum and will continue to evolve in coming years. This technology can be used to handle local coverage and capacity issues resulting from increased mobile data consumption.
    HetNets are one of the most effective technologies for increasing the capacity of mobile networks. A typical HetNet is comprised of several radio access technologies, architectures, transmission technologies, and base stations of various transmission powers.
    HetNets QoS (Quality of Service) and QoE (Quality of Experience) leave much to be desired as handoff issues between cellular and small cell Wi-Fi networks still exist. Roaming, traffic prioritization, and user authentication are among other HetNet challenges that must be addressed. Thus, operators need effective products and systems to test and monitor legacy-based network infrastructure and next- generation mobile wireless networks for proper coverage.

    Another trending technology is 802.11ac, which helps SPs with mobile traffic offloading to Wi-Fi. In fact, 802.11ac technology is critical in ensuring Wi-Fi networks reach carrier-grade quality. In 2017, it is estimated that over 55 percent of all mobile data will be offloaded to Wi-Fi networks.
    The 802.11ac standard incorporates fresh technologies from 802.11n, thus providing higher throughput.

    A buzzing topic in 2014, NFV (network functions virtualization) saw significant investments and is here to stay. NFV technology supports the virtualization of components, allowing a flexible network infrastructure that supports shifting of applications and services to the cloud. NFV is expected to bring efficiency to networks and business operations and will allow operators to effectively support subscriber demands.
    Though virtualization has been around for about 50 years, interest in the technology was recently reinvigorated by enterprises looking for ways to deliver less expensive, more efficient IT services.
    today, virtualization is widespread, and 65 percent of all businesses report that they have implemented server virtualization in their data centers. With adopters enthusiastically embracing virtualization, the market holds significant growth potential.
    In addition, control plane elements—the policy server, charging entities, and subscriber database, or HSS (home subscriber server)—are being virtualized for elasticity in the IMS (Internet Protocol multimedia system) core.

    The IoT (Internet of Things) is expected to make everything faster and more efficient. That is, from the automated testing of consumer devices to the designing, prototyping, deployment, and monitoring of industrial systems, to development of next-generation wireless communications.
    As IoT engineering advances, the technology will drastically change how things communicate and the advance will significantly impact both the consumer and manufacturer. For consumers, there will be more wearable, smarter, and faster phones. Manufacturers will see more intelligent factories and energy grids. Smarter machinery control will symbolize the next crucial transition.

    Communication SPs are also investing in technology for the next generation of wireless communication: 5G. 5G is responsible for the advent of MIMO (Massive Multiple Input Multiple Output, which will introduce new waveforms to address ODFM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) shortcomings, and a move to millimeter waves (mm-waves) for more spectrum. In addition, 5G is expected to translate into a significant densification of wireless networks as well as more HetNets. There will be a more diverse variety of base stations and access points used within geographies including eNodeBs, small cells (picocells, femtocells, etc.) and relays.
    Wireless networks are expected to become denser with 5G
    Test-and-measurement companies
    are already working on test equipment to help bring 5G networks to life.

    Reply
  47. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Software Radio Debuts at MWC
    http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1325584&

    UK-based Cambridge Consultants developed a core and software for an all-digital radio transmitter that could cost less than $1, aimed at conserving precious spectrum.

    The company’s software-defined radio, Pizzicato, will be demonstrated at Mobile World Congress running on a Xilinx FPGA to demonstrate how it manipulates radio signals at high frequency. The design enables frequency-agile radios in MHz or GHz bands without interference between adjacent transmitters.

    The company will demo its design, which uses an FPGA rather than an ASIC, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, March 2-5. Pizzicato can achieve 3 Gbits/second digital output at up to 1.5 GHz while consuming less than 300 mW and delivering up to 1mW to the antenna. The demonstrator is able to emulate 14 basestations with a single signal, running at 900 MHz for 2G technology and test equipment, and able to cover 100 MHz of spectrum.

    Reply
  48. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Cisco hits the disco as unified comms, wireless sales are lookin’ frisk, yo
    Emboldened Borg sneers at white box switch menace, gloves up for VMware fight
    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/12/cisco_results/

    Just watch that elephant dance: Cisco believes it’s managed something Silicon Valley startups often die trying to do, “pivoting” the business to reverse a downward trend.

    Chambers was most bullish about how Cisco’s most recent products are performing – kit like the Nexus 3000 and 9000, its Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), and its UCS data centre products – saying that having “disrupted ourselves” a year ago to launch the new iron, “we have our stakes in the ground … and are well on the way to becoming the number one IT company in the world.”

    Q2 2015 revenue for Cisco was up seven per cent to US$11.9 billion, split US$9 billion to product and US$2.9 billion to services for a net income of US$2.745 billion.

    Its best performance was at home in the America

    Let’s take a look at performance by product segment:

    Switching – up 11 per cent year-on-year to US$3.6 billion (Chambers said not to expect double-digit switching growth in the long term);
    NGN routing – two per cent growth to US$1.76 billion;
    Collaboration – put on four per cent to US$990 million;
    Data centre – sprinted 40 per cent ahead to US$776 million;
    Wireless – up 18 per cent to US$661 million;
    Security – put on six per cent to US$416 million;
    Services – up five per cent to US$2.86 billion;
    Service provider video – declined 19 per cent to US$776 million.

    Reply
  49. Tomi Engdahl says:

    David Cameron sees Twitter backlash over plans for free train WiFi
    Tweeters say prime minister needs to sort his priorities out
    http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2394846/david-cameron-sees-twitter-backlash-over-plans-for-free-train-wifi

    UK PRIME MINISTER David Cameron has announced a £50m government investment to bring free WiFi to UK trains by 2017.

    Cameron said during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that the free WiFi will cover services operated by TSGN, Southeastern, Chiltern and Arriva Trains Wales. First Great Western already offers free WiFi on long-distance trains.

    Cameron told MPs that the ability to access WiFi is “vital” for rail travellers. “It’s vital for businesses and for individuals to be able to access WiFi and do their work and all other contacts while they are on trains,” he said.

    “I am pleased to announce plans that will see the rollout of free WiFi on trains across the UK from 2017. The government will invest nearly £50m to ensure that rail passengers are better connected.”

    The news is likely to please many disgruntled commuters, but Cameron’s plans have taken a bashing on Twitter.

    One user responded: “Free WiFi on trains with £50m govt investment. How about just making it affordable to travel by train first?”

    Reply

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