FOCUS
Telecommunications – Wireless
Latvia Does 3G Wireless Call
The European TLC Latvian operator LMT has made the first public WCDMA 3G call in Latvia, using a Nokia test network.
The demonstration showcased a series of services including streaming, Internet browsing, downloading, and video telephony, at data speeds of up to 380 kilobits/second, the LMT performed the call and data applications at LMT premises using the commercially available Nokia 7600 phone.
Nokia has supplied a full WCDMA 3G test network to LMT, including 3G radio and core network equipment, as well as 3G terminals. The test network and the 3G call demonstrated today enable LMT to completely evaluate the technical advantages of Nokia's 3G technology. The call also accelerates LMT's roadmap to offer Latvia's first commercial WCDMA 3G service by the end of 2004.
This 3G call is a significant milestone in LMT's deployment of advanced mobile services, LMT leading the way with state-of-the-art service in Latvia, and are confident that are firmly on track to be the first here with commercial 3G service. Nokia has been LMT's sole supplier of GSM network equipment since 1992.
LMT is the largest and most experienced mobile communications operator in Latvia. The company operates a nationwide GSM 900/1800 network and is looking forward to implementing commercial 3G services in 2004. LMT leads the market by number of customers, financial indices, network quality and variety of advanced services. LMT was the first telecommunications operator in Eastern Europe to introduce a certified ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System.
Telecommunications – European market
The Japanese DoCoMo confirms its studying 3G UK options
The future of DoCoMo's involvement with cellphone joint venture 3G UK remains in doubt as the company confirms it has been weighing its options but had yet to decide whether to pull out. NTT DoCoMo has been considering strategic plans with both Hutchison Whampoa and Hutchison 3G UK, and will continue to maintain good relations with both companies. NTT DoCoMo has made no decision about ending its investment in Hutchison 3G.
Speculation concerning DoCoMo's exit from 3G UK has been rampant for more than two weeks as the company considers what to do with its 20% stake in the 3G venture controlled by Hutchison. DoCoMo paid 184.6 billion yen - $1.75 billion at Tuesday's exchange rate - for its stake in 3 UK in December 2000 in a deal it hoped would bring its i-mode Internet phone technology to the key British mobile phone market.
3 UK, which has struggled to win customers and could lose its second investor in around five months, said earlier this month it was testing i-mode. But it has not adopted the service to date; triggering speculation DoCoMo might switch allegiance to independent rival mmO2. DoCoMo also owns a 24.1% stake in Hutchison's Hong Kong business as well as a stake in its British Virgin Islands venture.
Logistics – China market
China boom drives Sinotrans, FedEx revenues
The growth potential of the Chinese logistics market has been demonstrated by the latest results from two of the largest companies present in the market, one Chinese, one American. Sinotrans. One of the largest indigenous operators increased its revenues in 2003 by 28% to Yuan 17.43bn (€1.7bn), whilst at the same time increasing its net profit by 23% to Yuan 705m (€69m). The company has joint ventures in place with a number of foreign owned logistics and some of its major investors include UPS, DHL and Exel.
Meanwhile FedEx has revealed that in its latest operating quarter, revenues generated in China leapt by 40%. FedEx is expanding its network by adding another 100 locations to its network in the country.
International operators have benefited from the strong growth of the Chinese economy and the internationalisation of its manufacturing and retailing industries. However at present they are required by law to work with local players, and can only offer international services. Once the market is de-regulated in line with the commitments which the Chinese government has made to the World Trade Organisation, there is no doubt that the domestic market will offer the greatest growth potential for these companies.
However in the meantime western logistics operators will benefit from the sourcing strategies of many of the multinational manufacturers that are establishing factories in the country. A large proportion of companies investing in the region do so to take advantage of the cheap labour on offer in order to assemble components, which are produced elsewhere. A recent survey has identified that most Japanese manufacturers source 20% or less from local suppliers. This has fuelled the air and sea freight boom for imports as well as for the export of finished goods.
HIGHLIGHTS
Internet – Regulations
The battle over triple 'x'
By the end of this year, Internet users could have an extraordinarily convenient place to find pornography: a new .xxx top-level domain.
Source; News.com, March 04
Technology – Software
The Impact of Offshore IT Software and Services Outsourcing on the U.S. Economy and the IT Industry.
The current rapid increase in offshore IT software and services outsourcing has sparked a debate on the costs and benefits of this trend to the U.S. economy. To help understand the comprehensive economic impact of offshore IT software and services outsourcing, Global Insight has undertaken a thorough analysis on behalf of the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). The analysis was undertaken in the context of Global Insight's economic models and incorporates information from third-party research reports, members of the IT industry, and primary research surveys.
Source; ITAA, March 04
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
FOCUS
Internet – Engine search
Google Launches New Deskbar
Google has released a new beta version of its utility, the Google Deskbar. The version number now stands at 0.5.81.
Google Deskbar gives users the ability to search Google without a browser window being open. Results are now viewable in a smaller inset window.
Deskbar also introduces new short cuts to Windows users. You can access Deskbar by pressing CTRL-ALT-G. Once you start the utility, other keyboard shortcuts become available. CTRL-I activates Google Image Search; CTRL-F brings Froogle up, while CTRL-N accesses Google news.
The system requirements for Google Desktop are: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP and your browser must be Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.
Source; Google, March 04
Telecommunications – Market
Asset sales by Telecom Italia result in a profit
Telecom Italia, the former Italian telecommunications monopoly, said Tuesday that it swung to a profit of E1.19 billion, or $1.46 billion, in 2003 as the company sold assets to raise funds for debt reduction.
The profit last year followed a loss of E773 million in 2002. Sales fell 1.8 percent to E30.9 billion as Telecom Italia's main business of selling fixed-line phone services stagnated and a strengthening euro pulled down results. Telecom Italia sold assets worth more than E4 billion last year to reduce its debt. Operating profit, which strips out the gains from those asset sales, rose 12 percent to E6.8 billion.
With revenue stagnating from traditional fixed-line services - voice phone calls and Internet access through a conventional dial-up connection - Telecom Italia is concentrating its efforts on increasing the number of clients who pay for the fast Internet service over phone lines, called DSL, for digital subscriber line. While Telecom Italia is expanding in that field, it is still a relatively small part of the company's business.
The company had 2.5 million DSL Internet clients at the end of last year and more than 25 million Italian customers overall. Telecom Italia has been investing heavily to advertise the DSL service as it competes for clients with Tiscali and e.Biscom. Both Tiscali and e.Biscom sell their services in part by renting space on Telecom Italia's network. Telecom Italia's debt fell by E2.5 billion last year to E33.3 billion. Telecom Italia also said it would pay a dividend of 10.41 cents per ordinary share and 11.51 cents per savings share. Both payouts are 10 percent more than the dividends last year.
Telecom Italia Mobile, the mobile unit that is 56 percent-owned by Telecom Italia, reported Monday that 2003 net income more than doubled to E2.3 billion. Excluding onetime items, profit rose 42 percent. Telecom Italia Mobile has 44.5 million customers around the world, more than half of whom are in Italy. An investor group led by Pirelli, the Italian tire and telecommunications cable company, controls telecom Italia.
Source; IHT, March 04
HIGHLIGHTS
Internet – Online AD
MSN Sets July Date For New Search Engine
MSN has announced that they are going to start labeling their paid search-listings more clearly. MSN is attempting make their ads more search term relevant. This comes after years of criticizing from the FCC about the clarity of MSN’s ad designation. Starting on July 1, MSN will change the appearance of their sponsored ads. The top 3 ads will be highlighted with a box as well as marked with a “sponsored” designation. MSN will also replace their Overture listings with a suggested site from the editorial staff. MSN’s listings are powered by Yahoo’s Inktomi algorithm. Karen Redetzki, MSN product manager, said that, “we've found that people spent more minutes with MSN Search, when we had algorithmic search results above the fold, 100 percent of the time.”
She also stated that the changes were made in response to customer requests, not FCC warnings.
Source; CNET News.com, March 04
Internet – Engine search
Google Launches New Deskbar
Google has released a new beta version of its utility, the Google Deskbar. The version number now stands at 0.5.81.
Google Deskbar gives users the ability to search Google without a browser window being open. Results are now viewable in a smaller inset window.
Deskbar also introduces new short cuts to Windows users. You can access Deskbar by pressing CTRL-ALT-G. Once you start the utility, other keyboard shortcuts become available. CTRL-I activates Google Image Search; CTRL-F brings Froogle up, while CTRL-N accesses Google news.
The system requirements for Google Desktop are: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP and your browser must be Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher.
Source; Google, March 04
Telecommunications – Market
Asset sales by Telecom Italia result in a profit
Telecom Italia, the former Italian telecommunications monopoly, said Tuesday that it swung to a profit of E1.19 billion, or $1.46 billion, in 2003 as the company sold assets to raise funds for debt reduction.
The profit last year followed a loss of E773 million in 2002. Sales fell 1.8 percent to E30.9 billion as Telecom Italia's main business of selling fixed-line phone services stagnated and a strengthening euro pulled down results. Telecom Italia sold assets worth more than E4 billion last year to reduce its debt. Operating profit, which strips out the gains from those asset sales, rose 12 percent to E6.8 billion.
With revenue stagnating from traditional fixed-line services - voice phone calls and Internet access through a conventional dial-up connection - Telecom Italia is concentrating its efforts on increasing the number of clients who pay for the fast Internet service over phone lines, called DSL, for digital subscriber line. While Telecom Italia is expanding in that field, it is still a relatively small part of the company's business.
The company had 2.5 million DSL Internet clients at the end of last year and more than 25 million Italian customers overall. Telecom Italia has been investing heavily to advertise the DSL service as it competes for clients with Tiscali and e.Biscom. Both Tiscali and e.Biscom sell their services in part by renting space on Telecom Italia's network. Telecom Italia's debt fell by E2.5 billion last year to E33.3 billion. Telecom Italia also said it would pay a dividend of 10.41 cents per ordinary share and 11.51 cents per savings share. Both payouts are 10 percent more than the dividends last year.
Telecom Italia Mobile, the mobile unit that is 56 percent-owned by Telecom Italia, reported Monday that 2003 net income more than doubled to E2.3 billion. Excluding onetime items, profit rose 42 percent. Telecom Italia Mobile has 44.5 million customers around the world, more than half of whom are in Italy. An investor group led by Pirelli, the Italian tire and telecommunications cable company, controls telecom Italia.
Source; IHT, March 04
HIGHLIGHTS
Internet – Online AD
MSN Sets July Date For New Search Engine
MSN has announced that they are going to start labeling their paid search-listings more clearly. MSN is attempting make their ads more search term relevant. This comes after years of criticizing from the FCC about the clarity of MSN’s ad designation. Starting on July 1, MSN will change the appearance of their sponsored ads. The top 3 ads will be highlighted with a box as well as marked with a “sponsored” designation. MSN will also replace their Overture listings with a suggested site from the editorial staff. MSN’s listings are powered by Yahoo’s Inktomi algorithm. Karen Redetzki, MSN product manager, said that, “we've found that people spent more minutes with MSN Search, when we had algorithmic search results above the fold, 100 percent of the time.”
She also stated that the changes were made in response to customer requests, not FCC warnings.
Source; CNET News.com, March 04
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
FOCUS
Telecommunications – Market
Nokia Pushes Off
Nokia Corporation has caused a stir at the opening day of Europe’s monster trade fair by reneging on a partnership agreement to develop push-to-talk (PTT) technology.
Last August, Nokia, LM Ericsson, Siemens AG and Motorola Inc. announced the completion of a “jointly developed” PTT over cellular (POC) specification, designed to enable interoperability among carriers and handset vendors. PTT-type technology allows people to use their phones as walkie-talkies, merely pushing a button to talk to another user or group of users. The companies submitted this specification to the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) standards body in an effort to promote it as the de facto standard for POC.
Six months later, and an apparent split in the partnership has emerged. Nokia has this week announced plans to push its own pre-standard protocol, leaving the remaining trio to test their own version. Nokia is pushing its own completely proprietary solution that hasn't yet been proven to be interoperable, in order to gain lead-time in the market. It is not playing by the rules.
The Finnish renegade has already struck a deal with handset vendor Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., to supply the Korean company with its PTT technology within the next twelve months.
The Finnish corporate say in August the first version was submitted to OMA, but when took a closer look at that specification realized some things were missing and that we couldn’t satisfy existing demand for PTT with that spec. Nokia’s claims offering will be fully compliant with the OMA standard once it is finalized at the end of the year, and will also support “the alternative pre-standard protocol suggested by the other members. The split will do little to placate industry fears that interoperability issues are the biggest stumbling block to PTT growth.
While it is interesting that Nokia appears to promise that it will share details of its proprietary pre-standard protocol, few details of how and when are provided. Industry fragmentation hurt the MMS rollouts - now it looks like fragmentation might cripple the POC rollouts. When will the vendors and operators learn?
Internet - e-Business
12 reasons Andreessen is hot on open source
At the Open Source in Government conference, Marc Andreessen highlighted 12 reasons why "open source will grow in importance over the next five to ten years." According to Andreessen, the Internet is responsible for much of the success of the open source software movement ("The Internet is powered by open source," "The Internet is the carrier for open source," "The Internet is also the platform through which open source is developed"). In addition, Andreessen touches on geopolitical trends ("open source benefits from anti-American sentiments") while making the business case for open source software. Perhaps the most important factor: "It’s free. Enough said."
Source;News.Com, March 04
Internet – Game online
Sun makes server for online gaming
A possible cure for Sun’s financial woes? Sun is developing a new server based on its existing Sun Fire Blade server that can be used by companies such as Sony and Electronic Arts to host sophisticated online games with hundreds of thousands of players. Currently, online gaming companies must divide games into separate playing areas, due to the limitations and constraints of business servers. Also noted: IBM is also attempting to create better "gaming servers."
Source; Mercury News, March 04
HIGHLIGHTS
Internet – Music Industry
Music Group Sues Another Batch
The music industry sues another 500 people, bringing the total number of people it is pursuing to almost 2,000. This time, 89 of the defendants are likely to be students.
Source; Wired, March 04
Telecommunications – Market
Nokia Pushes Off
Nokia Corporation has caused a stir at the opening day of Europe’s monster trade fair by reneging on a partnership agreement to develop push-to-talk (PTT) technology.
Last August, Nokia, LM Ericsson, Siemens AG and Motorola Inc. announced the completion of a “jointly developed” PTT over cellular (POC) specification, designed to enable interoperability among carriers and handset vendors. PTT-type technology allows people to use their phones as walkie-talkies, merely pushing a button to talk to another user or group of users. The companies submitted this specification to the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) standards body in an effort to promote it as the de facto standard for POC.
Six months later, and an apparent split in the partnership has emerged. Nokia has this week announced plans to push its own pre-standard protocol, leaving the remaining trio to test their own version. Nokia is pushing its own completely proprietary solution that hasn't yet been proven to be interoperable, in order to gain lead-time in the market. It is not playing by the rules.
The Finnish renegade has already struck a deal with handset vendor Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., to supply the Korean company with its PTT technology within the next twelve months.
The Finnish corporate say in August the first version was submitted to OMA, but when took a closer look at that specification realized some things were missing and that we couldn’t satisfy existing demand for PTT with that spec. Nokia’s claims offering will be fully compliant with the OMA standard once it is finalized at the end of the year, and will also support “the alternative pre-standard protocol suggested by the other members. The split will do little to placate industry fears that interoperability issues are the biggest stumbling block to PTT growth.
While it is interesting that Nokia appears to promise that it will share details of its proprietary pre-standard protocol, few details of how and when are provided. Industry fragmentation hurt the MMS rollouts - now it looks like fragmentation might cripple the POC rollouts. When will the vendors and operators learn?
Internet - e-Business
12 reasons Andreessen is hot on open source
At the Open Source in Government conference, Marc Andreessen highlighted 12 reasons why "open source will grow in importance over the next five to ten years." According to Andreessen, the Internet is responsible for much of the success of the open source software movement ("The Internet is powered by open source," "The Internet is the carrier for open source," "The Internet is also the platform through which open source is developed"). In addition, Andreessen touches on geopolitical trends ("open source benefits from anti-American sentiments") while making the business case for open source software. Perhaps the most important factor: "It’s free. Enough said."
Source;News.Com, March 04
Internet – Game online
Sun makes server for online gaming
A possible cure for Sun’s financial woes? Sun is developing a new server based on its existing Sun Fire Blade server that can be used by companies such as Sony and Electronic Arts to host sophisticated online games with hundreds of thousands of players. Currently, online gaming companies must divide games into separate playing areas, due to the limitations and constraints of business servers. Also noted: IBM is also attempting to create better "gaming servers."
Source; Mercury News, March 04
HIGHLIGHTS
Internet – Music Industry
Music Group Sues Another Batch
The music industry sues another 500 people, bringing the total number of people it is pursuing to almost 2,000. This time, 89 of the defendants are likely to be students.
Source; Wired, March 04
Thursday, March 18, 2004
FOCUS
Technology – Research
Nasa develops system computerize silent, “Subvocal speech”
NASA scientists have begun to computerize human, silent reading using nerve signals in the throat that control speech.
In preliminary experiments, NASA scientists found that small, button-sized sensors, stuck under the chin and on either side of the "Adam's apple," could gather nerve signals, and send them to a processor and then to a computer program that translates them into words. Eventually, such "subvocal speech" systems could be used in spacesuits, in noisy places like airport towers to capture air-traffic controller commands, or even in traditional voice-recognition programs to increase accuracy, according to NASA scientists.
"What is analyzed is silent, or subauditory, speech, such as when a person silently reads or talks to himself," said Chuck Jorgensen, a scientist whose team is developing silent, subvocal speech recognition at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "Biological signals arise when reading or speaking to oneself with or without actual lip or facial movement," Jorgensen explained.
"A person using the subvocal system thinks of phrases and talks to himself so quietly, it cannot be heard, but the tongue and vocal chords do receive speech signals from the brain," Jorgensen said.
In their first experiment, scientists "trained" special software to recognize six words and 10 digits that the researchers repeated subvocally. Initial word recognition results were an average of 92 percent accurate. The first sub-vocal words the system "learned" were "stop," "go," "left," "right," "alpha" and "omega," and the digits "zero" through "nine." Silently speaking these words, scientists conducted simple searches on the Internet by using a number chart representing the alphabet to control a Web browser program.
"We took the alphabet and put it into a matrix - like a calendar. We numbered the columns and rows, and we could identify each letter with a pair of single-digit numbers," Jorgensen said. "So we silently spelled out 'NASA' and then submitted it to a well-known Web search engine. We electronically numbered the Web pages that came up as search results. We used the numbers again to choose Web pages to examine. This proved we could browse the Web without touching a keyboard," Jorgensen explained.
Scientists are testing new, "noncontact" sensors that can read muscle signals even through a layer of clothing.
A second demonstration will be to control a mechanical device using a simple set of commands, according to Jorgensen. His team is planning tests with a simulated Mars rover. "We can have the model rover go left or right using silently 'spoken' words," Jorgensen said. People in noisy conditions could use the system when privacy is needed, such as during telephone conversations on buses or trains, according to scientists.
"An expanded muscle-control system could help injured astronauts control machines. If an astronaut is suffering from muscle weakness due to a long stint in micro gravity, the astronaut could send signals to software that would assist with landings on Mars or the Earth, for example," Jorgensen explained. "A logical spin-off would be that handicapped persons could use this system for a lot of things." To learn more about what is in the patterns of the nerve signals that
control vocal chords, muscles and tongue position, Ames scientists are studying the complex nerve-signal patterns. "We use an amplifier to strengthen the electrical nerve signals. These are processed to remove noise, and then we process them to see useful parts of the signals to show one word from another," Jorgensen said.
After the signals are amplified, computer software "reads" the signals to recognize each word and sound. "The keys to this system are the sensors, the signal processing and the pattern recognition, and that's where the scientific meat of what we're doing resides," Jorgensen explained. "We will continue to expand the vocabulary with sets of English sounds, usable by a full speech-recognition computer program."
The Computing, Information and Communications Technology Program, part of NASA's Office of Exploration Systems, funds the subvocal word-recognition research. There is a patent pending for the new technology.
Source; NASA
Article; Publication-size images are available on the World Wide Web at: NASA, March 04
HIGHLIGHTS
Technology – Mobile Phones
Sony launches mobile music service
Sony today at the CeBIT tradeshow in Germany said it plans to launch what it claims is the first personalized, streaming music service for mobile phones. The new service will act as a "personalized radio" that will allow users to select the types of music they want to hear. Sony said it is in talks with almost all the major carriers in Europe. The company will launch a version of the mobile music service through the Finnish division of TeliaSonera in April. Sony's new service will go up against RealNetworks mobile media player. RealNetworks has aggressively pushed its media player in the wireless market, signing deals with leading mobile content services, including Vodafone's Live!
Source; Reuters, March 04
Telecommunications – Wireless
Public services upgrade wireless
The end of wireless CDPD service in the U.S. is forcing police departments across the country to update their wireless data service. Most police departments used CDPD service from Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless, with most rates around $50 to $70 per month for each license. Between 100,000 and 200,000 public safety customers use CDPD service currently. Most of these subscribers will upgrade to either CDMA2000 1xrtt or GSM/GPRS for wide area data service. Many public service agencies are also eyeing WiFi as a possible solution for building cheaper urban wireless systems.
Source; Investor's Business Daily, March 04
TechTrend – Australia
Australians prefer snail mail to SMS
Source; News Limited, March 04
Article; News.com.au
Technology – Research
Nasa develops system computerize silent, “Subvocal speech”
NASA scientists have begun to computerize human, silent reading using nerve signals in the throat that control speech.
In preliminary experiments, NASA scientists found that small, button-sized sensors, stuck under the chin and on either side of the "Adam's apple," could gather nerve signals, and send them to a processor and then to a computer program that translates them into words. Eventually, such "subvocal speech" systems could be used in spacesuits, in noisy places like airport towers to capture air-traffic controller commands, or even in traditional voice-recognition programs to increase accuracy, according to NASA scientists.
"What is analyzed is silent, or subauditory, speech, such as when a person silently reads or talks to himself," said Chuck Jorgensen, a scientist whose team is developing silent, subvocal speech recognition at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "Biological signals arise when reading or speaking to oneself with or without actual lip or facial movement," Jorgensen explained.
"A person using the subvocal system thinks of phrases and talks to himself so quietly, it cannot be heard, but the tongue and vocal chords do receive speech signals from the brain," Jorgensen said.
In their first experiment, scientists "trained" special software to recognize six words and 10 digits that the researchers repeated subvocally. Initial word recognition results were an average of 92 percent accurate. The first sub-vocal words the system "learned" were "stop," "go," "left," "right," "alpha" and "omega," and the digits "zero" through "nine." Silently speaking these words, scientists conducted simple searches on the Internet by using a number chart representing the alphabet to control a Web browser program.
"We took the alphabet and put it into a matrix - like a calendar. We numbered the columns and rows, and we could identify each letter with a pair of single-digit numbers," Jorgensen said. "So we silently spelled out 'NASA' and then submitted it to a well-known Web search engine. We electronically numbered the Web pages that came up as search results. We used the numbers again to choose Web pages to examine. This proved we could browse the Web without touching a keyboard," Jorgensen explained.
Scientists are testing new, "noncontact" sensors that can read muscle signals even through a layer of clothing.
A second demonstration will be to control a mechanical device using a simple set of commands, according to Jorgensen. His team is planning tests with a simulated Mars rover. "We can have the model rover go left or right using silently 'spoken' words," Jorgensen said. People in noisy conditions could use the system when privacy is needed, such as during telephone conversations on buses or trains, according to scientists.
"An expanded muscle-control system could help injured astronauts control machines. If an astronaut is suffering from muscle weakness due to a long stint in micro gravity, the astronaut could send signals to software that would assist with landings on Mars or the Earth, for example," Jorgensen explained. "A logical spin-off would be that handicapped persons could use this system for a lot of things." To learn more about what is in the patterns of the nerve signals that
control vocal chords, muscles and tongue position, Ames scientists are studying the complex nerve-signal patterns. "We use an amplifier to strengthen the electrical nerve signals. These are processed to remove noise, and then we process them to see useful parts of the signals to show one word from another," Jorgensen said.
After the signals are amplified, computer software "reads" the signals to recognize each word and sound. "The keys to this system are the sensors, the signal processing and the pattern recognition, and that's where the scientific meat of what we're doing resides," Jorgensen explained. "We will continue to expand the vocabulary with sets of English sounds, usable by a full speech-recognition computer program."
The Computing, Information and Communications Technology Program, part of NASA's Office of Exploration Systems, funds the subvocal word-recognition research. There is a patent pending for the new technology.
Source; NASA
Article; Publication-size images are available on the World Wide Web at: NASA, March 04
HIGHLIGHTS
Technology – Mobile Phones
Sony launches mobile music service
Sony today at the CeBIT tradeshow in Germany said it plans to launch what it claims is the first personalized, streaming music service for mobile phones. The new service will act as a "personalized radio" that will allow users to select the types of music they want to hear. Sony said it is in talks with almost all the major carriers in Europe. The company will launch a version of the mobile music service through the Finnish division of TeliaSonera in April. Sony's new service will go up against RealNetworks mobile media player. RealNetworks has aggressively pushed its media player in the wireless market, signing deals with leading mobile content services, including Vodafone's Live!
Source; Reuters, March 04
Telecommunications – Wireless
Public services upgrade wireless
The end of wireless CDPD service in the U.S. is forcing police departments across the country to update their wireless data service. Most police departments used CDPD service from Verizon Wireless and AT&T Wireless, with most rates around $50 to $70 per month for each license. Between 100,000 and 200,000 public safety customers use CDPD service currently. Most of these subscribers will upgrade to either CDMA2000 1xrtt or GSM/GPRS for wide area data service. Many public service agencies are also eyeing WiFi as a possible solution for building cheaper urban wireless systems.
Source; Investor's Business Daily, March 04
TechTrend – Australia
Australians prefer snail mail to SMS
Source; News Limited, March 04
Article; News.com.au
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
FOCUS
Internet – Broadband
China takes broadband crown from Japan
According to a recent market analysts report, China is now top when it comes to DSL - outstripping the broadband-savvy Japanese to reach the top spot.
In terms of subscriber numbers, China overtook Japan at the end of last year with nearly 11 million users, while Japan came a close second with 10.2 million. However, with the largest population in the world - about 1.3 billion in 2003, according to UN figures, But the figures for number of DSL subscribers per 100 phone lines tell a different story, with China managing just 5.1, Japan ahead with 14.4 and broadband flagship South Korea notching up a whopping 27.7. In terms of percentage growth, China lagged again, with Portugal more than doubling its DSL take-up in the second half of 2003.
China's official news agency, Xinhua, put the huge jump in DSL down to a boom in the Chinese entertainment industry, with users hungry for broadband, film and gaming. Tim Johnson, a principal analyst with Point Topic, favours a combination of factors, including China's desire for industrialisation and to be seen as a high-tech player, as well as providing economic incentives for those going online to go straight to broadband rather than first opting for dial-up.
However, while DSL makes gains in China, Wi-Fi may be set to struggle. Intel, one of the biggest manufacturers of wireless chips, has given the two-fingered salute to the Chinese market after refusing to comply with a Chinese encryption standard that is due to come into effect on 1 June.
Some manufacturers regard the standard as prehistoric and insecure, and Intel has threatened to stop selling its Centrino chips - used by China's most popular laptop maker, Legend - after the June deadline. The Chinese government will only release the protocol to Chinese companies, so if Intel wants to stay in the market, it will have to partner with a local firm.
The overall picture for broadband, however, is looking bright, with almost 28 million DSL lines added worldwide last year to create a grand total of 63.8 million.
Source; March 04
Internet – Services
Hotmail back online
Microsoft has blamed an internal problem for leaving millions of Hotmail users unable to access their email on Friday.
The service, along with MSN Messenger, suffered an outage early Friday evening (+1 GMT), although it is now understood that the service is fully up and running again.
A spokesman for MSN told that, along users around the world were hit. He ruled out any notion that the email service was the subject of a malicious attack. He also declined to discuss the nature of the internal problem.
Although he couldn't say how many people were hit by the problem he described it as "extensive", adding that it hit a majority of Hotmail's 140m users, locking them out of their email accounts.
Source; The Register, March 04
Broadband – USA Market
Broadband Internet Grows To 25 Million In The U.S.
According to recent analysis the US cable and DSL providers accumulated over 24.6 million high-speed Internet subscribers by the end of 2003. The twenty largest cable and DSL providers in the US added a combined 7.4 million high-speed Internet subscribers in 2003.
Additional broadband provider results include:
- Cable adding about 4.5 million broadband Internet subscribers compared to close to 3 million added by the major DSL providers over the same time period
- The top cable broadband providers now have a 63% share of the overall broadband market.
And, from a new LRG study, Broadband Internet Access & Services in the Home 2004, based on a survey of 1,600 households nationwide, come some details on the usage and opinions:
- 62% of residential households subscribe to an online service at home, and about one-third of this group subscribes to broadband
- 73% of broadband subscribers are "very satisfied" with their Internet service compared to 49% of narrowband/dial-up subscribers
- About 30% of current narrowband subscribers are interested in getting broadband
Clearly the market for broadband has become more competitive in the past year, and competition will only intensify as the number of broadband subscribers in the US doubles over the next four years. Yet it is premature to proclaim that DSL is catching up to cable.
Broadband Internet Subscribers at end of 2003 Net adds in 2003
Cable
Comcast 5,283,900 1,663,600
Time Warner 3,228,000 802,000
Cox 1,988,527 580,577
Charter 1,565,600 427,500
Cablevision 1,057,020 286,895
Adelphia 951,406 324,236
Bright House Networks 620,000 130,000
Mediacom 280,000 89,000
Insight 230,000 85,200
RCN 195,000 42,669
Cable One 133,800 54,400
Total Top cable
15,533,253 4,486,077
DSL
SBC 3,516,000 1,317,000
Verizon 2,319,000 649,000
Bell South 1,462,000 441,000
Qwest 637,000 127,000
Covad 517,000 136,000
Sprint 304,000 153,000
ALLTEL 153,028 82,846
Cincinnati Bell 99,000 24,400
CenturyTel 83,400 31,100
Total Top DSL 9,090,428 2,961,346
Total Broadband 24,623,681 7,447,423
Sources: The Companies and LRG, Inc. – March 04
Environment – Legislation
E.U. moves to protect dolphins, porpoises ensnared in fishers' nets
European Union nations are close to agreeing on measures designed save the lives of thousands of dolphins and porpoises caught accidentally in fishing nets, officials said Tuesday.
The proposals, which would require fishers to install acoustic "pingers" on their boats to scare away the marine mammals, could be approved next week at a meeting of fisheries ministers in Brussels, E.U. officials said.
The rules could apply to fishers in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, English Channel, and other waters off northern and Western Europe, although some nations are seeking exemptions for some areas and smaller boats, given the high cost of installing the equipment.
According to British estimates, the pingers could cost up to 6,000 euros (US$7,400) per boat and would need renewing every 18 months.
Despite the cost, some fishing organizations backed the proposals.
"It's pretty much a disaster to catch a dolphin or a porpoise; you lose catch and you damage gear," said Hamish Morrison, chief executive of the Scottish Fisherman's Federation, in a telephone interview. "Many fishers have respect and affection for dolphins," he added. "There's an old legend that dolphins are the souls of drowned fishermen."
E.U. funds could be used to help fishing organizations cover the costs of the acoustic equipment.
The new rules would also phase out drift nets in the Baltic Sea. Such nets, often several miles, long have been banned in other waters because of the risk of entangling marine mammals.
However, some Baltic nations want to delay the ban to protect their fishers. Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Estonia — which are set to join the E.U. in May — are especially concerned about the impact of a ban on their fleets.
Worldwide more than 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises die unintentionally in fishers' hauls, according to a study released last year by American and Scottish biologists. Before it introduced its own pinger program in 2000, Denmark estimated up to 6,000 porpoises were caught annually in its waters alone.
However, although the acoustic gear has proven effective in protecting dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, Morrison said the ultrasound frequency used to scare them away from nets has the opposite affect on some types of seals.
"There has to be some fine tuning of the technology, literally, because they act like a dinner gong for harp seals," the Scottish fishers' leader said.
The E.U. plans would also place observers on selected boats to ensure that skippers respect the rules. Failure to respect a ban on drift nets in the Mediterranean costs the lives up to 4,000 dolphins every year, the WWF estimates.
Source: Associated Press
HIGHLIGHTS
Telecommunications – Wireless
T-Mobile Takes Wireless PocketCinema
Cinemaelectric, Inc. announces the launch of its PocketCinema™ mobile video content offerings via leading operator T-MOBILE in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Czech Republic, a total market of over 40 million mobile subscribers.
Source; CinemaElectric, Inc
Internet – Broadband
China takes broadband crown from Japan
According to a recent market analysts report, China is now top when it comes to DSL - outstripping the broadband-savvy Japanese to reach the top spot.
In terms of subscriber numbers, China overtook Japan at the end of last year with nearly 11 million users, while Japan came a close second with 10.2 million. However, with the largest population in the world - about 1.3 billion in 2003, according to UN figures, But the figures for number of DSL subscribers per 100 phone lines tell a different story, with China managing just 5.1, Japan ahead with 14.4 and broadband flagship South Korea notching up a whopping 27.7. In terms of percentage growth, China lagged again, with Portugal more than doubling its DSL take-up in the second half of 2003.
China's official news agency, Xinhua, put the huge jump in DSL down to a boom in the Chinese entertainment industry, with users hungry for broadband, film and gaming. Tim Johnson, a principal analyst with Point Topic, favours a combination of factors, including China's desire for industrialisation and to be seen as a high-tech player, as well as providing economic incentives for those going online to go straight to broadband rather than first opting for dial-up.
However, while DSL makes gains in China, Wi-Fi may be set to struggle. Intel, one of the biggest manufacturers of wireless chips, has given the two-fingered salute to the Chinese market after refusing to comply with a Chinese encryption standard that is due to come into effect on 1 June.
Some manufacturers regard the standard as prehistoric and insecure, and Intel has threatened to stop selling its Centrino chips - used by China's most popular laptop maker, Legend - after the June deadline. The Chinese government will only release the protocol to Chinese companies, so if Intel wants to stay in the market, it will have to partner with a local firm.
The overall picture for broadband, however, is looking bright, with almost 28 million DSL lines added worldwide last year to create a grand total of 63.8 million.
Source; March 04
Internet – Services
Hotmail back online
Microsoft has blamed an internal problem for leaving millions of Hotmail users unable to access their email on Friday.
The service, along with MSN Messenger, suffered an outage early Friday evening (+1 GMT), although it is now understood that the service is fully up and running again.
A spokesman for MSN told that, along users around the world were hit. He ruled out any notion that the email service was the subject of a malicious attack. He also declined to discuss the nature of the internal problem.
Although he couldn't say how many people were hit by the problem he described it as "extensive", adding that it hit a majority of Hotmail's 140m users, locking them out of their email accounts.
Source; The Register, March 04
Broadband – USA Market
Broadband Internet Grows To 25 Million In The U.S.
According to recent analysis the US cable and DSL providers accumulated over 24.6 million high-speed Internet subscribers by the end of 2003. The twenty largest cable and DSL providers in the US added a combined 7.4 million high-speed Internet subscribers in 2003.
Additional broadband provider results include:
- Cable adding about 4.5 million broadband Internet subscribers compared to close to 3 million added by the major DSL providers over the same time period
- The top cable broadband providers now have a 63% share of the overall broadband market.
And, from a new LRG study, Broadband Internet Access & Services in the Home 2004, based on a survey of 1,600 households nationwide, come some details on the usage and opinions:
- 62% of residential households subscribe to an online service at home, and about one-third of this group subscribes to broadband
- 73% of broadband subscribers are "very satisfied" with their Internet service compared to 49% of narrowband/dial-up subscribers
- About 30% of current narrowband subscribers are interested in getting broadband
Clearly the market for broadband has become more competitive in the past year, and competition will only intensify as the number of broadband subscribers in the US doubles over the next four years. Yet it is premature to proclaim that DSL is catching up to cable.
Broadband Internet Subscribers at end of 2003 Net adds in 2003
Cable
Comcast 5,283,900 1,663,600
Time Warner 3,228,000 802,000
Cox 1,988,527 580,577
Charter 1,565,600 427,500
Cablevision 1,057,020 286,895
Adelphia 951,406 324,236
Bright House Networks 620,000 130,000
Mediacom 280,000 89,000
Insight 230,000 85,200
RCN 195,000 42,669
Cable One 133,800 54,400
Total Top cable
15,533,253 4,486,077
DSL
SBC 3,516,000 1,317,000
Verizon 2,319,000 649,000
Bell South 1,462,000 441,000
Qwest 637,000 127,000
Covad 517,000 136,000
Sprint 304,000 153,000
ALLTEL 153,028 82,846
Cincinnati Bell 99,000 24,400
CenturyTel 83,400 31,100
Total Top DSL 9,090,428 2,961,346
Total Broadband 24,623,681 7,447,423
Sources: The Companies and LRG, Inc. – March 04
Environment – Legislation
E.U. moves to protect dolphins, porpoises ensnared in fishers' nets
European Union nations are close to agreeing on measures designed save the lives of thousands of dolphins and porpoises caught accidentally in fishing nets, officials said Tuesday.
The proposals, which would require fishers to install acoustic "pingers" on their boats to scare away the marine mammals, could be approved next week at a meeting of fisheries ministers in Brussels, E.U. officials said.
The rules could apply to fishers in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, English Channel, and other waters off northern and Western Europe, although some nations are seeking exemptions for some areas and smaller boats, given the high cost of installing the equipment.
According to British estimates, the pingers could cost up to 6,000 euros (US$7,400) per boat and would need renewing every 18 months.
Despite the cost, some fishing organizations backed the proposals.
"It's pretty much a disaster to catch a dolphin or a porpoise; you lose catch and you damage gear," said Hamish Morrison, chief executive of the Scottish Fisherman's Federation, in a telephone interview. "Many fishers have respect and affection for dolphins," he added. "There's an old legend that dolphins are the souls of drowned fishermen."
E.U. funds could be used to help fishing organizations cover the costs of the acoustic equipment.
The new rules would also phase out drift nets in the Baltic Sea. Such nets, often several miles, long have been banned in other waters because of the risk of entangling marine mammals.
However, some Baltic nations want to delay the ban to protect their fishers. Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Estonia — which are set to join the E.U. in May — are especially concerned about the impact of a ban on their fleets.
Worldwide more than 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises die unintentionally in fishers' hauls, according to a study released last year by American and Scottish biologists. Before it introduced its own pinger program in 2000, Denmark estimated up to 6,000 porpoises were caught annually in its waters alone.
However, although the acoustic gear has proven effective in protecting dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, Morrison said the ultrasound frequency used to scare them away from nets has the opposite affect on some types of seals.
"There has to be some fine tuning of the technology, literally, because they act like a dinner gong for harp seals," the Scottish fishers' leader said.
The E.U. plans would also place observers on selected boats to ensure that skippers respect the rules. Failure to respect a ban on drift nets in the Mediterranean costs the lives up to 4,000 dolphins every year, the WWF estimates.
Source: Associated Press
HIGHLIGHTS
Telecommunications – Wireless
T-Mobile Takes Wireless PocketCinema
Cinemaelectric, Inc. announces the launch of its PocketCinema™ mobile video content offerings via leading operator T-MOBILE in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Austria and Czech Republic, a total market of over 40 million mobile subscribers.
Source; CinemaElectric, Inc
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
FOCUS
Telecommunications – Mobile
Vodafone publishes guidelines for content publishers
It seems that Vodafone is moving to control parts of the mobile Internet that are not controlled by anyone else - until now. The company has published a set of documents that explain how content will be rated, billed and distributed to the end users.
Source; Vodafone
Telecommunications – Mobile Europe
Despite the Myths, the Reality is that Consumers Will Appreciate 3G's Value
3G should not be targeted at business customers but used to support and improve the wide range of consumer services that are beginning to emerge on today’s GPRS networks
Source; The Yankee Group
Telecommunications – UMTS Germany
3G UMTS Portal launch
O2 Germany is launching their ClixSmart enabled UMTS or 3G (Third Generation) mobile portal. With ClixSmart UMTS, content over the O2 Active UMTS mobile portal is delivered dynamically from all content sources.
Europe: O2 Germany is launching their ClixSmart enabled UMTS or 3G (Third Generation) mobile portal at the leading ICT and Telecoms Tradeshow, CeBIT, in Hanover. With ClixSmart UMTS, O2 Germany offers faster, more sophisticated and dynamic mobile data services than have ever been offered before on its O2 Active mobile portal. The new O2 Active mobile portal offers subscribers rich, personalized, dynamic content more efficiently and with new possibilities.
With ClixSmart UMTS, content over the O2 Active UMTS mobile portal is delivered dynamically from all content sources. This means that content is dynamically refreshed and updated on the portal every few minutes. With ClixSmart, the mobile operator can control how frequently the UMTS portal is updated. For example, with news and sports, this content can be dynamically updated every few minutes, as this is information that is likely to change very frequently. Games and downloads could be updated once a week. As a result, the portal user is presented with constantly refreshed and updated content.
All of the content feeds from different sources and content partners are aggregated by the ClixSmart Aggregation Server to manage the presentation and delivery of the content over the UMTS portal. This merges content from both the operator portal and external portal content to optimise the presentation.
Moreover with ClixSmart UMTS, the portal content can be subdivided and conveniently organized into 'chunks' of information better suited to individual users based on their profiles. This means that the end-user sees units of concise and relevant information on a mobile portal page. These small units of content within the UMTS portal can be personalized as a unit in the same way as a menu link or option i.e. they may move up the page as a user shows a preference for that content unit.
O2 Germany has developed a great variety of information and entertainment services for its O2 Active mobile portal. With ClixSmart UMTS, O2 Germany can now enhance the presentation and delivery of these mobile data services across its UMTS handsets. UMTS mobile portals exhibit significant differences in character and ChangingWorlds ClixSmart Menu Manager and Device Manager cater seamlessly for this. ClixSmart Menu Manager enables an operator to rapidly develop, update and maintain a UMTS mobile portal effectively and efficiently. ClixSmart Device Manager recognizes UMTS enabled handsets and can use enriched style sheets to make the most of the handset capabilities.
Having launched ChangingWorlds industry-leading ClixSmart Intelligent Portal solution on the O2 Active mobile portal over a year ago in January 2003, O2 Germany has since succeeded in achieving and maintaining amongst the highest mobile data usage and revenues in Europe. With the ClixSmart solution, O2 Germany can now also manage its UMTS mobile portal more effectively and provide better overall, personalized mobile data services and enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) to its customers. Moreover, with ClixSmart Intelligent Navigation, O2 Active portal subscribers now enjoy rich and dynamic 3G portal content that is also easier to get to as a result of reduced click-distance.
Source; O2
Telecommunications – CDMA Europe
Nortel deploys CDMA in Latvia
Nortel Networks has been awarded a supply agreement by Latvia's Telekom Baltija to deploy a CDMA2000 1X network. Deployment of the network, which will operate in the 450 MHz radio spectrum, is already underway. Telekom Baltija expects to launch the CDMA network in the second quarter of 2004 and offer commercial service beginning in the third quarter of 2004.
Nortel Networks providing Telekom Baltija with a cost-effective 450 MHz wireless voice and data solution based on its specific business needs, this will help position Telekom Baltija to usher in a new era of wireless services in Latvia.
A/S Telekom Baltija plan to use in Latvia one of the most progressive and advantageous mobile technologies in the world – CDMA.
CDMA 450 is a standard for use in countries transitioning to digital wireless service from Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) 450 analogue service and in countries advocating universal access to voice and data. Because of the lower radio spectrum, CDMA 450 has the advantage of covering a significantly larger geographical footprint compared to traditional cellular systems. This means fewer cell sites, lower capital expenditures and no need for licensed operators to acquire additional spectrum.
In October 2003, A/S Telekom Baltija received a public mobile telecommunications operator license, giving the company the rights to establish, develop and maintain the public mobile telecommunications network and to offer public telecommunications services.
Source; Nortel Networks
Health – HIV
HIV experiment shows child welfare system running amok
Reports of improper medical testing by New York City's foster-care bureaucracy could lead to overdue reforms that would make child-welfare agencies more transparent and accountable, according to Wendy McElroy, research fellow at the Independent Institute.
One hundred HIV-infected children -- some as young as three months old - were assigned by the city's Administration for Children's Services to be tested with experimental AIDS treatments. But the agency lacked both the medical expertise and the legal authority to supervise the treatment of children without a parent or foster parent to render consent.
"No one could fault researchers for administering appropriate drugs to sick children and monitoring the results, especially when the children might not otherwise receive treatment," writes McElroy in a column for FoxNews.com. "But questions immediately arise concerning studies that purportedly tested the 'safety,' 'tolerance' and toxicity' of AIDS drugs. Or one that tested the reaction of HIV-positive children, ages six to seven months, to the injection of two doses of meals vaccine."
Medical experts have called the experiments outrageous and potentially fatal, but the data that could confirm or dispel such fears have disappeared from the agency. Furthermore, the former head of the agency - during whose tenure the agency conducted the Experiments - has remained silent.
"Hopes are not enough," McElroy concludes. "For once, a child welfare system must have the courage and decency to open itself to public scrutiny."
Source; See "When 'Mother' is a Bureaucracy," by Wendy McElroy
Democracy – China panoramic
China adopts amendments
Breaking with doctrines laid down by Mao, China's legislative assembly yesterday passed what appear to be the most promising institutional reforms China has seen in more than five decades of oppressive communist rule - constitutional amendments that formally protect property and human rights.
Constitutional safeguards have long been recognized in the West as essential for securing the rights of the people from governmental overreach and thereby enable people to enjoy the prosperity that accompanies liberty. In China, however, the notion of a constitutionally limited government never took hold. Authoritarian rule has been the norm in China for at least two millennia.
But this doesn't mean that China has no liberal traditions to draw upon in its fight to break the chains of oppression. For example, as James Dorn explained last spring in THE INDEPENENT REVIEW, Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu advised political rulers to rule with the lightest touch:
Administer the empire by engaging in no activity.
The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world,
The poorer the people will be.
The more laws and orders are made prominent,
The more thieves and robbers there will be.
Therefore the sage [ruler] says:
I take no action and the people of themselves are transformed.
I engage in no activity and the people of themselves become prosperous.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether China's government will actually move to protect property rights and human rights. Speaking out against the Tiananmen Square massacre, for example, can still land you an extended stay in the Laogai work prison system. But China's adopt of the new amendments does give one hope that China will take meaningful steps away from the tyranny that has victimized the world's most populous country.
Source; See "China Codifies Property and Human Rights" by Edward Cody. The Washington Post, March 2004
HEADLINES
Economy – USA
Setting the Standard for American Working Families
Wider Opportunities for Women has been working to change the terms of the debate about what it takes to make ends meet in America, providing state-specific budgets and strategies to help low-wage families reach economic self-sufficiency. This report profiles state data and next steps for 32 states and the District of Columbia - with tools for practitioners and advocates.
Source; Wider Opportunities for Women
Telecommunications – Mobile
Vodafone publishes guidelines for content publishers
It seems that Vodafone is moving to control parts of the mobile Internet that are not controlled by anyone else - until now. The company has published a set of documents that explain how content will be rated, billed and distributed to the end users.
Source; Vodafone
Telecommunications – Mobile Europe
Despite the Myths, the Reality is that Consumers Will Appreciate 3G's Value
3G should not be targeted at business customers but used to support and improve the wide range of consumer services that are beginning to emerge on today’s GPRS networks
Source; The Yankee Group
Telecommunications – UMTS Germany
3G UMTS Portal launch
O2 Germany is launching their ClixSmart enabled UMTS or 3G (Third Generation) mobile portal. With ClixSmart UMTS, content over the O2 Active UMTS mobile portal is delivered dynamically from all content sources.
Europe: O2 Germany is launching their ClixSmart enabled UMTS or 3G (Third Generation) mobile portal at the leading ICT and Telecoms Tradeshow, CeBIT, in Hanover. With ClixSmart UMTS, O2 Germany offers faster, more sophisticated and dynamic mobile data services than have ever been offered before on its O2 Active mobile portal. The new O2 Active mobile portal offers subscribers rich, personalized, dynamic content more efficiently and with new possibilities.
With ClixSmart UMTS, content over the O2 Active UMTS mobile portal is delivered dynamically from all content sources. This means that content is dynamically refreshed and updated on the portal every few minutes. With ClixSmart, the mobile operator can control how frequently the UMTS portal is updated. For example, with news and sports, this content can be dynamically updated every few minutes, as this is information that is likely to change very frequently. Games and downloads could be updated once a week. As a result, the portal user is presented with constantly refreshed and updated content.
All of the content feeds from different sources and content partners are aggregated by the ClixSmart Aggregation Server to manage the presentation and delivery of the content over the UMTS portal. This merges content from both the operator portal and external portal content to optimise the presentation.
Moreover with ClixSmart UMTS, the portal content can be subdivided and conveniently organized into 'chunks' of information better suited to individual users based on their profiles. This means that the end-user sees units of concise and relevant information on a mobile portal page. These small units of content within the UMTS portal can be personalized as a unit in the same way as a menu link or option i.e. they may move up the page as a user shows a preference for that content unit.
O2 Germany has developed a great variety of information and entertainment services for its O2 Active mobile portal. With ClixSmart UMTS, O2 Germany can now enhance the presentation and delivery of these mobile data services across its UMTS handsets. UMTS mobile portals exhibit significant differences in character and ChangingWorlds ClixSmart Menu Manager and Device Manager cater seamlessly for this. ClixSmart Menu Manager enables an operator to rapidly develop, update and maintain a UMTS mobile portal effectively and efficiently. ClixSmart Device Manager recognizes UMTS enabled handsets and can use enriched style sheets to make the most of the handset capabilities.
Having launched ChangingWorlds industry-leading ClixSmart Intelligent Portal solution on the O2 Active mobile portal over a year ago in January 2003, O2 Germany has since succeeded in achieving and maintaining amongst the highest mobile data usage and revenues in Europe. With the ClixSmart solution, O2 Germany can now also manage its UMTS mobile portal more effectively and provide better overall, personalized mobile data services and enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) to its customers. Moreover, with ClixSmart Intelligent Navigation, O2 Active portal subscribers now enjoy rich and dynamic 3G portal content that is also easier to get to as a result of reduced click-distance.
Source; O2
Telecommunications – CDMA Europe
Nortel deploys CDMA in Latvia
Nortel Networks has been awarded a supply agreement by Latvia's Telekom Baltija to deploy a CDMA2000 1X network. Deployment of the network, which will operate in the 450 MHz radio spectrum, is already underway. Telekom Baltija expects to launch the CDMA network in the second quarter of 2004 and offer commercial service beginning in the third quarter of 2004.
Nortel Networks providing Telekom Baltija with a cost-effective 450 MHz wireless voice and data solution based on its specific business needs, this will help position Telekom Baltija to usher in a new era of wireless services in Latvia.
A/S Telekom Baltija plan to use in Latvia one of the most progressive and advantageous mobile technologies in the world – CDMA.
CDMA 450 is a standard for use in countries transitioning to digital wireless service from Nordic Mobile Telephone (NMT) 450 analogue service and in countries advocating universal access to voice and data. Because of the lower radio spectrum, CDMA 450 has the advantage of covering a significantly larger geographical footprint compared to traditional cellular systems. This means fewer cell sites, lower capital expenditures and no need for licensed operators to acquire additional spectrum.
In October 2003, A/S Telekom Baltija received a public mobile telecommunications operator license, giving the company the rights to establish, develop and maintain the public mobile telecommunications network and to offer public telecommunications services.
Source; Nortel Networks
Health – HIV
HIV experiment shows child welfare system running amok
Reports of improper medical testing by New York City's foster-care bureaucracy could lead to overdue reforms that would make child-welfare agencies more transparent and accountable, according to Wendy McElroy, research fellow at the Independent Institute.
One hundred HIV-infected children -- some as young as three months old - were assigned by the city's Administration for Children's Services to be tested with experimental AIDS treatments. But the agency lacked both the medical expertise and the legal authority to supervise the treatment of children without a parent or foster parent to render consent.
"No one could fault researchers for administering appropriate drugs to sick children and monitoring the results, especially when the children might not otherwise receive treatment," writes McElroy in a column for FoxNews.com. "But questions immediately arise concerning studies that purportedly tested the 'safety,' 'tolerance' and toxicity' of AIDS drugs. Or one that tested the reaction of HIV-positive children, ages six to seven months, to the injection of two doses of meals vaccine."
Medical experts have called the experiments outrageous and potentially fatal, but the data that could confirm or dispel such fears have disappeared from the agency. Furthermore, the former head of the agency - during whose tenure the agency conducted the Experiments - has remained silent.
"Hopes are not enough," McElroy concludes. "For once, a child welfare system must have the courage and decency to open itself to public scrutiny."
Source; See "When 'Mother' is a Bureaucracy," by Wendy McElroy
Democracy – China panoramic
China adopts amendments
Breaking with doctrines laid down by Mao, China's legislative assembly yesterday passed what appear to be the most promising institutional reforms China has seen in more than five decades of oppressive communist rule - constitutional amendments that formally protect property and human rights.
Constitutional safeguards have long been recognized in the West as essential for securing the rights of the people from governmental overreach and thereby enable people to enjoy the prosperity that accompanies liberty. In China, however, the notion of a constitutionally limited government never took hold. Authoritarian rule has been the norm in China for at least two millennia.
But this doesn't mean that China has no liberal traditions to draw upon in its fight to break the chains of oppression. For example, as James Dorn explained last spring in THE INDEPENENT REVIEW, Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu advised political rulers to rule with the lightest touch:
Administer the empire by engaging in no activity.
The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world,
The poorer the people will be.
The more laws and orders are made prominent,
The more thieves and robbers there will be.
Therefore the sage [ruler] says:
I take no action and the people of themselves are transformed.
I engage in no activity and the people of themselves become prosperous.
It remains to be seen, of course, whether China's government will actually move to protect property rights and human rights. Speaking out against the Tiananmen Square massacre, for example, can still land you an extended stay in the Laogai work prison system. But China's adopt of the new amendments does give one hope that China will take meaningful steps away from the tyranny that has victimized the world's most populous country.
Source; See "China Codifies Property and Human Rights" by Edward Cody. The Washington Post, March 2004
HEADLINES
Economy – USA
Setting the Standard for American Working Families
Wider Opportunities for Women has been working to change the terms of the debate about what it takes to make ends meet in America, providing state-specific budgets and strategies to help low-wage families reach economic self-sufficiency. This report profiles state data and next steps for 32 states and the District of Columbia - with tools for practitioners and advocates.
Source; Wider Opportunities for Women
Monday, March 15, 2004
FOCUS
Communication – Advertising
Havas’s MPG draws offer by rival
At least one company has made advances to French advertising group Havas concerning a 49% stake in its media-buying arm, Media Planning Group. Although Havas has been struggling of late, the proposal was apparently made as a partnership, rather than a buyout. According to one estimate, the stake could be worth around $150 million.
Source; Market, March 2004
Telecommunications – Wireless
DoCoMo offers FET WCDMA guidance
Japan's NTT DoCoMo and Taiwan's Far EasTone (FET) today announced the signing of a consulting agreement under which FET will launch a WCDMA-based commercial service in Taiwan with technical support from DoCoMo. FET intends to introduce its WCDMA service this year and under the consulting agreement, which will be in effect from March 23 through Sept. 22, 2004, FET will conduct a 3G network field test with the technical assistance of DoCoMo. In October, DoCoMo and FET entered into an MoU to collaborate in the fields of WCDMA and i-mode. Earlier this week, DoCoMo announced the creation of a technical partnership with Thailand's AIS.
Source; DoCoMo, March 2004
Law – Technology
EU moves to block Oracle as well
Add one more stumbling block to Oracle's $9.4 billion hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft. The European Commission has issued a "statement of objections" to the deal, objections Oracle would need to rectify before the EU approves the deal. The specifics of the EU complaint have not been made public, but anti-competitive issues are undoubtedly at the heart of it, much as they are in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against the merger. Oracle has a chance to respond to the complaints in writing and at a hearing before the EU makes its final ruling on May 11. Now facing the prospect of two government rulings against its proposal, many feel Oracle's chance of succeeding is getting very slim.
Source; AP
ALSO: Institutional Shareholder Services is supporting re-election of PeopleSoft's board members at the company's annual meeting on March 25, but also suggests PeopleSoft should drop its touchy refund program. Story
Technology – IT
Storage software market up 18% in Q4
According to recent market analysis the storage software sales increased 18 percent in the fourth quarter of 2003 to $1.78 billion. For the whole of 2003, the market jumped 8 percent to $6.29 billion. But the strong showing in the final quarter suggests the increasingly important role software is playing in a storage industry trying to meet the needs of companies, which are trying to comply with new regulations and still looking to cut costs. EMC topped the market for storage software with a 31.7 percent share, followed by Veritas Software at 21.9 percent and Computer Associates at 9.8 percent.
Source; CNET, March 2004
HIGHLIGHTS
IT – Enterprise
Server sales in Asia grow 6.7 percent in 2003
According to a new report from Gartner, server sales in the Asia-Pacific region rose 6.7 percent to more than $5 billion in 2003.
Source; AFP, March 2004
e-Learning – Cyber teaching
Sketchy grades for Cyber schools
Dozens of online schools offer instruction in 19 states, and more are getting into the act. But many of the current schools aren't measuring up.
By John Gartner
Source; Wired, March 2004
Communication – Advertising
Havas’s MPG draws offer by rival
At least one company has made advances to French advertising group Havas concerning a 49% stake in its media-buying arm, Media Planning Group. Although Havas has been struggling of late, the proposal was apparently made as a partnership, rather than a buyout. According to one estimate, the stake could be worth around $150 million.
Source; Market, March 2004
Telecommunications – Wireless
DoCoMo offers FET WCDMA guidance
Japan's NTT DoCoMo and Taiwan's Far EasTone (FET) today announced the signing of a consulting agreement under which FET will launch a WCDMA-based commercial service in Taiwan with technical support from DoCoMo. FET intends to introduce its WCDMA service this year and under the consulting agreement, which will be in effect from March 23 through Sept. 22, 2004, FET will conduct a 3G network field test with the technical assistance of DoCoMo. In October, DoCoMo and FET entered into an MoU to collaborate in the fields of WCDMA and i-mode. Earlier this week, DoCoMo announced the creation of a technical partnership with Thailand's AIS.
Source; DoCoMo, March 2004
Law – Technology
EU moves to block Oracle as well
Add one more stumbling block to Oracle's $9.4 billion hostile takeover bid for PeopleSoft. The European Commission has issued a "statement of objections" to the deal, objections Oracle would need to rectify before the EU approves the deal. The specifics of the EU complaint have not been made public, but anti-competitive issues are undoubtedly at the heart of it, much as they are in the U.S. Department of Justice's case against the merger. Oracle has a chance to respond to the complaints in writing and at a hearing before the EU makes its final ruling on May 11. Now facing the prospect of two government rulings against its proposal, many feel Oracle's chance of succeeding is getting very slim.
Source; AP
ALSO: Institutional Shareholder Services is supporting re-election of PeopleSoft's board members at the company's annual meeting on March 25, but also suggests PeopleSoft should drop its touchy refund program. Story
Technology – IT
Storage software market up 18% in Q4
According to recent market analysis the storage software sales increased 18 percent in the fourth quarter of 2003 to $1.78 billion. For the whole of 2003, the market jumped 8 percent to $6.29 billion. But the strong showing in the final quarter suggests the increasingly important role software is playing in a storage industry trying to meet the needs of companies, which are trying to comply with new regulations and still looking to cut costs. EMC topped the market for storage software with a 31.7 percent share, followed by Veritas Software at 21.9 percent and Computer Associates at 9.8 percent.
Source; CNET, March 2004
HIGHLIGHTS
IT – Enterprise
Server sales in Asia grow 6.7 percent in 2003
According to a new report from Gartner, server sales in the Asia-Pacific region rose 6.7 percent to more than $5 billion in 2003.
Source; AFP, March 2004
e-Learning – Cyber teaching
Sketchy grades for Cyber schools
Dozens of online schools offer instruction in 19 states, and more are getting into the act. But many of the current schools aren't measuring up.
By John Gartner
Source; Wired, March 2004
FOCUS
Telecommunications – Latin America market
Spain: Telefonica swoons to the Latin beat
Following its recent US$5.8bn purchase of the Latin American assets of Bell South, Spain’s Telefonica is not only the largest mobile operator in Latin America--it now stands alongside Vodafone, China Mobile, China Unicom and Deutsche Telekom as one of the top five mobile operators in the world. In the ultra-competitive mobile sector, however, it is not yet proven that big is best, says Business Latin America
Although the global telecoms market recovered last year, the sector’s biggest players still bear the scars of the downturn of 2001/02. For most companies, balance sheets remain stretched and margins have yet to return to their former strength. Telefonica’s long-term debt, for example, built up during the group’s big expansion during the last boom, is now shrinking. But at E19.2bn, it still tops shareholders’ equity of E16.7bn. And while the company stopped losing money last year, its net profit margin in the last quarter of 2003 was only 2.5%.
Still, it is not difficult to see why the company is betting on its mobile-phone business. As the company itself points out, this part of its business became the biggest contributor in terms of the group’s profits before interest and tax last year and now accounts for nearly a third the company’s total sales of €28bn. However, despite the fast growth in this area of the business, with the number of new subscribers jumping by a factor of five in the fourth quarter alone, Telefonica’s margins were lower in the fourth quarter than for the full year.
In addition to the competitive nature of the mobile-phone market, Telefonica’s latest deal also increases its exposure to Latin America where the political and economic climate are less stable than in Europe. Indeed, although the company enjoys a A/A-1 credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, the ratings agency recently announced it was placing the company on its CreditWatch list with negative implications following its decision to buy BellSouth’s Latin American mobile businesses. The rating agency cited the "economic, financial and political risks of operating in Latin America and the investments necessary for the future developments of these operations" as reasons for issuing the warning.
Learn the limbo?
For Telefonica, however, Latin America offers a great deal of opportunity that is simply unavailable in the developed world. According to recent market statistics the number of mobile subscribers per 100 in Europe is 84, while in Latin America the number is just 27 per 100. And while Latin America’s economic performance has been poor since the beginning of the decade, growth picked up last year and recorded an overall expansion of about 1.6%, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The EIU also forecasts annual economic growth for the region should average nearly 3.4% through 2008.
Given these statistics, the company should easily be able to see its mobile phone sales grow by 4.5% a year through 2006, which is a higher growth rate than any other European telecoms company is predicting. The problem, however, is that Telefonica will be winning that growth in countries with high currency risks, high political risk and with non-investment grade markets. Argentina, for example, cost Telefonica more than €3bn by ending the peso’s link to the dollar in 2002.
And even if it does negotiate these risks, longer term it remains unknown whether demand for mobile phones in the region will expand as it has elsewhere in the world. In Venezuela, for example, 80% of the country’s population is living in poverty. And as in other developing countries, pay-as-you-go phones are proving to be the most popular. However, this kind of account is the least lucrative for the phone companies as pre-paid phone customers are less likely to purchase the more profitable add-ons, such as picture and video-phones or Internet-linked services.
Against this, however, remains the fact that the mobile phone can also put even the smallest entrepreneur in touch with customers and clients across the country. Should Latin American entrepreneurs adopt mobile phones as they have been in China, where small, family-owned businesses are the norm, Telefonica’s bet could well pay off. In the meantime, however, the company will need to stay ruthlessly focused on the bottom line if it wants its Latin American gamble to pay off.
Source; Basic data from BLA, March 2004
IT – Wireless
WiMAX, NLOS and Broadband Wireless Access (Sub-11Ghz)
Market Trends
Fixed broadband wireless market (sub-11Ghz) will grow from $430 million in 2003 to more than $1.6 billion by the end of 2008. In 2003, BWA shipments increased 45% over 2002. Vendors have announced both multi-million dollar contracts and hefty growth earnings compared to 2002. Technology news editors are now talking about a BWA come back with the emergence of millions of WiFi access points connected by more flexible and less costly fixed wireless solutions.
Despite the 2001-2002 market slowdown, the steady demand for bandwidth, coupled with wider access to the Internet and data in general, provide sound fundamentals for expecting future growth in both telecom services and equipment sales in the first/last mile. In other words, both residential and business subscribers worldwide are demanding faster connections for their applications and operators are struggling to give them that access. According to the ITU, there were almost a 100 million broadband subscribers worldwide at the end of 2003. Although DSL and Cable are poised to remain the dominant broadband access technologies worldwide, wireless access technologies are becoming a reliable and cost effective complement or alternative to providing data, voice and video services. Governments worldwide are also driving the growth of Broadband through continuing frequency allocation and programs to subsidize broadband deployments in order to reduce the digital divide between regions of high and low density areas.
Some Key Findings include:
- There were over 10,000 PMP BWA (sub 11Ghz) base stations and 1.2 Million CPEs installed worldwide providing 256Kbps+ broadband services to over 1.5 million subscribers.
- Alvarion is the market leader with about 25% market share followed by SRTelecom with 12% and Proxim with 9%; ZTE is the market leader in the fast growing Chinese market with about 30% market share;
- EMEA which represented 32% of the overall market in 2003 continues to represent the largest market opportunity but Asia will outpace it by 2005;
- The carrier and private networks market segments represented respectively 85% and 15% of the total market in 2003;
- The access and backhaul applications represented respectively 84% and 16% of total sales in 2003. However backhaul will represent 30% of equipment sales by 2008;
- 3.5Ghz, the most allocated frequency band for BWA, represents the largest opportunity for BWA representing 40% of total sales followed by the 5.2-5.8Ghz band. We believe the 2.3 and 2.5-2.7Ghz market share will grow to 25% of the market by 2008
Already 12 vendors offer a 3.5Ghz product and 4 more players will offer a 3.5Ghz product in 2004, which will render that band market even more competitive
Among Plug & Play, NLOS, portable systems, IPWireless is the leader in shipments and revenues, followed by a small group of companies, which include Navini, NextNet Wireless, or SRTelecom (Angel). It is however difficult to sub segment the whole market on system capabilities.
Shipments of OFDM based product already represent 39% of all shipments and that proportion will grow with the adoption of 802.16d to close to 60% by 2008 Shipments of 802.16e will grow exponentially after 2007 to 1 million units and will be dominated by Intel deployments.
Source; Data from Maravedis Inc., March 2004
HIGHLIGHTS
IT – M&F
BayStar Confirms Microsoft Connection to SCO Investment
The cat is finally out of the bag: Microsoft Corp. acted as the matchmaker for the $50 million investment led by BayStar Capital into The SCO Group Inc. last October.
Source; eweek.com
Internet – Entertainment
George Michael to offer songs for free online
Singer George Michael plans to quit the music business after his latest album and issue any of his new creations for free on the Internet.
Source; Internet Magazine
Telecommunications – Latin America market
Spain: Telefonica swoons to the Latin beat
Following its recent US$5.8bn purchase of the Latin American assets of Bell South, Spain’s Telefonica is not only the largest mobile operator in Latin America--it now stands alongside Vodafone, China Mobile, China Unicom and Deutsche Telekom as one of the top five mobile operators in the world. In the ultra-competitive mobile sector, however, it is not yet proven that big is best, says Business Latin America
Although the global telecoms market recovered last year, the sector’s biggest players still bear the scars of the downturn of 2001/02. For most companies, balance sheets remain stretched and margins have yet to return to their former strength. Telefonica’s long-term debt, for example, built up during the group’s big expansion during the last boom, is now shrinking. But at E19.2bn, it still tops shareholders’ equity of E16.7bn. And while the company stopped losing money last year, its net profit margin in the last quarter of 2003 was only 2.5%.
Still, it is not difficult to see why the company is betting on its mobile-phone business. As the company itself points out, this part of its business became the biggest contributor in terms of the group’s profits before interest and tax last year and now accounts for nearly a third the company’s total sales of €28bn. However, despite the fast growth in this area of the business, with the number of new subscribers jumping by a factor of five in the fourth quarter alone, Telefonica’s margins were lower in the fourth quarter than for the full year.
In addition to the competitive nature of the mobile-phone market, Telefonica’s latest deal also increases its exposure to Latin America where the political and economic climate are less stable than in Europe. Indeed, although the company enjoys a A/A-1 credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, the ratings agency recently announced it was placing the company on its CreditWatch list with negative implications following its decision to buy BellSouth’s Latin American mobile businesses. The rating agency cited the "economic, financial and political risks of operating in Latin America and the investments necessary for the future developments of these operations" as reasons for issuing the warning.
Learn the limbo?
For Telefonica, however, Latin America offers a great deal of opportunity that is simply unavailable in the developed world. According to recent market statistics the number of mobile subscribers per 100 in Europe is 84, while in Latin America the number is just 27 per 100. And while Latin America’s economic performance has been poor since the beginning of the decade, growth picked up last year and recorded an overall expansion of about 1.6%, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The EIU also forecasts annual economic growth for the region should average nearly 3.4% through 2008.
Given these statistics, the company should easily be able to see its mobile phone sales grow by 4.5% a year through 2006, which is a higher growth rate than any other European telecoms company is predicting. The problem, however, is that Telefonica will be winning that growth in countries with high currency risks, high political risk and with non-investment grade markets. Argentina, for example, cost Telefonica more than €3bn by ending the peso’s link to the dollar in 2002.
And even if it does negotiate these risks, longer term it remains unknown whether demand for mobile phones in the region will expand as it has elsewhere in the world. In Venezuela, for example, 80% of the country’s population is living in poverty. And as in other developing countries, pay-as-you-go phones are proving to be the most popular. However, this kind of account is the least lucrative for the phone companies as pre-paid phone customers are less likely to purchase the more profitable add-ons, such as picture and video-phones or Internet-linked services.
Against this, however, remains the fact that the mobile phone can also put even the smallest entrepreneur in touch with customers and clients across the country. Should Latin American entrepreneurs adopt mobile phones as they have been in China, where small, family-owned businesses are the norm, Telefonica’s bet could well pay off. In the meantime, however, the company will need to stay ruthlessly focused on the bottom line if it wants its Latin American gamble to pay off.
Source; Basic data from BLA, March 2004
IT – Wireless
WiMAX, NLOS and Broadband Wireless Access (Sub-11Ghz)
Market Trends
Fixed broadband wireless market (sub-11Ghz) will grow from $430 million in 2003 to more than $1.6 billion by the end of 2008. In 2003, BWA shipments increased 45% over 2002. Vendors have announced both multi-million dollar contracts and hefty growth earnings compared to 2002. Technology news editors are now talking about a BWA come back with the emergence of millions of WiFi access points connected by more flexible and less costly fixed wireless solutions.
Despite the 2001-2002 market slowdown, the steady demand for bandwidth, coupled with wider access to the Internet and data in general, provide sound fundamentals for expecting future growth in both telecom services and equipment sales in the first/last mile. In other words, both residential and business subscribers worldwide are demanding faster connections for their applications and operators are struggling to give them that access. According to the ITU, there were almost a 100 million broadband subscribers worldwide at the end of 2003. Although DSL and Cable are poised to remain the dominant broadband access technologies worldwide, wireless access technologies are becoming a reliable and cost effective complement or alternative to providing data, voice and video services. Governments worldwide are also driving the growth of Broadband through continuing frequency allocation and programs to subsidize broadband deployments in order to reduce the digital divide between regions of high and low density areas.
Some Key Findings include:
- There were over 10,000 PMP BWA (sub 11Ghz) base stations and 1.2 Million CPEs installed worldwide providing 256Kbps+ broadband services to over 1.5 million subscribers.
- Alvarion is the market leader with about 25% market share followed by SRTelecom with 12% and Proxim with 9%; ZTE is the market leader in the fast growing Chinese market with about 30% market share;
- EMEA which represented 32% of the overall market in 2003 continues to represent the largest market opportunity but Asia will outpace it by 2005;
- The carrier and private networks market segments represented respectively 85% and 15% of the total market in 2003;
- The access and backhaul applications represented respectively 84% and 16% of total sales in 2003. However backhaul will represent 30% of equipment sales by 2008;
- 3.5Ghz, the most allocated frequency band for BWA, represents the largest opportunity for BWA representing 40% of total sales followed by the 5.2-5.8Ghz band. We believe the 2.3 and 2.5-2.7Ghz market share will grow to 25% of the market by 2008
Already 12 vendors offer a 3.5Ghz product and 4 more players will offer a 3.5Ghz product in 2004, which will render that band market even more competitive
Among Plug & Play, NLOS, portable systems, IPWireless is the leader in shipments and revenues, followed by a small group of companies, which include Navini, NextNet Wireless, or SRTelecom (Angel). It is however difficult to sub segment the whole market on system capabilities.
Shipments of OFDM based product already represent 39% of all shipments and that proportion will grow with the adoption of 802.16d to close to 60% by 2008 Shipments of 802.16e will grow exponentially after 2007 to 1 million units and will be dominated by Intel deployments.
Source; Data from Maravedis Inc., March 2004
HIGHLIGHTS
IT – M&F
BayStar Confirms Microsoft Connection to SCO Investment
The cat is finally out of the bag: Microsoft Corp. acted as the matchmaker for the $50 million investment led by BayStar Capital into The SCO Group Inc. last October.
Source; eweek.com
Internet – Entertainment
George Michael to offer songs for free online
Singer George Michael plans to quit the music business after his latest album and issue any of his new creations for free on the Internet.
Source; Internet Magazine
Friday, March 12, 2004
HIGHLIGHTS
Technology - China market
China sets up Windows, Linux labs
China’s software industry continues to attract the attention of Western IT giants: on the same day that HP signed a deal to set up a Linux laboratory in China, Microsoft signed a deal to establish Windows.Net-based technology labs in the country. HP signed a three-year agreement with the Ministry of Information Industry of China to "set up a Linux laboratory that will focus on open-source software development, testing and certification to support small and medium-size Chinese businesses."
Meanwhile, Microsoft plans to work with both Chinese and Western IT companies to "build Windows labs and serve a large number of small and medium-size Chinese software companies and computer users in China." The article includes a brief look at other efforts by HP and Microsoft to crack the Chinese software market.
Source; ZD Net China
Internet - Search engines
Search upstarts storm Google’s gates
Yet another article on the new start-ups vying to displace Google as the leader in online search. Given the public adulation about Google’s upcoming IPO, it is perhaps not surprising that the company "faces Lilliputian threats from a fast-growing group of start-ups that hope to replicate its own meteoric rise from unknown upstart to Internet powerbroker." Jupitermedia CEO Alan Meckler comments: "Search is a hyper-growth area. There will be lots of special smaller players that without going public will be worth between $20 million and $100 million annually." The article includes profiles of five companies competing with Google for parts of its business: Quigo (which recently landed $5 million in VC financing), Industry Brains, Mooter, Eurekster and Dipsie.
Source; News.com
Internet - New media
Net cries out for Madrid
The terrorist attack in Madrid, which killed nearly 200 people and injured another 1,400, has led to a "huge outpouring of sympathy and concern" on the Internet. By some estimates, the terrorist attack led to at least 800 blog posts in just six hours: "There's been a big spike of posts about the bombings. There's been a burst of conversation all over the Internet about this. There's been a hell of a lot of concern." In fact, some analysts see some parallels with the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which also catapulted weblogs and around-the-clock news updates into the limelight. Included: links to weblogs with coverage of the Madrid terrorist attack.
Source; Wired News
Technology - China market
China sets up Windows, Linux labs
China’s software industry continues to attract the attention of Western IT giants: on the same day that HP signed a deal to set up a Linux laboratory in China, Microsoft signed a deal to establish Windows.Net-based technology labs in the country. HP signed a three-year agreement with the Ministry of Information Industry of China to "set up a Linux laboratory that will focus on open-source software development, testing and certification to support small and medium-size Chinese businesses."
Meanwhile, Microsoft plans to work with both Chinese and Western IT companies to "build Windows labs and serve a large number of small and medium-size Chinese software companies and computer users in China." The article includes a brief look at other efforts by HP and Microsoft to crack the Chinese software market.
Source; ZD Net China
Internet - Search engines
Search upstarts storm Google’s gates
Yet another article on the new start-ups vying to displace Google as the leader in online search. Given the public adulation about Google’s upcoming IPO, it is perhaps not surprising that the company "faces Lilliputian threats from a fast-growing group of start-ups that hope to replicate its own meteoric rise from unknown upstart to Internet powerbroker." Jupitermedia CEO Alan Meckler comments: "Search is a hyper-growth area. There will be lots of special smaller players that without going public will be worth between $20 million and $100 million annually." The article includes profiles of five companies competing with Google for parts of its business: Quigo (which recently landed $5 million in VC financing), Industry Brains, Mooter, Eurekster and Dipsie.
Source; News.com
Internet - New media
Net cries out for Madrid
The terrorist attack in Madrid, which killed nearly 200 people and injured another 1,400, has led to a "huge outpouring of sympathy and concern" on the Internet. By some estimates, the terrorist attack led to at least 800 blog posts in just six hours: "There's been a big spike of posts about the bombings. There's been a burst of conversation all over the Internet about this. There's been a hell of a lot of concern." In fact, some analysts see some parallels with the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which also catapulted weblogs and around-the-clock news updates into the limelight. Included: links to weblogs with coverage of the Madrid terrorist attack.
Source; Wired News
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