August 6, 2007

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Editor’s note:
700 Mhz spectrum uncertainties

What's New:
• Sky-high WiFi from American Airlines
• BlackBerry blues continue

Executive Analysis:
• Here come the Linux phones
• Google shows phones to manufacturers

Also Noted:
iPhone shaping phone future; T-Mobile cell to WiFi;
And much more...

Hands-On Wireless:
• Trouble for new wireless?
• Look to Kentucky for public/private wireless

You likely know by now that the 700 MHz band that the FCC is planning to auction off in the next year is part of the spectrum that will be freed-up when U.S. television goes fully digital in 2009. What you might not have heard is that television isn't abandoning all the spectrum around that slice: over-the-air television broadcasts will still need lots of bandwidth around 700 MHz. Whatever happens in the auction, it will be absolutely critical that the devices and applications not interfere with television signals. The FCC will enforce this requirement, and the National Association of Broadcasters will work hard to make sure that the FCC is strict in its enforcement. You can expect to see lots of press releases during the next few months as different parties say either that the spectrum can't be used at all or that the problems are trivial and not worth worrying about. The truth lies, of course, somewhere in the middle.

The issues aren't trivial, but the methods to avoid problems exist and are in the trial stages. The biggest problem isn't really technology, but timing: most of the parties involved would like to be able to roll out new wireless services the day after the digital television switch-over. That means they have just about a year to get the problems sorted out in order to make the deadline. It's a tough challenge, but I think they can do it--let's just hope that the licensing and political issues are solved as easily as the technology problems. -Curtis

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What’s New

1. Sky-high WiFi from American Airlines

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The FCC has said "yes" to in-flight WiFi and now American Airlines is ready to start testing mobile broadband in the air. The trial, on transcontinental 767 airp***s, will allow travelers to surf the web and work through email while jetting across oceans for a price, which, while not set, is described as being "just a little more" than the neighborhood Starbucks. One application that won't work is VoIP--the provider will block any IP-based attempts to get around the cell-phone ban. Whether that's a bummer or a blessing is up to you.

For more on the coming high-altitude WiFi:
- see this press release
- read the report at CIO-Today

2. BlackBerry blues continue

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For a problem that was supposed to have been "unambiguously solved" the BlackBerry outages have been strangely persistent. While RIM was able to find the reasons for the massive outages that struck earlier this year, a continuing string of smaller service breaks have occurred in both RIM's network and the AT&T EDGE network. The most significant questions (aside from how to keep the network up and running) are how much downtime BlackBerry users are willing to tolerate--and whether the existing outages have already passed that point.

For more on BlackBerry's blackouts:
- read the complete article at eWeek

Executive Analysis

1. Here come the Linux phones

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Heard of OpenMoko? Most folks haven't. Don't worry, though: very few people have yet to catch wind of this Linux-based phone platform that's designed to compete with the iPhone. Some analysts say that the new phone, from a small company, can't compete with Apple or any of the major cell-phone providers. Others say that the market is ready for new phones regardless of the company providing them. This open-source based phone will be powerful and will follow the iPhone's lead in the ease-of-use category--though who knows whether the consortium will be able to pull it off.

For more on OpenMoko:
- read the product article at ComputerWorld

2. Google shows phones to manufacturers

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It's one thing for Google to say that they're interested in phones. It's another to put a prototype phone in the hands of hardware manufacturers. According to reports, Google has shown off a device and has begun looking for a solid partner to help bring the phone to market. Between cell networks and WiMAX, the possibilities for wireless Google are growing rapidly. No one can mistake Google's intentions in the space, and the existence of the prototype says those plans are getting ever closer to reality.

For more on Google's wireless plans:
- read this editorial from DailyTechRag
- and read up on the full story at NetworkWorld

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> iPhone shaping phone future. Article

> T-Mobile cell to WiFi. Article

> Intel sees WiMAX push in 2008. Article

> 802.11n confuses execs. Article

Hands-On Wireless

1. Trouble for new wireless?

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If there's anything the FCC hates, it's interference. The more people the interference effects, the more the FCC hates it. Now comes word that the 700 MHz white-space spectrum that's been the focus of the open-access debate could present huge problems for digital TV viewers. The possibility of interference has the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) urging the FCC to put the brakes on the plans of companies like Google and the rest of the White-Space Alliance, who plan to use the available spectrum for new wireless services. Hardware firms say they'll have systems in place to eliminate interference by the time the spectrum is open in 2009--the NAB says that it's far better to be safe than sorry. Stay tuned.

For more on possible interference in 700 MHz:
- read the news at CIO-Today

2. Look to Kentucky for public/private wireless

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When trying to figure out how to divvy up the spectrum freed up when U.S. television goes digital in 2009, the FCC looked at working examples of shared spectrum operation. They found a model they liked in Kentucky, where a public-private partnership has raised computer literacy and ownership by huge margins during the last four years. That partnership is the basis for the proposed plan in which the band will be auctioned to commercial providers who'll then turn its use over to public service agencies in case of emergencies. It might just be the plan that allows emergency workers to keep communicating when things go very, very wrong.

For more on the Kentucky experience:
- read the feature article at eWeek

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