Juniper's supercore relegates routers to network edge
As vast volumes of data traffic, particularly video, become a feature of mobile as well as wireline broadband networks, the operators are investing more and more in hugely powerful core networks. Cisco has been aggressive in upgrading its routers and associated core elements for the exabyte era, but is being chased by Alcatel-Lucent and Juniper. The latter has announced a 'converged supercore' for wired and wireless carriers, claiming it will add power while simplifying the network to reduce cost. In some ways Juniper is betraying its own heritage, focusing on a huge switch that could replace traditional IP routers in the core and push them out to the network edge, and pushing itself into the optical space alongside firms like Ciena.
Yota to power 4G for all four Russian cellcos
Shared and wholesale networks will be a hallmark of 4G business models, as seen in the US with Clearwire and LightSquared. Eventually, many countries will have only one or two networks serving multiple traditional and non-traditional wireless service providers. Russia has taken a big step in that direction with plans for 4G start-up operator Yota to support all four main cellcos with its LTE system. Yota - the brand name for Scartel - started life as a flagship WiMAX carrier but last year started to add LTE to its mix. It has a complex set of spectrum holdings, with byzantine rules attached to them, but is likely to end up with a mixture of TDD and FDD networks, with a significant amount of capacity in many markets and almost national coverage.
Dual-vendor strategy could confuse Samsung's Galaxy II S
Samsung Mobile has always had a fractious relationship with its semiconductor sister firm, but recently has relied far more heavily on homegrown silicon, especially the Hummingbird gigahertz app processor. However, it is not prepared to put all its eggs in the Samsung basket, and the upcoming dual-core Galaxy II S superphone, unveiled at Mobile World Congress, will adopt a two-vendor approach which may be confusing for consumers and developers. Some Galaxy II S models will use the dual-core upgrade to Hummingbird, now called Exynos, while others will run on Nvidia's Tegra 2. Some have speculated that Exynos is lagging behind the Nvidia chip and so will appear in later models, but that is belied by Apple's use of dual-core A5 in the iPad 2 - Apple's processor is a customized version of Samsung's.
LG to create its own smartphone chips
LG has confirmed that it's working on creating chips for smartphones. However, it hasn't squawked on the specifics. It is probably keeping tight-lipped because the last three quarters haven't been the kindest to LG's mobile division - falling increasingly below par with profits suffering. Sales in LG's mobile communications business, which includes phones, fell 14.7 percent to $3.72 billion (3.58 trillion won). And although mobile phone handset sales rose 8 percent to 30.6 million devices in the fourth quarter from the third, they declined 10 percent from the year before. In July it also posted its widest-ever quarterly loss of $103 million in the handset business, prompting it to dump its CEO.
Rights group says no to Canada's pay as you go internet
A rights group is protesting against a Canadian scheme which could see Internet Service Providers implementing a pay meter for internet use. The Open Media group is writing a letter to Canada's Radio Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) after the organisation gave the go ahead to ISP Bell Canada to use the system. The group claims that the proposed methods will mean ISPs can charge per byte. They warn that if it continues Canadians will end up forking out more for less internet.
CSL exits “desperate” Hong Kong auction
Telstra has defended its decision to withdraw from Hong Kong’s spectrum auction. The firm said that “bids were destroying value” and that it had only participated in “an opportunistic way” because it already owns significant spectrum and would therefore “retain leadership no matter what the outcome of the auction could be.” Telstra, which owns local operator CSL, said the auction set new benchmarks for spectrum prices, with competitors paying roughly 2.5 times what Telstra originally paid for 3G spectrum and up to 6.5 times what CSL had paid per MHz in the January 2009 BWA auction. Putting a positive spin on its withdrawal, Telstra said that CSL was seeing the value of its existing 2G, 3G and 4G spectrum rise significantly.
O2 Germany to launch commercial LTE July 1st
O2 Germany will launch commercial LTE services on July 1st this year. The announcement, which was made at a CeBIT press conference yesterday, was sketchy on details regarding speed and pricing. The new network will reportedly offer speeds in line with an “average DSL connection” and run on Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei kit. O2 will deploy the network on both the 800Mhz and 2.6GHz frequencies. At last year’s German spectrum auction, spectrum in the 800MHz band attracted some of the highest bids, not least because of its suitability for LTE deployments. Germany’s 800MHz “digital dividend” spectrum was granted to O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone last year on condition that it first be used to service rural areas that are under-served by fixed broadband.
Superfast broadband plans get £50m government boost
At the end of last year the Government committed £830 million of public money over the next seven years to ensure superfast broadband connections will be installed in every community, including those worst served at the moment in rural areas, across Britain by 2015. Today’s announcement marks the beginning stages of this investment, which will see the Government spend £530 million over the next four years on rolling out high speed internet to areas where the market alone would not reach. A further £300 million from the TV licence fee has been commited for post 2015 work. Speaking today in Bristol, where the Chancellor has been visiting technology company Hewlett Packard, Mr Osborne said: “"Broadband is crucial for the country’s economic future; that’s why the coalition Government is investing over half a billion pounds in its infrastructure.
BlackBerry Messenger 'set to debut on Android and Apple's iOS'
The BlackBerry Messenger App, which is one of the most popular tools on the phone, has only been available exclusively on the BlackBerry platform until now. However, according to Boy Genius Report, a respected technology blog, Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s parent company, has been in talks with Apple and Google about making the software available to users across all three platforms. No pricing or timing details have been finalised. BGR cites “multiple trusted sources” as its backup for the piece. The piece says: “We’re also told strategy is still being developed, however, and RIM may end up charging users a one-time fee or even a recurring fee for access to its BBM service on third-party platforms.”
Ofcom propose end to rollover contracts
Automatic contract renewals that tie home phone and broadband customers into further 12-month contracts are to be banned under proposals set out by the telecoms regulator Ofcom. At the moment, thousands of phone users, typically coming to the end of a 12 or 18-month contract, find themselves signed up for another year, unless they actively opt out of the renewal. These contracts, also known as rollover contracts, are currently offered by BT and several smaller telecoms providers. Consumers who fail to read their letter properly, or are away at the time, have found themselves tied into a new contract – often against their will.
Subscribe