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When I came across this story I said “ It figures we haven’t even finished getting a true 4G implemented and now it’s 5G!” Well during the last week in February in Geneva, Switzerland the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) gave their acceptance to specifications for IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications)-Advanced Technology. IMT when implemented could mean mobile data rates 10 times faster than what we laughingly call 4G today.
The secretary general of the ITU made an interesting statement about IMT and in that statement he said “Access to the internet, streaming videos and data transfers anytime, anywhere will better than most desktop connections today.” A pretty tall order at best I must say. Now the last specification this organization approved was the one that defined 3G, so I guess technically this set of specs would be for 4G. Kinda begs the question of how the major carriers can sell anything as 4G when there was no accepted definition of what it was.
This newly accepted specification also finds that only two current technologies meet the IMT’s criteria and that’s LTE – Advanced and WiMax. Sorry T-Mobile, but HSPA+ just isn’t going to cut it as far as the ITU is concerned. It’s to Bad too because T-Mobile has been and is going to continue to do some spectacular things with HSPA+ as far as speed.
So just what can we expect to get from this new specification once it’s implemented? As of today LTE has a theoretical top capacity of 100 Mbit/s and Wimax 128 Mbit/s. Now when IMT is fully implemented the nominal data rate will be 100 Mbit/s even while in a speeding car, trains and yes even planes (if they let you use it). Here’s where it gets stellar, when you’re not moving the theoretical maximum will be 1 Gbit/s, pretty amazing.
Speed isn’t the only thing IMT is offering. IMT also offers the promise of dynamic network sharing and global roaming among other things. Another thing IMT could to is possibly eliminate those pesky data caps since the increased amount of bandwidth will not require them. This of course will be up to the individual carrier and since I’m sure the data caps are a cash cow for them they won’t go away quickly.
The big question on your mind probably is WHEN? Well as usual it is always easier to specify than to build and the specifications are also not binding. Implementation details will have to be worked out so a best case scenario for seeing this tech hitting the streets will probably be a couple of years at best.
Here is another question for you. For years now companies like Verizon and Sprint have been selling us 4G. When the real 4G starts hitting the streets do you think they can resist the urge to call it 5G? Personally I think not and it will only take one of them to get the ball rolling.
It may not surprise you to learn that the government is going to take more money from you when you pay your cell phone bill. The FCC is now proposing that an extra $25 million in fees be added to your cell phone bill in order to give low-cost broadband service to the poor. Now $25 million may not sound like much in this era of multi-trillion dollar deficits, but it is worth noting how we have gotten here.
Originally we were told that every home should have a dial tone in their so they can call for help in case of emergency. This was all well and good since everybody should have access to emergency services, but from there it went to everyone should have basic phone service. Then the latest innovation came along that everyone should have basic cell phone service and yes you are paying for cell phones for the poor. Now the FCC is telling us that basic broadband service is becoming a right as well.
Another fact that you will not find hard to believe is that this program in 2008 cost about $772 million to operate, but by 2011 it had swelled to $1.6 billion. The fund provides the money for these services is also open-ended, which means that no matter how large it grows all the fees are passed on to you. Adding to this misery is an additional fact and that is that the program is notoriously easy to defraud.
As an example the number of so-called Lifeline receivers in Louisiana grew to 626,000 in 2011, which is a massive jump from the just 38,000 recipients in 2008. The problem is that depending on the state, anywhere from 12% to 50% of the recipients are not eligible for the program in the first place. The penalty right now for being caught gaming the system by having both a home line and a cell phone results in little more than a letter from the program asking you whether you want to keep your home service or your cell phone service.
Of course the FCC is implementing a new database that is said to be going to save $2 billion a year by detecting duplicate accounts. Geez I wonder how much we would’ve saved if we hadn’t allowed it to get this far in the first place.
Oh and at 25 million mentioned earlier that will be added to your cell phone bill, that’s just for testing. Can you imagine what this amount will grow to once people figure out they can get free broadband in their home?
Just thought you would like to know what you’re actually paying for in that cell phone and aircard bill.
AT&T filed suit against the FCC late last week (12-9-2011) over changes the FCC has made to the Connect America Fund. AT&T charges that the FCC exceeded its authority and is acting contrary to the Communications Act of 1934 as amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. AT&T is requesting that the court hold unlawful the order issued by the FCC that made changes to the Connect America Fund.
The Connect America Fund is to be used to provide broadband service to 18,000,000 people that now lack it. It appears that the FCC made changes to the fund that capped it at $4.5 billion and required carriers to negotiate compensation rate policies with Voip (Voice Over IP) companies.
It now appears that AT&T not only has a trial with the Department of Justice over the T-Mobile merger beginning in February, it’s also going after the FCC on other grounds as well. The Department of Justice though has announced it has plans to either withdrawal or to seek a delay in the T-mobile case. On the face of it is very interesting that the Department of Justice would seek to withdraw from the case or is there more here than meets the eye here?
Stay tuned because things will probably even get more interesting, especially when you’re dealing with this particular Department of Justice.
Have you ever wondered how much data you actually go through in a day on your smart phone, laptop or tablet? Well according to one study the average user chugs through about 15 MB every day of the week. As more and more folks buy new smart phones and tablets that number is slated to soar, heck smart phones alone use 24 times more data than an ordinary cell phone. Can you say data congestion ahead?
It’s projected that by the year 2020 that 15 MB is going to soar to an astronomical 1 GB of data daily. Think about that for a minute. Right now your mobile data plan probably supplies you with between one and 10 GB of data per month and after that you are either paying overages or having your Internet speed slowed down to a crawl. What’s driving this increasing data usage? One word, video.
I think you can see the problem here before even point it out. The problem is that if Data plans remain the same you’ll be looking at using up your entire plan within the first 10 days of the month. Now I don’t want to see negative, but that could put a lot of people in a world of hurt.
So how we handle this 1000% increase in traffic in the next eight years? Right now it doesn’t look like there’ll be any one technology that will be a magic pill. Moreover it will probably be a combination of items such as pooling resources, intelligent content delivery, femtocells and beaming coverage that will help to handle this massive traffic jam that is on the way. Keep in mind though that most of this traffic problem is going exist inside cities and it remains to be seen whether it will creep into the outlying areas.
Well it looks like the anticipation is over and amazing as it seems the Department of Justice ruled way ahead of time. As of today August 31, 2011 the DOJ is officially against the AT&T and T-Mobile merge, saying it has filed suit to block the merge. The DOJ cited the reason for blocking the merge as the fact that it would be disastrous for competition and consumers to have T-Mobile absorbed.
AT&T is not taking this lying down though. AT&T said that they are intending to fight the DOJ’s decision in court saying that the DOJ had given the company very little indication they would rule this way in the T-Mobile merge. Sorry AT&T, but very little this Department of Justice does makes much sense these days and they are not in the habit of telegraphing their intentions early.
One thing this does do is give Sprint a new lease on life in acquiring T-Mobile. But if the DOJ hangs tough with its reasoning for not letting AT&T by T-Mobile, it would be hard to see them allowing another one of the big 4 to purchase T-Mobile. T-Mobile has also not been acting like a buyout victim and is in a better position than it was previously.
As is with most things involving the Federal government these days there’s probably more here than meets the eye and this circus is probably just getting started. My suggestion is sit back and watch the show, because lawsuits and the discovery involved usually digs up all kinds of interesting facts. When you have a DOJ that’s involved in everything from the refusal to prosecute Black Panthers for election tampering and is allegedly involved in running guns to Mexico, anything is possible.
Stay tuned more to come I’m sure on the T-Mobile merge.
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Wireless Internet For Laptops
What can I say about the Novatel MiFi 2200 Wireless Internet For Laptops, except that it is a great concept form beginning to end. Basically the MiFi 2200 is a personal, portable and wireless broadband router that allows you to gain access from your laptop to the internet over your cell phone network. Not only does it allow you to get access it also provides for four over Wi-Fi enabled devices to gain access and all form a device that is about the size of three stacked credit cards.
So what does this do for you? Well let’s say that you’re a college student and you and four of your classmates have to pull a study session together and need internet access. No problem, you just fire up the MiFi 2200 Wireless Internet For Laptops and within seconds you and your friends are cruising for information on the net. Oh and if you were wondering it works just fine for gaming too.
Ok so you say you’re not a student, you’re a business person that needs access to the internet when you travel. Again no problem the MiFi 2200 Wireless Internet For Laptops has you covered. As a matter of fact it even has you covered if you have to take another four people with you when you travel. That’s right you only have to purchase one card to give secure access to the internet to all five of you. A definite cost savings over providing everyone with their own air card and as a business asset it can be checked out to employees for their business travel needs.
Another big plus for the unit is that it has its own internal power source and once charged it can operate for up to for hours from your shirt pocket if need be. No cables to connect just turn on the MiFi 2200 and start surfing or if you prefer we’ll call it business research. To recharge the unit just attach it to you laptop with a mini USB cable and your ready to go again.
Specifications and Benefits:
The unit is small, light and can be carried in your shirt pocket. Dimensions are 3 ½”x2 3/8”x3/8” thick and weighs a little over 2 oz.
Provides mobile broadband access to the internet via single cell account.
Will provide access for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices at one time.
Simple to install and connect, with no software installation required.
Safe and secure with security provided by WPA2-PSK, WEP and SPI firewall.
Provides GPS capabilities so you can take advantage of mapping and location applications, such as Microsoft Trips and Streets,
Battery will operate for up to four hours on a single charge and up to 40 hours on standby.
Download rates are 1 Mbps and upload speeds come in at about 400kbps.
One of the big questions that we get time and time again is, “Are there Xbox 360 wireless adapter alternatives?” So in that vein we will a layout a few paths to take in an effort to get your Xbox360 hooked up and on the Internet. We have also included a couple of videos that will hopefully clarify things even further in your search for an Xbox 360 wireless adapter alternative.
The ActionTech MegaPlug
The first alternative, while not being free definitely is not all that expensive either. This solution involves the purchase of an ActionTec MegaPlug, which is a LAN adapter that you simply plug into a wall power outlet near your Xbox. Next plug-in your Xbox360 into the LAN Port in the adapter, you then plug the second adapter into a power outlet near your router and then attach a LAN cable to the router. This fix uses your household wiring to transmit a signal to your router and will give you up to 85 mbits in speed, which is better performance than you’ll get from a wireless connection. Current price of this unit is below $60.00 and installation as a simple as plugging them in and configuring your Xbox for a LAN connection.
Share your laptop!
Second in this series of Xbox 360 wireless adapter alternatives is sharing the wireless connection on your laptop, which most laptops have. While this may sound highly technical and beyond your pay grade the video below should clear it up and provide you with what you need to get connected. Be warned though that this method will be subject to the wireless connection speed that your laptop is able to acquire, so if you’re running a slow connection your data speeds will suffer.
Our third solution to getting a Xbox 360 wireless adapter alternative requires you to have a wireless broadband air card. If you’re wondering what an air card is, it’s a device that can be attached to your laptop that provides you with access to the Internet through your cell service provider. If you already have one or are thinking of getting one then this solution might be of interest to you. This solution actually has two parts.
The first part is sharing your connection in a similar to that which you learned in the video above.
If you have been cruising the mobile technology websites, then you will have noticed that onemanufacturers name pops up time after time and that manufacturer is CradlePoint. The reason for this is simple, when it comes to routers for mobile broadband CradlePoint is the go to company. CradlePoint specializes in providing routers for mobile users and businesses that will allow you to directly connect your 3G wireless card to the internet and then allowing access for anywhere from 16 – 32 Wi-Fi enabled devices.
Currently CradlePoint manufactures three routers that are expressly created for the mobile user and we will detail all three of them here, so that you can decide if one of them is a good fit for your needs. One question you may be asking yourself is “Why do I need one of these?” Well right now if you do any sort of traveling with your laptop you know that the only way to connect to a printer or other devices is to physically plug them into your laptop. The only way around that right now is to buy a Novatel MiFi internet card at a cost of about $250.00 US. This is a pretty big expense if you are happy with your present card, besides that you will only get access for up to 5 devices. This is where CradlePoint routers for mobile broadband come in and fill the gap.
The first of the three routers for mobile broadband detailed here is the PHS300. The PHS300 is extremely easy to use and is a total plug and play wireless solution. Take a look at some of these features.
Simply plug your wireless air card into the unit and you have instant access for your laptop and up to 16 Wi-Fi enabled devices (requires an active data plan).
Up to a 150 foot range for ease of connection to Wi-Fi devices.
Li Ion rechargeable battery for even greater portability.
Will tether to select smart phones and over 100 USB modems.
Second up is the CTR350 and is the one router of the three that is geared directly toward the traveler.
Provides up to a 200 foot range for Wi-Fi devices.
Connects up to 16 Wi-Fi enabled devices and can be used with a 3G wireless modem.
Contains an Ethernet port and can be used with over 100 3G HSPA and EVDO mobile devices.
Encryption protection includes WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA-PSK and WPA2-PSK.
The device is extremely small and compact measuring a mere 3.6”x2.8”x0.8”.
The price is under $100.00 US.
Last but not least is the CTR500 and is the unit that contains the most features. All of the features contained on the CTR350 are also available on the CTR500 with the following additions.
Your wide area network can be created using an express card as well as a USB modem.
Has an external port for the addition of a Wi-Fi antenna.
Will provide failover, fallback, load balancing and SNMP management.
Comes with 4G WIMax support.
Can connect to up to 32 Wi-Fi enabled devices at once.
So there you have it a quick breakdown of the CradlePoint routers for mobile broadband. When taking into account whether CradlePoint routers for mobile broadband fits in with your plans also consider that these units additionally make a great backup in case your main internet connection fails temporarily. To access more information, read customer reviews or to purchase any individual unit simply click on its associated link and a new window will open to provide you with the requested information.
Wireless amplifiersfor cell phones have been around for some time and if you live in an area with a marginal signal or travel a lot then these little devices can be just what the doctor ordered to improve you’re your cell reception and transmission. As mobile broadband data transmissions (people surfing the net) begin to outstrip the amount of voice calls being made these devices can be employed to boost your laptops data card signal as well.
In the video below you’ll see how one of these units (The Wilson Wireless Amplifier) can help you get a better signal to and from your air card. Take note that these units can also be used inside your car which is a real big plus if you happen to be taking your show on the road quite a bit.
One thing not mentioned in the video about a wireless amplifier for data cards is that if you’re using this inside your home the unit can be combined with a number of different types of exterior antennas to improve your reception further. Also these units are not carrier dependent which means no matter whether your provider is Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T this amplifier will boost your signal.
There seems to be some confusion as to the difference between an air card and WiFi. We’ll take a few minutes here in this post to try and clear up any kind of misconceptions there may be about these items.
An air card is a piece of equipment that allows you to access the Internet via a cell provider’s data network. The air card itself is a USB device that looks like an oversize flash drive, an express card that fits into the long slot on the side of a laptop or a credit card sized device that utilizes WiFi to attach to your computer.
The USB Devices simply plug into your laptop via its USB Port and allows you to dial out through your cell provider in order to get to the Internet. Most USB Air cards these days come with WiFi built into them so you can utilize hotspots in coffee shops and bookstores without using up your data plan minutes. This is a moot point since most laptops already come with WiFi built-in.
The credit card size devices mentioned earlier are also known as personal hotspots. These devices do not need a physically connect to your laptop in order to dial out to your cell provider, they’re pretty much standalone. Your computer on the other hand will have to access the hot spots network by way of your laptops network sharing center in order to get online. The video below should clear up any other questions you may have.
No matter which device you choose the though a data plan from your cell provider will be required. These plans come in a number of sizes shapes and varieties, so shop carefully. 5 GB plans are probably good enough for the casual user, but if you’re a heavy YouTube watcher then keep a close eye on your data usage otherwise you could wind up as some hefty overage costs.
WiFi on the other hand is simply used as a way for enabled devices to gain access to a network without physically having to plug into a LAN jack. Probably the most common WiFi everybody’s familiar with is at Starbucks Coffee where you see multitudes of folks surfing the web on Starbucks WiFi. WiFi by itself does not have any access to the Internet, which is provided by Comcast (your home broadband connection) or a cell provider such as T-Mobile or Verizon in the case of the air card.
The hope this cleared up some misconceptions about air cards and WiFi and even the combination of both in the case of a personal hot spot.
A lot of folks have two or more computers and home, but have only one air card available for use. A good idea would be to share that air card between one or more computers when it’s not on the road providing access to the internet for its owner. After all this would be cheaper than buying another card and mobile data plan, this is of course as long as you don’t exceed your provider’s data limit and incur overage charges.
So just how we go about providing access for those other computers? Really there are a number of ways you can do this. The first way would be to set up one laptop (the one with the air card attached) with the free software mentioned in the video and share its connection. Then have the other laptops simply log in to the first laptop. This is shown in the video below.
The next way is to purchase a travel router such as a Cradlepoint MBR1000. The router will enable you to directly plug your card into the router and once plugged in then act as a broadband connection for that WiFi router. It is then a simple task to access the router and then the internet. Again pay close attention to your data usage to avoid overage charges.
The third, and in one of the more expensive ways, is to trade in your air card for an air card that is also a person a hot spot. Personal hotspots such as the MiFi 2372 will allow you to insert the SIM chip from your old air card thus allowing you to get back on line. The difference now though is your MiFi will provide you with the ability to have five other WiFi enabled devices access the Internet as well.
There is a fourth way to do this, but it is by far the most expensive. This method is to trade in your cell phone for one of the new phones than can act as a personal hotspot as well as a phone, such as the Motorola CLIQ 2. Combine that phone with an unlimited data plan and it’s a simple task for any laptop within range of the phone to login and share the internet. Please folks make sure that your WEP or WPA security is enabled, we do not want other folks having access to our connection.
So there are three ways that you can get more use out of your mobile broadband data plan and your air card.
Mobile Broadband – Google News
When I came across this story I said “ It figures we haven’t even finished getting a true 4G implemented and now it’s 5G!” Well during the last week in February in Geneva, Switzerland the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) gave their acceptance to specifications for IMT (International Mobile Telecommunications)-Advanced Technology. IMT when implemented could mean mobile data rates 10 times faster than what we laughingly call 4G today.
