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| June 12, 2010
Comments Off on Copper Sexy Again

Copper Sexy Again

Copper Sexy AgainThanks to the FCC‘s 100 squared plan for 100 million U.S. homes to have affordable access to download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and real upload speeds of at least 50 Mbps there, seems to be some renewed interest in copper. Both Bell Lab and AT&T have announced experiments to extend the useful life of copper infrastructure.

DSL linesAccording to Broadband Reports, Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent’s research arm has achieved speeds of 800 Mbps using a pair of traditional DSL lines. Reuters says that AT&T is going to trial 80 Mbps DSL this month. Broadband Reports says that Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) achieved the speeds during lab tests by combining three technologies.

First, AlcaLu uses a phantom circuit–a technique developed in 1886 to create virtual analog phone lines. The firm uses a second, supplementary pair of wires to create a third “phantom” channel to supplement the two physical wires common with DSL.

Alcatel-Lucent logoIn “phantom mode,” a digital signal is normally transmitted through two wires twisted together–one positive and the other negative. John J. Carty electrical engineer, telephony pioneer, and future president of ATT realized that it is possible to send a third signal on top of four wires separated into two twisted pairs. The negative half of this “phantom” connection is sent down one twisted pair (which is already carrying a conventional signal), and the positive half down is sent down another twisted pair. At the destination, analog processors are used to extract all three signals–two real and one “phantom”–from the two pairs.

The second component is bonding which treats multiple lines as if they were a single cable to increase the speed of DSL broadband connections by a multiple almost equal to the number of cables involved.  Finally vectoring is used on the third channel for error correction to cancel noise or “crosstalk” between adjacent copper wire pairs.

Stefaan Vanhastel, Director Product Marketing, Alcatel-Lucent Wireline Networks told Broadband Reports that “by using vectoring, which is a noise-canceling technology to eliminate noise” they can improve the performance of the copper lines. The lab tests showed that the technology is capable of offering 100 Mbps over 1,000 meters (3,820 feet). Alcatel-Lucent doesn’t believe it will roll out the combination technology until after 2011.

ATT logoDespite the focus on wireless broadband over at AT&T (T) they are trying to push the boundaries of its existing wireline copper plant to deliver broadband services. According to Reuters, beginning this month, AT&T is going to trial 80 Mbps DSL. This will surpass its top 24 Mbps speed. AT&T’s Seth Bloom told Broadband Reports the trial will look at “pair bonding, vectoring, (and) spectrum management,” which “can be done very inexpensively and on a per-user basis.” AT&T’s experiment will be limited by the quality of existing copper facilities and the distance the end-user is from either the CO or the remote terminal (RT) cabinet The U-verse end-user won’t get all that bandwidth because it also has to carry bandwidth-hungry HDTV signals.

An interesting wrinkle in AT&T’s 80 Mbps test is that Alcatel-Lucent, which is demonstrating 300 Mbps supplies the VDSL2 access gear to AT&T but hasn’t yet shipped access gear that can bond VDSL2 because CPE vendors haven’t done so, an official said. “We will have VDSL2 bonding-ready equipment going into production soon, and we will add the bonding software to the equipment once the CPE for VDSL2 bonding is available.” according to ConnectedPlanet.

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Clearly, the incumbent telcos are feeling the pressure from the cablecos DOCSIS 3.0 rollouts. The Alcatel-Lucent 300 Mbps VDSL2  technology should be scooped up by incumbent telcos who need to squeeze a couple more years out of their thousands of miles of copper wireline last mile and keep a hand in the FCC’s 100 Mbps broadband plan.

In the enterprise space, the improved DSL technology may cut into the optical cable business by reducing the long-term cost-effective argument for private fiber. That is of course if you can get the service. All of the “improved DSL” services need more copper pairs, which may not be available. This of course has to be balanced against increasing your exposure to AT&T.

Related articles

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| February 24, 2010
Comments Off on Recession Over??

Recession Over??

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told us in September 2009 that the recession was “very likely over.” Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told CBS News on 01-30-2010  “The Great Recession is over.“ UPS CEO Scott Davis told the Atlanta Constitution Journal on 02-03-2010 that the recession is over. So to celebrate UPS is going to cut 1,800 positions.

Andrew Bartels, a Forrester vice president, and principal analyst declared the tech recession over on 01-12-10. Despite these prognostications by pundits and politicians, global tech layoffs have soared to over 613,00 since the bottom fell out of the world economy in October 2008. Layoffs in January 2010 reached nearly 37,000, a monthly magnitude total not seen since May 2009. The telecom firms lead the layoff count in January 2010 with Verizon (VZ), Sprint (S), and AT&T (T) accounting for nearly 65% of this month’s announced layoffs.

Tech Layoffs

The overall trend for the last 8 months has been upwards, hardly an indicator that the recession is over.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| January 17, 2010
Comments Off on AT&T Asks to Drop POTS

AT&T Asks to Drop POTS

EweekAT&T Asks to Drop POTS is reporting that in order to extend broadband access to all Americans AT&T has told the FCC that it needs to get out of the land-line business. AT&T wants to get out of the land-line business so it can focus funds on broadband and IP-based communications. In the 32 page report, in response to a FCC Request for Comment on Transition form Circuit-Switched to All IP Network.

ATT logoAT&T called Congress’ 100 percent broadband goal “auspicious,” writing, “Broadband is dramatically changing the way Americans live, work, obtain health care and interact with the government. Congress and the Commission have rightly made universal broadband access a core national priority.” AT&T said this goal would be within reach if the resources of the FCC and its stakeholders were put toward developing and executing a strategy that included an “orderly transition away from, and retirement of, the PSTN.”

AT&T wants to shut down its analog PSTN

AT&T has asked the FCC to create a timetable that would allow the company to shut down its analog public switched telephone network (PSTN) so more investment would flow to its IP-based initiatives.  “That transition is underway already,” AT&T wrote to the FCC in the Dec. 21, 2009 communication. “With each passing day, more and more communications services migrate to broadband and IP-based services, leaving the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and plain-old telephone service (POTS) as relics of a bygone era.” AT&T also said that less than 20 percent of Americans rely exclusively on POTS for voice service, while 25 percent of households have abandoned POTS. It noted that some 700,000 lines are being turned off each month.

Federal Communications CommissionThe telecommunications giant argues that having to maintain and invest in two networks broadband and the PSTN means Congress’ goal “will not be met in a timely or efficient manner.” The company said that while 90 percent of Americans have access to broadband services, reaching that last 10 percent would require an investment of about $350 billion. “Due to technological advances, changes in consumer preference, and market forces, the question is when, not if, POTS service and the PSTN over which it is provided will become obsolete,” AT&T wrote to the FCC.

AT&T outlined steps for shutting down the PSTN and wants the FCC to swiftly follow them.

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Some of the issues that AT&T’s plan raises are life-safety issues. A POTS line maintains a dial tone and the ability to make and receive calls during catastrophes and emergencies. When large catastrophes strike, there can be no power for days, or even weeks in some areas. No power means no broadband Internet, which means VoIP phone services don’t work. No power to cell towers means no bars on your cell signal and no wireless service.

The ability to place 911 calls will also be an issue under an all IP system. With a POTS land-line, it is easy to match a phone number with a physical address, but with broadband VoIP, the 911 operators can’t tell where the call originates from.

Most importantly, as DSLReports points out, it is important to realize that AT&T’s objective is to move all broadband regulation to the more-easily lobbied federal level, revamping the Universal Service Fund so it works more in AT&T’s favor, and whatever other regulatory perks they can squeeze out of the FCC.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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| December 18, 2009
Comments Off on Super-Size My Wi-Fi

Super-Size My Wi-Fi

Super-Size My Wi-Fi McDonald’s Corp. will soon start offering free wireless Internet access at its U.S. restaurants according to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal. Starting in mid-January, McDonald’s will lift the $2.95 fee that it had charged customers for two hours of Wi-Fi Internet access, available at about 11,000 of its 14,000 domestic locations, McDonald’s USA Chief Information Officer David Grooms said in an interview.

mcdonalds-logoThe free access is a partnership with AT&T (T), which provides McDonald’s stores with wireless Internet. Free Wi-Fi is part of the fast-food chain’s transformation from its hamburger roots into a hang-out destination. Over at Mashable.com they speculate that McDonald’s plans to start selling frappes and smoothies in mid-2010 as another part of the transformation.

Mashable.com writes that at&t purchased the Texas-based Wi-Fi hotspot operator Wayport in 2008 for $275 million in cash. The privately held company administered over 80,000 Wi-Fi hotspots all over the world for airports and large organizations like Wyndham, Four Seasons, and McDonald’s restaurants nationwide.

Stacey Higgenbotham over at GigaOm wrote in 2008 that at&t made this deal to off-load the mobile data network, “allows AT&T to provide its customers with more places to do their bandwidth-sucking applications. Already, AT&T is willing to let iPhone and BlackBerry users access its Wi-Fi hotspots free at Starbucks. It also means AT&T can hold out a bit longer before deploying its 4G LTE network, which is designed for data.”

This is nothing but a holding action so at&t can launch more rich-content phones like Apple’s iPhone and the Blackberry Bold and keep their old network in place. AT&T already requires iPhone users to use their Wi-Fi connection to download files from iTunes and prohibits bandwidth-intensive applications such as P2P sharing. According to GigaOM, part of the reason for this is the limitations of its HSPA network. While fast, it isn’t designed to handle the continuous streams of data a song download or video upload requires. 3G is still designed for voice traffic, which is intermittent and much less bandwidth-intensive. The network has a data overlay, but that, too, is designed for bursts of data and not continuous streams. If too many people need continuous streams of data get on, it clogs the network, leaving other subscribers unable to access it.

This move will allow AT&T to delay deploying its 4G LTE network, and charge heavy users more. Ralph de la Vega, president, and chief executive for mobility and consumer markets at at&t said “We’re going to try to focus on making sure we give incentives to those small percentages to either reduce or modify their usage, so they don’t crowd out the customers on those same cell sites,” he said. The company might consider a “pricing scheme that addresses the usage,” Mr. de la Vega said in the New York Times.

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There are questions that this partnership between McDonald’s and at&t raises:

  • Will the service be  ‘gated’ via some kind of time code on your receipt, or will be truly free?
  • Will usage be monitored?
  • What does the idea of people hanging out at McD’s to troll Facebook do to the idea of a “fast food” restaurant?

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Remember, you get what you pay for.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

Category: wi-fi | Tags: , , , , , , , ,
| August 14, 2009
Comments Off on Nokia Tries Wireless Electricity

Nokia Tries Wireless Electricity

Nokia Tries Wireless ElectricityIf someday the researchers at Nokia (NOK), are right you will be able to use wireless electricity to charge your mobile. Putting your cell phone in standby mode may no longer cause the dreaded vampire power. Vampire power is often described as pointlessly wasting electricity with little benefit other than a small red light and instant start-up.

Nokia logoAccording to an article in the UK’s Guardian, Nokia is developing a mobile phone charging system that is able to power itself on nothing more than ambient radiowaves that constantly surround us. The Guardian article points out that radiowaves power the old crystal radio sets and modern radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.

Nokia claims that its system is able to scavenge enough ambient electromagnetic radiation emitted from Wi-Fi transmitters, cell-phone antennas, TV towers, and other sources miles away to run a cell phone. Individually the energy available in each of these signals is minute, but by harvesting radio waves across a range of frequencies it all adds up, said Markku Rouvala, one of the researchers who developed the device at the Nokia Research Center in Cambridge, UK.

Nokia’s device uses a wide-band antenna and two very simple passive circuits. The design of the antenna and the receiver circuit makes it possible to pick up frequencies from 500 megahertz to 10 gigahertz and convert the electromagnetic waves into an electrical current. The second circuit is designed to feed this current to the battery to recharge it.

“Even if you are only getting microwatts (mW), you can still harvest energy, provided your circuit is not using more power than it’s receiving,” Rouvala told Technology Review. So far the researchers have been able to harvest up to 5 mW. Their next goal is to get in excess of 20 mW, enough power to keep a phone in standby mode indefinitely. but not enough to actually use the phone to make or receive a call the researcher says.  Rouvala says that his group is working towards a prototype that could harvest up to 50 mW of power, enough to slowly recharge a switched-off phone.

Earlier this year, Joshua Smith at Intel and Alanson Sample at the University of Washington, in Seattle, developed a temperature-and-humidity sensor that draws its power from the signal emitted by a 1.0-megawatt TV antenna 4.1 kilometers away. This only involved generating 60 mW.  Smith says that 50 mW could need around 1,000 strong signals and that an antenna capable of picking up such a range of frequencies would cause efficiency losses along the way.

Harry Ostaffe, head of marketing for Pittsburgh-based company Powercast, which sells a system for recharging sensors from about 15 meters away with a dedicated radio signal told Technology Review, “To get 50 milliwatts seems like a lot.”

If Nokia’s claims stand up, then it could push energy harvesting into mainstream consumer devices and improve their environmental footprint. Steve Beeby, an engineer and physicist at the University of Southampton, U.K., who has researched harvesting vibrational energy, adds, “If they can get 50 milliwatts out of ambient RF, that would put me out of business.” He says that the potential could be huge because MP3 players typically use only about 100 milliwatts of power and spend most of their time in lower-power mode.

According to Technology Review. Nokia is being cagey with the details of the project, but Rouvala is confident about its future: “I would say it is possible to put this into a product within three to four years.” Ultimately, though, he says that Nokia plans to use the technology in conjunction with other energy-harvesting approaches, such as solar cells embedded into the outer casing of the handset.

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As I have chronicled in the past and here, wireless power is a good solution looking for a way to be implemented. Wireless power has now hit the Gartner “Hype-Cycle.” According to the July 2009 Gartner Hype-Cycle, Wireless Power has just entered the “Peak of Inflated Expectations” zone and is still 5-10 years from mainstream adoption. 

This technology holds many benefits to the environment (less wasted electricity) and user convenience (how many proprietary power adapters do you have?), it is yet to be seen if consumer demand can overcome the inertia of the status quo and the power of big money lobbying by the coal, nuclear and utilities. Right now my money is on the money.

 

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.

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