Michael Licata

Redline Chosen for Turkish Video Surveillance System

Michael Licata on May 6, 2010

Redline Communications will install an end-to-end wireless video surveillance system in Isparta, Turkey. The network will provide round-the-clock citywide wireless connection between the cameras and the Turkish National Police. It allows authorities to watch and monitor the public with high resolution cameras. The cameras have pan-tilt-zoom capabilities controlled by motion detectors. It provides more visibility to police on the streets and increases response time of additional officers. It works on WiMAX frequencies and will provide live video on street corners, parks and other public locations in Isparta.

“We’re very pleased to be working with the Turkish National Police as they move forward to strengthen and enhance their existing public safety infrastructure,” says Eric Melka, acting CEO, Redline Communications, Inc. “The ever-increasing importance of public safety projects has led to the development of video surveillance systems with very complex requirements– and we support the complete video solution unlike any other broadband radio system available today.”

This is Redline’s second such program in as many months. Last month the company was chosen to provide wireless broadband for the “Digital Rio” program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

It is a government operation that provides high speed internet for up to 1.4 million people in Brazil. It will help provide over 100Mbps of data connectivity to schools located within the service area. It will foster learning in the country, bringing advanced technology to central America.

These two projects showcase Redline’s commitment to deploying WiMAX technology in the public safety sector. The market is still rather new and there are still many concerns over the safety of wireless technology. Wireless smart grids have proven to be cheaper than wired connections, and in developing countries it is easier to install because the wired infrastructure isn’t there.… Read the rest

Greenpacket and Intel Release Latest Messaging Software

Michael Licata on May 6, 2010

Greenpacket and Intel release Interact Collabright. The Collabright application delivers Personal Area Network technology that expends Intel’s My WiFi Technology.

Collabright allows users to connect through PAN, chat with multiple partners and share files and folders. It’s a secure device-to-device connection that allows users to share audio-visual files and documents without the worries of it being seen by unwanted eyes.

“Interact Collabright, in combination with Intel My WiFi Technology, innovates information sharing without the need for conventional network infrastructure or expensive AV equipment,” Kelvin Lee, Senior General Manager of Greenpacket said, “With the rapid increase in data transfer, this application which makes sharing easy will be welcomed by users today. Collabright is like a big meeting room connecting people beyond four walls.”

Greenpacket is talking with laptop makers to put the Collabright software into PCs. It gives the company another market to penetrate, along with the modem and operator market. The software should innovate how data and information are transferred between users.

“As consumers increasingly connect WiFi-enabled peripherals, laptops and devices to each other, they want the ability to easily transfer data between them,” said Ashish Gupta, Marketing Manager of Intel’s Mobile Wireless Group. “Intel is working with Greenpacket to integrate their Interact Collabright application with our award-winning Intel My WiFi Technology software and look forward to providing users with a simple way to share their screens, files and folders, chat, or even their internet connection.”

The video conferencing capabilities of Collabright should interest business executives because it allows for more mobility. The recent announcement from Clearwire that they’re releasing a video heavy WiMAX-enabled phone, combined with the Collabright software showcases the potential for mobile interactive video conferencing. Business could be done anywhere.… Read the rest

Clearwire Announces 1Q Finances, Will Release 2 WiMAX Phones by end of 2010

Michael Licata on May 5, 2010

Clearwire reported its finances for the first quarter of 2010. The results were strong, adding users through both retail and wholesale partners. Clearwire added 283,000 total users, with 172,000 retail additions and 111,000 wholesale users. These users signing up resulted in a total subscriber base of 971,000 users, 814,000 retail users and 157,000 wholesale users. The company also announced they will release two WiMAX-enabled phones by the end of 2010. A 3G/4G/WiFi enabled phone from HTC and a Samsung 3G/4G/WiFi device using Google’s Android operating system.

Clearwire reported first quarter revenue to be $106.7 million. It was a 72 percent increase over the first quarter of 2009 and 33 percent increase over the fourth quarter of 2009. A Clearwire user spent an average of $42.77 in the first quarter of 2010.

“Customer demand for 4G services is truly making 2010 the year of mobile broadband, as always-on true mobile broadband keeps people connected to the information, services and applications that matter most,” Bill Morrow, CEO of Clearwire said, “With record breaking subscriber growth, a robust wholesale ‘network of networks’ approach to 4G, and customer usage that far surpasses anything seen on 3G networks today, Clearwire is standing at the forefront of the next evolution in telecommunications and technology.”

The net loss for the quarter was $94.1 million or $0.47 per share, down from the $98 million lost during the 4Q 09. These operating losses don’t really highlight the bright future for Clearwire. Through its CLEAR service, WiMAX is now available in Houston and central Pennsylvania with plans on adding 19 markets by the end of summer 2010. Clearwire has spectrum advantage because they’re able to lease space to wholesalers like Sprint, Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Clearwire gets a percentage because they own the network.

The company expects subscriber numbers to triple in 2010, with more than 2 million total subscribers. CLEAR will be available in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Denver, Minneapolis, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

Well, Clearwire’s been rather mum on releasing a WiMAX-enabled phone. Morrow said in an interview that Clearwire planned on having one available by Christmas time 2010, and that was about it. The Samsung phone is the most intriguing device. It’s suppose to be heavily on video conferencing capabilities. The HTC device might be a CLEAR version of the HTC EVO 4G from Sprint, but it’s not known exactly … Read the rest

Clearwire Announces Big Summer Plans

Michael Licata on May 5, 2010 | 2 comments

Summer is most people’s favorite season. The weather is fantastic and people want to do more. Companies take the time to release new products and services. This extends to the WiMAX space too. Clearwire will have 50 U.S. markets by the end this summer.

Comcast will offer 3G Internet services in Boston soon, with WiMAX coming early this summer. In their earnings report for first quarter 2010, Comcast hinted that WiMAX will come to Boston during the second quarter of 2010.

This leaves June as the expected date when Clearwire will launch WiMAX in Boston. It’s an exciting way to start the summer. It is also an exciting time because it’s believed that Sprint will release the HTC EVO 4G phone during the early summer months. This comes along with CLEAR launching services in central Pennsylvania in the beginning of May.

The WiMAX operator recently announced the 18 markets it will add to the current 32 by the end of summer 2010. St. Louis, Orlando, Tampa, Syracuse and Rochester and NY are among the markets that will get WiMAX services. Clearwire partnered with Comcast and Time Warner Cable to offer the service under their brands.

Comcast and Time Warner Cable offer pretty standard devices, simple USB devices for business men that spend a lot of time on laptops. They can now hold video conferencing in parks where the 4G coverage is available. The service will be bundled with the home internet connection, providing a cheaper rate for home and mobile internet connection. WiMAX provides the same kind of speeds that are seen with wired internet connections.

It shows renewed investment in WiMAX from the cable companies. It’s publicized when Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Google, Sprint and Brighthouse all invest in Clearwire, but to actually see the service being offered is a brighter sign. It shows commitment and not just an influx of cash.

Bundling the packages are smart because it allows users to get the technology and eventually switch to a better WiMAX connection from CLEAR or Sprint. CLEAR and Sprint offer similar WiMAX packages, but Sprint has the advertising dollars to promote 4G a little more than CLEAR. Sprint only offers two 4G devices now, the Overdrive Mobile Hot Spot that handles up to five WiFi devices at one time, and a USB modem. Soon they will offer the sleekest and most sought after device, the HTC EVO … Read the rest

Clearwire to Launch in 18 Markets during Summer 2010

Michael Licata on May 5, 2010

Clearwire, along with wholesale partners Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Sprint announced their summer 2010 launch lineup on May 5. It’s an impressive list of markets, including Tampa, Orlando, St. Louis, Nashville and Salt Lake City. In all, Clearwire will add 18 new markets by the end of summer 2010. This adds to the already positive news that Clearwire launched 4G in central Pennsylvania on May 1.

Each operator will offer their own brand of WiMAX. Comcast will offer the services in Merced, Modesto, Stockton and Visalia, CA, Wilmington, DE, Grand Rapids, MI, Eugene, OR, Yakima and Tri-Cities, WA. Time Warner Cable will offer WiMAX services in Kansas City, KA, Rochester and Syracuse, NY.

Comcast will use the Comcast High Speed 2go brand when marketing WiMAX. It will be bundled with their home internet connection in the markets. Time Warner will market the product under Road Runner Mobile. Road Runner Mobile offers a 3G connection when not covered in the 4G market. Time Warner offers two different USB modems for its 3G/4G unlimited service and 4G unlimited service. Comcast offers similar services, using mostly USB modems for a 4G connection.

Clearwire and Sprint will offer their 4G services in all markets. CLEAR WiMAX offers faster download speeds, more mobility and great devices. Get the CLEAR Spot mobile hot spot that allows for up to eight WiFi enabled devices. Get the fastest connection for iPhones, iPads and other devices. Sprint offers the Overdrive, a mobile hot spot for up to five WiFi enabled devices. Sprint’s brand, 4G will offer many different packages, depending on which device users choose. Also being released this summer is the Sprint HTC EVO 4G, the first WiMAX-enabled phone available in the U.S.

It’s super fast internet connection is presented in four different ways in different markets. Any people in these markets should be excited to experience the fast speeds offered by WiMAX. Clearwire is making the push to add a significant population to its subscriber base during the summer 2010. It was expected that the company would take drastic measures this summer to grow its user base by expanding to more markets.

Clearwire and Sprint plan on launching WiMAX in many other markets in 2010. New York City, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C., Denver Minneapolis, San Francisco, Miami, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh will join the 18 markets above by the end of 2010. … Read the rest

ZTE and P1 Team for Phase 3 WiMAX Build Out

Michael Licata on May 4, 2010

Packet One Networks chose ZTE for the third phase of network build out, the Star Online reports. ZTE gets a full solution expansion for its 2.3GHz WiMAX infrastructure.

The deal will allow P1 to offer WiMAX to 65 percent of the Malaysian population by 2012. The contract is valued at $76.8 million. ZTE will provide network planning and design, equipment supply, engineering services and network optimization. P1 chose ZTE for the second phase of the build out in March 2009.

“‘From the day we embarked on our WiMAX journey, our goal has been to make broadband a right for all Malaysians,” Michael Lai, CEO of P1, said, “To deliver on this commitment, an aggressive deployment of our WiMAX network is crucial.”

The WiMAX operator coverage will go from 35 percent to 45 percent by the end of 2010. This is a great sign for P1. P1 is a subsidiary of Green Packet Berhad. Green Packet makes full device solutions like USB modems, home modems and other devices. It showcases how expansion in Malaysia and other Asia Pacific markets continues to grow. Asia Pacific is quickly becoming an important area for WiMAX adoption.… Read the rest

Alvarion Reports Losses for 1Q 2010

Michael Licata on May 4, 2010 | 2 comments

Alvarion reported worse than expected first quarter 2010 results. The WiMAX solution provider saw a 5.9 percent sequential decline for shipments of equipment and a 13.8 percent sequential decline in revenue. It’s expected that the company will reduce work staff as a result of the poor showing.

The net loss was $0.08 per share. The total revenue in 1Q was $51.9 million, a 23.5 percent decrease from the first quarter of 2009.

“Q1 results were within the range of our guidance and, as expected, reflect continued delays in several business catalysts,” said Eran Gorev, President and CEO of Alvarion. “Meanwhile, we continued the expansion of our business with several existing customers and made important progress toward securing several major projects in Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America. The timing of actual orders is difficult to anticipate, but we hope to see some impact from these developments in 2010. We are using the delay in the business catalysts to strengthen our capabilities in order to capture a larger share of the projects once the vendor selection processes move forward.”

The company spent $9.1 million, with a cash equivalent and investment total of $103 million as of March 31,2010. Alvarion sees opportunity in the WiMAX carrier market, along with the Enterprise space. The company completed a business review for near-term initiatives, including becoming a full solution solution provider by adding professional services capabilities. Alvarion will expand local presence in key markets.

The company will reduce expenses by more than $30 million annually. It involves a staffing reduction of around 20 percent during the second quarter of 2010.

This is not good for Alvarion. Many analysts expected the company to report poor results, but not this bad. It’s not a good sign if the company has to reduce workforce. It is going to take time to recover, at least a half a year after not reporting a forecast for the second quarter of 2010. I’m sure they will stabilize their company after reporting poor finances, but it might too late to get back into some key markets. Focusing on getting into local markets should help, but identifying the markets to go into will be harder.… Read the rest

Synopsys Releases Latest Master Controller IP

Michael Licata on May 3, 2010

Synopsys released the DesignWare MIPI 4G DigRF Master Controller IP. It is the first 4G vendor to offer a complete IP portfolio for both MIPI DigRF v3 and v4 standards.

“MIPI standards such as DigRF are instrumental to improving interoperability and accelerating development of mobile devices,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for the Solutions Group at Synopsys. “This latest addition to the DesignWare MIPI portfolio, now consisting of DigRF v3 and v4, CSI-2 and D-PHY IP, enables designers to turn to a single, trusted vendor for high-quality solutions that help them bring MIPI-based products to the market faster and with less risk.”

The Master Controller adheres to the recently ratified MIPI DigRF v4 1.00 specifications. Designers may implement the new standard. Synopsys is also developing the DesignWare M-PHY, the physical layer for the MIPI DigRF v4 interface, working in conjunction with ratification of the specification. A single-vendor solution allows designers to lower the risk and cost of integrating the DigRF interfaces into baseband ICs and application processors.

The solutions go into 4G chips, allowing chip makers like Beceem and GCI Semiconductor. Synopsys’ solution will speed up the time-to-market for LTE advanced and mobile WiMAX system-on-chips.

“As a leading provider of 4G mobile broadband solutions, having a high-quality DigRF IP solution is critical to our product developments,” said Sunny Padacheril, vice president of Engineering for SoC Development at Beceem. “We selected the DesignWare 4G DigRF solution because of Synopsys’ expertise and track record of delivering high-speed interfaces.”

It showcases how chip builders and other vendors are providing solution for both WiMAX and LTE chips. It shows how both LTE and WiMAX aren’t that different a technology on a level. There will be applications for both technologies. This just shows how tech companies are preparing for both LTE and WiMAX to become huge in the next few years.… Read the rest

Sprint, CLEAR Service Now Available in Central Pennsylvania

Michael Licata on May 3, 2010 | 1 comment

Clearwire has launched a WiMAX network in central Pennsylvania. People in Harrisburg, Reading, Lancaster and York will be able to access true high speed wireless broadband internet anywhere within the 4G network. Sprint will now offer services in the same coverage area in Pennsylvania.

The network covers 271 sq. miles and over 739,000 people. This is in addition to the 3.6 million people that already get CLEAR service in the Philadelphia area.

“We are excited about this day for two reasons: we believe that CLEAR is truly going to revolutionize the way folks in Central Pennsylvania access the Internet, and it’s personally gratifying to me given that Harrisburg is my hometown,” said Curtis Heffelfinger, general manager for CLEAR. “Customers can eat lunch on City Island while conducting a WebEx meeting and baseball fans can stream radio while tailgating in the parking lot before a Revolution game in York. We’re providing an Internet experience that is unmatched and we can’t wait for people in Central Pennsylvania to enjoy it.”

Sprint offers the same fast speeds that CLEAR service does, and it is offering a 30-day trial period, The Sprint Free Guarantee. Customers can try 4G for 30 days and if they are not satisfied, they can cancel service and have the opportunity to be fully reimbursed for all the fees. Sprint 4G users can select from a range of devices, including the Overdrive Mobile Hot Spot that allows up to 5 users to connect to the 4G speeds.

“We powered up 4G in south central Pennsylvania today, allowing commuters, time-stressed parents, gamers, teens or anyone the ability to make fast, mobile Internet connectivity portable and private,” said Karen Paletta, regional vice president, Sprint. “You no longer have to sit at a coffeehouse on an unsecure Wi-Fi connection to enjoy fast speeds on your laptop. With an Overdrive you can enjoy a true mobile broadband experience with any Wi-Fi-enabled device.”

One device that Sprint users in central Pennsylvania will be able to use soon is the HTC EVO 4G. It’s the first WiMAX-enabled phone available in the U.S. It will run on Google’s Android operating system. It has 3G fallback capability when it’s not being used in a 4G market.

CLEAR service offers some better packages for those looking for both a home and mobile WiMAX connection. The contracts may be purchased for either a month or daily use. Clearwire … Read the rest

WiMAX vs. LTE, First Signs of Battle on the Device Front

Michael Licata on April 28, 2010 | 3 comments

Sprint recently released its financial findings for the first quarter of 2010. They lost money per share, but there are signs that the company can recover using 4G and WiMAX deployments during the rest of 2010.

Sprint unveiled its devices for 2010, including the impressive HTC EVO 4G, the first WiMAX-enabled phone available in the U. S. Sprint 4G service is available in 28 markets after launching in Houston during the 1Q of 2010. Sprint will continue to recover as a company as long as there’s the market advantage of WiMAX because LTE isn’t readily available yet.

Clearwire and Sprint are preparing to launch more markets in the back half of 2010, including San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Kansas City. It’s believed that the EVO 4G will be released with the launch of the Kansas City market.

Another entry into the device market was the detailed leak of Dell’s first foray into the phone market, the Dell Lightning. The smart phone will come complete with LTE capabilities in 2011. It’s the first major device announced for the LTE market. Verizon’s been pushing LTE as the future of wireless communications, along with deploying networks by the end of 2010. They’re going to have a problem because of the lack of devices to go along with the super fast connection.

When Verizon’s network launches, it’s most likely going to just release a few USB dongles and maybe a home modem. It’s not going to be as widely adopted as WiMAX because the device market won’t be as spectacular as an LTE phone. If Dell releases the Lightning with LTE in early 2011, then there will be a battle on the 4G device market.

A Dell phone also showcases how software builders could potentially enter different segments of the device market. It’s not the first time that a computer maker enters the phone market. That road has been littered with companies that want to cross over. It would be interesting to see if operators like Verizon or Sprint market and build their own line of computers or other devices. Google released the G1 from HTC, but the manufacturer wasn’t widely known, it was referred to as the Google phone. Google seems to be the company that’s most willing to build a device, use their own operating system and market it all under the Google name.

One Economy… Read the rest

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Michael Licata

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