Paolo Cloma on July 28, 2010
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2010 marks a pivotal year for the telecommunications industry. Not only is it the beginning of a new decade, but it’s als o the beginning of a new era in terms of connecting to others. It’s a critical juncture of technology, it’s an evolution: the 4th generation. Competing companies such as Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T all have a role in producing this 4th generation. They have sunk massive amounts of commerce in the development of their own version of the technology but as of now, none of these companies are capable of producing the finalized product. Though each company has set their approximate nation-wide release year, which is 2013, as well as their estimation as to how many consumers will be connected to their 4G networks, roughly 100 million, none of the companies have commercially marketed their product to the public. There hasn’t been any newspaper articles or television commercials about the product, and trying to find information on their websites is pretty much a fool’s errand. It seems that the 4th generation of connectivity isn’t as ready as these companies portrait it to be.
Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are the companies leading the way for this new product. They exude confidence during technology fairs concluding that the 4G revolution is upon us. They’ve developed products to help connect to the network such as portable modems, usb drives, and sim cards. They’ve even entitled their networks; Sprint’s being WIMAX (World-wide Interoperability for Microwave Access) while Verizon and AT&T’s shall be called LTE (Long Term Evolution). However, perhaps their confidence is missed guided and their promise of debuting in 2013 is unrealistic.
WIMAX developed by the Sprint and Clear companies respectively, seems to be losing ground in the United States amidst their attempt to bring WIMAX success domestically. Though they’ve raised 3.2 billion dollars in investments to produce the network, Sprint and Clear may have underestimated how expensive it is to blanket the country in connectivity. Sprint, the lesser of the three major telecommunications distributors in the country, may not have enough currency to continue production if the 3.2 billion isn’t enough, and investors Google, Time Warner, and Intel may grow weary of waiting and pull their investments early. Also those dependent on their WIMAX’s success is far less than those who are dependent on LTE”s success due to the fact that Verizon and AT&T are far larger companies. … Read the rest
Paolo Cloma on July 27, 2010
Throughout this decade India has made a push towards becoming a market and industry super-power. With the second highest population in the world, India is swiftly becoming one of the world’s most dominant producers in terms of manufacturing. A need that is separating India from achieving it’s full business-ready potential is perhaps the infrastructure of their communications network. In a developing country close to realizing their full-industrialized potential, there is a market for Internet providing companies to exploit, Reliance Industries being one of the many.
Reliance Industry is a private sector conglomerate company choosing to upgrade their communications network. The company specializes in sales of petroleum products and other medically related supplies and has profited 3.6 billion dollars in the last fiscal year, ranking 264th in the Fortune 500. The company is searching for a reliable network and was speculated to choose Nokia’s TD-LTE system, however, further testing has proven that TD-LTE may not be ready to launch in a country where cheap supplies and products are a necessity. Reliance Industries criticized TD-LTE, eluding to its immaturity as a network. Meanwhile the company began successfully testing Sprint’s WIMAX.
WIMAX the commercially-tested and proven 4G network, seems to have it’s grips on the Indian Market and as of now, is the odds on favorites to be the network provider for Reliance Industries. The deal between the two companies will cause groundbreaking repercussions for the WIMAX network. Becoming a provider for Reliance may spark world-wide press and acknowledgement for the 4-G network. Using Reliance as a foothold or will undeniably launch WIMAX’s network above all in India.
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Paolo Cloma on July 22, 2010
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In the last decade, technological advances have become a necessity rather than a luxury for today’s American consumers and businesses. As a society we are always in demand of something new, something faster, something that will change our lives even if it means paying a little extra for the service. When turning on the television, commercials rule the airwaves using various techniques to coerce us into buying their product or at least implant a little annoying seed that unconsciously has us repeating the commercial slogan. An example of this would be the Optimum Triple Play Package advertisement, which uses corny rap and rock songs that are catchy, and I confess, are imbedded in my memory due to it’s continuous broadcasting during football games and practically all of television. Verizon and Apple use a compare and contrast technique, which subtly imply that they have a better product than their competing companies as seen from the “Can you Hear Me Now”, and the “Mac vs. P.C” commercials. These companies have been the pioneers of 21st century advertisement, and I’d bet money that most people have seen their commercials and/or own their product or service. With such marketing maneuvers it is no surprise that these companies are leading the industry with their respective product.
So with that said, has anyone ever heard of WiMAX or Clearwire? At first glance, it sounds like a bootleg version of Wi-Fi and water bottle brand, but it’s not, it’s an up and coming technology and company that will change the way the public connects to the internet. Want proof? Well how about 3.2 billion dollars of proof? Google, Time Warner Cable, and Intel have agreed to produce that amount in support of the Sprint’s Clearwire Company and the WiMAX product with hopes that it will unlock its 4G potential and make its mark on today’s market. WiMAX has the potential to cover entire cities with connections and works just like a portable modem, meaning you can be anywhere in the city and have access to the internet. WiMAX mean’s no restrictions; you can reconnect with society anywhere you go, it means you can say goodbye to hunting for coffee shops that have free internet access, or even paying 2.99 for three hours use of internet at Barnes and Nobles. WiMAX offers an option of a faster Internet with a stronger connection, so why in the world isn’t … Read the rest
