AT&T launches first U.S. Mobile WiMAX network

AT&T launches first U.S. Mobile WiMAX network
By Kevin Fitchard

AT&T said today it has been running an under-the-radar commercial Mobile WiMAX network in Pahrump, Nev., since this summer, using the technology to offer fixed broadband services in a market where it current does not offer DSL.

Soma Networks won the contract for a multi-base-station rollout in the town of 45,000 people outside of Las Vegas. While AT&T is using the technology in a fixed deployment, it is using Soma gear based on the IEEE 802.16e specification, which Soma plans to submit to the WiMAX Forum for certification in the 2.3 GHz Wireless Communication Services (WCS) band. Several other service providers have deployed fixed WiMAX networks, based on the 802.16d standard and proprietary broadband wireless networks, while several more have announced plans to trial or deploy Mobile WiMAX networks. AT&T, however, is the first carrier to have a commercial network using Mobile WiMAX technology in the U.S.

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PLAYSTATION®3 LAUNCHES NEXT GENERATION OF ENTERTAINMENT IN NORTH AMERICA

PLAYSTATION®3 LAUNCHES NEXT GENERATION OF ENTERTAINMENT IN NORTH AMERICA
High-Definition Gaming and Entertainment System Now Available; Fans Line Up for Blocks to Be Among First Owners

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced the launch of the much-anticipated PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) computer entertainment system, the company’s groundbreaking next generation computer entertainment system, for sale immediately in North America. In addition to the PS3 hardware, a software line up of more than 20 first- and third-party titles will be available at retailers nationwide.

PS3 is available today at retailers nationwide in two configurations for consumers. One features a 20-GB hard disk drive (HDD) and carries a suggested retail price of $499, while the second features a 60-GB HDD and built in Wi-Fi adapter and multiple memory card slots for $599. At the heart of PS3 is the Cell Broadband Engine™, one of the most-advanced computer processors in the world, that enables massive floating point calculation, and Blu-ray Disc™ (BD) drive, providing a true High Definition (1080p)* next-generation gaming and movie experience in the home, as well as up to 50 GB of data capacity for video game developers to store content – five times the capacity of DVD.

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The Mobile Web Moves Forward

The Mobile Web Moves Forward
By David Garrett
November 17, 2006 8:19AM


High speed or not, and despite the emergence of all-you-can-eat wireless broadband services like 3 Group's, the mobile Web has yet to set U.S. users aflame -- even though Sprint, Verizon, Cingular, and others with huge investments in high-speed networks hope it will. According to Avi Greengart of Current Analysis, consumers' demands for cell phone features start with voice and proceed to SMS, then ringtones, then games, after which comes everything else.

The mobile Web is moving forward -- slowly. This week, 3 Group, a provider of mobile broadband in Europe, announced a new service, called the X-Series, that combines two new phones with all-you-can-eat mobile broadband in markets that have been dominated by pay-per-click or metered-download plans.
The company did not release the exact price of its new service, but plans to do so by year's end. 3's new plan also has some powerful partners -- among them Yahoo, eBay, Google, Skype, Orb, and Sling, which lets users of high-speed handsets download and watch TV they recorded at home.

The Skype partnership is one of 3's more intriguing moves, because it lets users make phone calls over their cell phone's Internet connection using VoIP technology, paying nothing for the call.

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Chinese operators may build hybrid 3G networks

Research firm warns against move to combine 3G technology with China's homegrown standard -Sumner Lemon, IDG News Service

Chinese telecommunication operators will likely build 3G (third-generation) mobile networks that combine one of the main 3G technologies with China's homegrown standard, a market research firm said Thursday, warning against the move.

"Full hybrid network establishment is not a viable model for network evolution," Norson (Hong Kong) Information Technology, said in a research note. "The most efficient way for operators to build nationwide 3G networks will be to choose one dominant standard and relegate any other standards to supporting roles."

Backed by the Chinese government, Chinese companies have invested heavily in recent years to develop TD-SCDMA (time division synchronous code division multiple access) as an alternative to the two 3G technologies widely deployed by operators around the world: W-CDMA (wideband CDMA) and CDMA2000 EV-DO (evolution data optimized).

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The Future of TV Will Be Personal

Personalisation and interactivity will be the key drivers of mobile TV according to a new report commissioned by Nokia and conducted by Dr Shani Orgad from the London School of Economics. The report examines the future impact of mobile TV on the broadcasting and advertising industries.

The report predicts that the introduction and adoption of mobile TV will ultimately give way to a more personal and private TV experience than that of traditional broadcast TV, with big implications for users, content providers and advertisers. Users will be able to receive content anytime, anywhere, choose what is most relevant to them, and even create and upload their own television content, while content providers and advertisers will be able to tailor their offerings more specifically to the user.

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