Dear friends of Wireless Messaging and Paging,

I hope all the readers in the USA had a Happy Thanksgiving day. In case you are not familiar with the event, it is a special family-oriented holiday for Americans when we give thanks to God for His many blessings. We usually celebrate this day with our families and a traditional feast. It is certainly an "inter-faith" day, not focused on any one religion. I have included an explanation of Thanksgiving Day in Spanish for my many friends in Latin America. This is an area of the world that is very special to me—where I have lived, worked, and studied for over half of my adult life. With the high importance placed on family relationships in Latin America, I am sure that everyone there will fully understand why this is one of (North) America's most important holidays.

So the holiday is my excuse for getting the newsletter out late this week—on Saturday instead of Friday. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a message asking what happened to the newsletter.

Readers have called saying they couldn't find a certain article only to learn that it was in the middle or near the end of the newsletter. So please scroll all the way to the end—you may miss something interesting. The section on Wi-Fi, Wireless Broadband, and WiMAX is larger this week than the section on Wireless Messaging, Telemetry, and Paging. The last of these articles (at the end of the newsletter) addresses a major question facing everyone wanting to get into the Broadband Internet Access business today. The question is whether or not to start now using existing Wi-Fi technology or wait about six months and use the superior WiMAX technology that will become available. As for me, I decided to wait, but this article's viewpoint is that I may be wrong—it wouldn't be the first time.

And now on to this week's Wireless Messaging news and views.

Promoting Wireless Messaging, Telemetry, and Paging.

A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon Eastern US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account.

There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major paging and wireless data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers, so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology.

I regularly get reader's comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the paging, and wireless data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my website.

NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0/ISO 8859-1.)

Mobile e-mail still untapped, Yankee says

Nov 22, 2004

BOSTON-E-mail is the most common business application U.S. mobile workers use on a daily basis, but the mobile e-mail market remains relatively untapped, according to a new study from Boston-based consultancy Yankee Group.

The group's "2004 Corporate Wireless Survey" urges companies to evaluate all the mobile e-mail options on the market in choosing the right vendor for their needs. While Research in Motion Ltd. continues to dominate the field among wireless e-mail access providers, a slew of smaller companies are beginning to challenge RIM's ubiquitous BlackBerry. continued below

"Driven by the core requirements of their mobile workers, the vast majority of U.S. businesses cite e-mail as a driver for a wireless wide-area data solution," said Eugene Signorini, Yankee Group wireless/mobile enterprise and commerce program manager. "Various wireless e-mail solutions and delivery models exist in the market, and most businesses are still evaluating the right configuration for their deployments."

Source: RCR Wireless News

Motorola A630 on T-Mobile USA Wednesday November 24, 2004 3:28 PM GMT The Bluetooth-enabled Motorola A630 has been sent over to T-Mobile USA for mass distribution, the device is an excellent example of how the Blackberry has affected even the largest manufacturers in form and functionality. It looks like a standard mini cell phone with a small external 96 x 48 LCD display and a 4X Zoom VGA camera, but inside is a whole other story. Unfolding the A630 will reveal a QEWRTY keyboard with the ability to send text messages and email (POP3, SMTP, IMAP4), instant messages (via AOL IM, ICQ or MSN) and pictures (taken from the integrated camera). The major drawback is the limited 5MB of memory space; don’t expect to be saving much information or many photos on it. Downloading games and HiFi MP3 ringers will be quick and easy with GPRS, it also has an external speakerphone which is automatically enabled when the device is flipped open. The Motorola A630 is selling for $199 online at T-Mobile, with a $100 mail-in rebate, the same price that T-Mobile has on the Sidekick II.
Source: MobileMag

After AT&T merger, Cingular Wireless expects to cut 6,800 jobs

The layoffs are expected to be spread out over 18 months

NOVEMBER 24, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - With its acquisition of AT&T Wireless Services Inc. complete (see story), Cingular Wireless LLC is preparing to lay off about 10% of its 68,000 workers over a 12-to-18-month period starting next year.

That estimate was made public for the first time yesterday by Cingular CEO Stan Sigman in an interview with The Associated Press.

Clay Owen, a Cingular spokesman at the company’s Atlanta headquarters, today confirmed that the cuts will pare about 6,800 workers from across the company. No specifics are yet available about which jobs will be affected, he said, but departments within the company have completed staffing evaluations, which are being reviewed.

“We said all along ... that there would be cuts from this merger,” Owen said.

But what had not been disclosed until yesterday was the estimated number of workers affected. “We haven’t gotten the hard-and-fast numbers yet,” he said.

The union of Cingular and AT&T was announced in February (see story), with Cingular buying AT&T Wireless for about $41 billion, or $15 per share. The deal required approval from AT&T Wireless shareholders and federal regulatory authorities.

Cingular was formed in 2000 and is jointly owned by SBC Communications Inc. and BellSouth Corp. Before the merger, the company had more than 24 million subscribers and in 2003 earned revenues of approximately $15.5 billion.

Source: COMPUTERWORLD

November 23, 2004 08:07 AM US Eastern Timezone

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nov. 23, 2004—GlobeTel Communications Corp. (OTCBB:GTEL) today announced that Sanswire Networks, LLC, its wholly owned subsidiary, is on track to launch the prototype of the Stratellite being built in California towards the end of January 2005.

The Stratellite will climb to an altitude of between 55,000 and 65,000 feet. Once the airship has achieved its "on station" position, achieved by GPS coordinates, tests will be conducted on voice and data quality and range of transmission. These tests will be on-going for approximately 60 days. The Stratellite will be launched and reclaimed multiple times to test the guidance systems and flight capabilities. Plans are in place to provide a video link from the airship to GTEL's website for shareholders to watch the launch and flight of the Stratellite. Thirty days (30) prior to launch, pictures of the Stratellite being constructed can be found on the company's website at http://www.globetel.net , an announcement will notify the public of the availability of the pictures.

Timothy Huff, CEO of GTEL stated, "This is truly an exciting time for us here at GTEL. We have so many good things happening but the launch of the Stratellite has to top them all. If our tests prove the technology to be as designed, then we will change the landscape of telecommunications and even the world. This would allow, virtually overnight a communications grid to be installed over an area that could provide voice, data, cellular, TV broadcasts, radio, and surveillance for a fraction of the cost of traditional infrastructure."

A Stratellite is similar to a satellite, but is stationed in the stratosphere rather than in orbit. At an altitude of only 13 miles, each Stratellite will have clear line-of-site communications capability to an entire major metropolitan area as well as being able to provide coverage across major rural areas. Several Stratellites linked together could cover many hundreds of thousands of square miles. The Stratellite will allow subscribers to easily communicate in "both directions" using readily available wireless devices. In addition to voice and data, proposed telecommunications uses include cellular, 3G/4G mobile, MMDS, paging, fixed wireless telephony, HDTV, real-time surveillance and others.

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Placement Act of 1995. The words "forecast", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "would", and similar expressions and all statements, which are not historical facts, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (finance or operating) or achievements to differ from future results, performance (financing and operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The above are more fully discussed in the Company's SEC filings.

Contact
GlobeTel Communications Corp., Fort Lauderdale
Leigh A. Coleman, 954-241-0590
investors@globetel.net

Source: BusinessWire (thanks to Jay Moskowitz)

An Explanation of American Thanksgiving Day in Spanish

Día de Acción de Gracias

El cuarto jueves de noviembre

Los Peregrinos que celebraron la primera acción de gracias en Plymouth en 1621, habían salido de Inglaterra para Holanda en 1608, perseguidos por sus creencias religiosas. En 1620 decidieron zarpar para la Colonia Virginia. Al llegar a Plymouth, Massachusetts, conocieron al indígena Squanto, quien les ayudó a sobrevivir el crudo invierno. Muchos murieron debido a la pulmonía y el escorbuto. Al cosechar su primer maíz decidieron hacer una fiesta para celebrar. Los soldados desfilaron, tocaron trompetas, y dispararon cartuchos en blanco. Invitaron a 90 indígenas, quienes compitieron con ellos en carreras y saltos, y llevaron cinco ciervos para la comida, que incluía pato, ganso, venado, mariscos, pan blanco, pan de maíz, y verduras. Según la historia, en esta primera celebración no se incluyó el pavo, ni la salsa de arándano, ni la torta de calabaza, que son los platos favoritos del Día de Acción de Gracias moderno.

Desde 1621 hasta 1863 se celebró esporádicamente y en distintas fechas, y por ser una celebración religiosa, algunos gobernadores consideraban que decretarla era interferencia estatal en la religión. Aunque el presidente Washington había emitido una proclama en 1789, fue el presidente Lincoln quien decretó el feriado nacional durante la Guerra Civil.

Esta fiesta se aprovecha para hacer grandes reuniones familiares. Por la mañana se acostumbra ver por televisión el gran desfile del Almacén Macy's en Nueva York, el cual incluye bombas gigantescas, carrozas, bandas, figuras de los personajes más conocidos por los niños, y hasta Papá Noel, pues para muchos esta fecha marca el principio de la época navideña.

Las familias se reúnen para una comida opípara que incluye el pavo relleno, las batatas, la salsa de arándano, el puré con salsa de carne, el pan de maíz, la cebolla en salsa blanca, la torta de calabaza, y los pasteles de carne picada con frutas. Por la tarde se ven partidos de fútbol americano en estadios o por televisión. Los deportes han sido parte importante de esta celebración desde el principio.

Source: Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América—Bogotá, Colombia

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Technical Support
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• Paging terminal upgrades, relocations, troubleshooting, emergency repair & training
• Transmitter installation & maintenance
• Experienced former Glenayre Technicians and Engineers
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Call or write today to learn more
Alan Carle
Director of Engineering
888-854-2697 x272
acarle@ucom.com

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

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• $4.50 labor for numeric or alphanumeric pagers
• $6.50 labor for 2-way pagers
• $9.50 labor for cellular phones

**Special pricing on cellular and pager refurbishment**

Motorola Authorized Service Center for Paging and Cellular.

Ask for Special Newsletter Pricing.

Please call: (800) 222-6075 ext. 306 for pricing.

CONTACT
E-mail:	info@minilec.com  CLICK HERE
	Minilec Service, Inc. 9207 Deering Ave., Suite A Chatsworth, CA 91311

Download Mr. Mercer's resumé. CLICK HERE

Intelligent Paging & Mobile Data Products

Selective is a developer and manufacturer of highly innovative paging receiver/decoders and mobile data equipment including the PDT2000 Paging Data Terminal, THE MOST INTELLIGENT PAGING RECEIVER IN THE MARKET.  The PDT2000 is a large display pager designed for desktop or in-vehicle mounting and is widely used by emergency services and in onsite paging systems for forklift dispatch etc. All of the following capabilities are standard features of the PDT2000 and of our other paging data receivers:

• FLEX or POCSAG decoding
• POCSAG encoding and transmitter control
• Parallel printer output
• Serial inputs & outputs
• Relay control (1-256 or more)
• PC interfacing and message management
• Message interception & logging
• Remote control
• Cross band repeating & paging coverage infill
• LED sign control
• Message printing etc.

Our mobile data equipment includes a range of intelligent Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) which may be interfaced to a variety of wireless networks including GPRS & CDMA cellular. Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and GPS solutions, Dispatch & Messaging software. We offer mobile communications dealers and systems integrators a “fast to market” job dispatch and job management capability with the inbuilt job processing system which may be interfaced to a variety of CAD & JMS platforms.

Specialised local area paging systems, paging interception and message reprocessing software, field force automation and mobile dispatch solutions. We do custom product development and export worldwide.

CONTACT
Postal Address:	Selective Communications Group PO Box 8798 Symonds St. Auckland, New Zealand
Street Address:	3/2 Haultain St. Eden Tce Auckland, New Zealand
Web site:	www.selective.co.nz CLICK HERE
E-mail:	info@selective.co.nz CLICK HERE
Phone:	+64-9-3021142
Fax:	+64-9-3021148
THIRD TERM SUPPORTER

I am an authorized Manufacturer Representative for Selective Communications. Please contact me directly for any additional information. CLICK HERE

If you see someone in the field (like salespeople, technicians, and delivery people) using paper forms, their company could probably save a pile of money, and get much better timeliness, accuracy and efficiency, by using converting to Outr.Net's Wireless Forms. Custom applications for as little as $995, delivered in just a few days.Outr.Net has a web page on Wireless Forms for Timeports at: http://www.outr.net/overnight_pw.htm Their latest newsletter is: "Business Development in Mobile Data"

Please call me so we can discuss your need or your idea. Or contact me by e-mail for additional information. CLICK

Prism Message Gateway Systems
Modular and Configurable

Your Choice of Options

• Radio Paging Terminals
• Voicemail Systems
• Email and Network Text Messaging Systems
• Digital Trunk Switching Systems
• Digital Trunk and Voicemail Concentrators
• Remote Network Encoders
• TNPP Network Routers

Popular Choice for Domestic and International

• Commercial Paging Carriers
• Private Paging Systems
• Hospitals
• Public Safety
• Federal, State and Local Government
• Industrial Paging
• Energy Companies – Load Management

Logical Choice

• Replace Outdated, UNLICENSED Paging Terminals
• Eliminate Outrageously High Support Costs
• Add New Paging System with ALL THE FEATURES
• Provide Your Customers With Features They Want
• Designed and Supported by Industry Experts

Go ahead . . . be choosy . . . choose Prism Systems International

CONTACT

Prism Systems International, Inc. 300 Colonial Center Parkway, Suite 100 Roswell, Georgia 30076 USA

Telephone: 678-353-3366

Internet: www.prismpaging.com CLICK HERE

E-mail: info@prismpaging.com CLICK HERE

SECOND TERM SUPPORTER

Complete Technical Services For The
Communications and Electronics Industries
Design • Installation • Maintenance • Training

Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Registered Professional Engineer

Advertise Here

Your company's logo and product promotion can appear right here for 6 months. It only costs $500 for a full-size ad in 26 issues—that's $19.23 an issue. (6 month minimum run.)

Details about the various advertising plans can be read here.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO

CALL CENTER

Please click on the image above for more information.

PAGING TECHNICIAN

Mark Hood mehood@cox.net

Telephone: 757-588-0537

Paging Field Engineer/Electronic technician in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area.

Download resumé here. CLICK

The Electronic Entities Group

www.EEonTheWeb.com

Remember that old word “Residuals”?

The EE Group is actively seeking Dealers with sales/ service/installation capabilities to promote the latest wireless AVL, SCADA and data products from Telegauge Systems, Inc. This innovative program requires NO inventory and NO billing by your facility; you just sell it and sign up the end user to collect the commissions.

Now the real reason to choose the EE Group and Telegauge over the host of others; we pay you permanent residual income every month on your airtime sales forever.

Airtime commissions range up to 12% per month based on prior sales and you buy all equipment direct from the factory at 2-tiered wholesale prices as well for great margins. 

Telegauge builds fully 2-way overt and covert (hidden) GPS based Automatic Vehicle Location, SCADA, remote management, telemetry and data systems routed via cellular and satellite that are delivered to the end user via the Internet or direct to the desktop. Applications are both ‘canned’ and custom depending upon the customers needs. We even have full dispatch systems including credit card swipe and billing if needed.

Finally, the prices on the product are guaranteed to be the LOWEST in the industry at under $600 retail for the equipment and from $6 to $30 on the monthly airtime with most customers in the $15 range. Note too that the price is the same for cellular OR satellite world wide coverage and no one else has this exclusive capability.

Telegauge provides the product, software, airtime, billing and final information from a single source and you can be a BIG part of it. You stock NOTHING, just collect the checks.

We are paid by the manufacturer to support YOU and unlike other factories; we never bid against you, restrict you or take your deal. We help you with demo equipment, brochures, information, sales assistance, web advertising and user name/passwords for the website so that you don’t even need to buy anything to start up fast.

Contact us for a no-obligation CD of all the presentation and training material, price spreadsheets and information at: EEGroup@EEonTheWeb.com or for fast action call for a link to the Dealers Only page: 310-534-4456 and mention that you found out about it via Brad Dye’s Newsletter. You have nothing to lose and some great residual income to gain. Call or e-mail NOW.

AAPC Mission Statement

To represent paging carriers throughout the United States to ensure the success of our industry by:

• Identifying issues of common concern to its members
• Providing an effective forum for the discussion and progression of issues relating to the industry
• Monitoring and addressing regulatory and legal matters as a unified organization
• Providing research into and development of our industry and its current and prospective markets
• Providing education and resources to address the challenges and trends affecting our operating environments
• Encouraging and maintaining high standards of ethics and services
• Championing the industry and representing paging carriers with a positive voice

Our industry must move forward together or we will perish individually.

AAPC links:

• Newsroom
• Paging Technical Committee
• Printed Newsletter archive
• Dues
• Membership application
• E-mail (more information)

Zetron Simulcast System

High-speed simulcast paging with protocols such as POCSAG and FLEX™ requires microsecond accuracy to synchronize the transmission of digital paging signals.

Zetron's Simulcast System uses GPS timing information to ensure that the broadcasted transmissions between the nodes of the Simulcast System and associated transmitters are synchronized to very tight tolerances.

This system is ideal for public or private paging system operators that use multiple transmitters and wish to create new paging systems or to build out existing systems into new regions. For more information about Zetron's High Speed Simulcast Paging System, the Model 600 and Model 620, go to:

www.zetron.com/paging. CLICK HERE

CONTACT

Zetron, Inc. P.O. Box 97004 Redmond, WA 98073-9704 USA

Tel: 425-820-6363

Fax: 425-820-7031

E-mail: zetron@zetron.com CLICK HERE

THIRD TERM SUPPORTER

www.gtesinc.com
Your Professional Services Partner

GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider in the paging industry. With over 200 years of combined experience in Glenayre hardware and software support, GTES offers the industry the most professional support and engineering development staff available.

New Product Development

New Hardware Platform
New Data Protocol Support
Small Campus Two-Way Systems
Location LSP
Hosted Two Way Support

Please call GTES Sales at 770-754-1666 for more information on the above.

Continued Support Programs

GTES Partner Program
Product Sales
On-Site Services
Software Development
Product Training

CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS

Wireless Communication Solutions

The Hark ISI-400LX is a hardware device that encapsulates serial data into TCP/IP for transmission over the Internet. It can also be configured to convert incoming TAP messages from the serial port and send them over the Internet to paging providers in email (SMTP) or Simple Network Paging Protocol (SNPP) format. The ISI-400LX with the optional external modem can connect to a secondary dial-up ISP when a failure on the ethernet port is detected.

This device is the perfect companion for the Hark Gateway products. An ISI can be located at a remote location for receiving TAP, TNPP, or Billing traffic using a local ISP eliminating long distance phone charges.

System Features & Benefits:

• Hardware Based
• Uses Embedded Linux as the Multitasking OS
• Secure access for Configuration and Maintenance
• Converts Serial TAP message to SNPP or SMTP
• Converts Serial Data to TCP/IP and TCP/IP back to Serial
• Connects to Internet using 10Base-T Network
• Connects to Internet using Modem and PPP
• Dial Backup to another ISP or Modem
• Can be Configured to use 1 to 4 Serial Ports

CONTACT

Hark Systems, Inc. 2675 Lake Park Drive N. Charleston, SC 29406

Tel: +1 800-367-4275 or 843-764-1560 ext. 8104

Fax: +1 843-764-3692

E-mail: leanne@harksystems.com CLICK

Web: http://www.harksystems.com CLICK

THIRD TERM SUPPORTER

• ISO 9001 - 2000 certified manufacturing facility.
• THE High-Quality RF design and Contract Manufacturer of choice.
• Do you have a product or product component that you would like to have manufactured?
• Would you like to have us design and manufacture a product just for you?
• Would you like to know firsthand that your contract manufacturer is one of the leading providers of service with the highest degree of quality in mind?

Daviscomms USA Inc. is your direct connection to Daviscomms (S) Pte Ltd., the leading pager manufacturer in the world with many years experience in Engineering, Design, and Manufacturing of highly-reliable, premium-quality FLEX and POCSAG Alphanumeric and Numeric pagers. Daviscomms offers unparalleled quality, features and functions. We perform our own stringent quality testing as well as certification by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to meet all of their standards. All of our paging products meet FCC and IC Standards for use in the USA and Canada.

Our manufacturing facility, located in Malaysia, is a 40,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility. Customers, globally, choose Daviscomms for our QUALITY, RELIABILITY, ON-TIME DELIVERY, COMPETITIVE PRICING and our TOTAL COMMITMENT to providing the best value for their needs.

TMR w/BNC Telemetry	We offer full product support (ODM/OEM) for our worldwide customers, including a complete design center, research facilities, proto-typing, field services, contract manufacturing, commodity sourcing, and distribution.
In addition to both Numeric and Alphanumeric pagers, we have designed, engineered and manufactured 1-way Telemetry devices, paging receivers, 2-way paging (ReFLEX) telemetry devices, DECT phones/devices and PDA accessories.	Bravo 500 Numeric Display

At Daviscomms, we are proud to provide our customers with end-to-end manufacturing solutions while delivering superior quality and support. Daviscomms is at the forefront of the industry with its commitment to leading-edge technology, cost-effective manufacturing and the highest degree of customer service.

Daviscomms delivers low cost, high volume manufacturing solutions to our customers. We help maximize time-to-market objectives while minimizing procurement, materials management, and manufacturing costs.

For information about our contract manufacturing services or our Bravo-branded line of numeric and alphanumeric pagers, please call Bob Popow, our Director of Operations for the Americas, 480-515-2344. (Scottsdale, Arizona) or visit our website www.daviscommsusa.com.

Wireless Telemetry

Data Communications	Level 1	A basic ReFLEX transceiver, sending and receiving serial RS-232 ASCII data.
Telemetry Remote Monitoring and Control	Level 2	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, monitoring alarms from a remote site, and sending commands to the remote site.
Asset or Fleet Tracking	Level 3	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, with the addition of a GPS module for the reporting of accurate locations to enable tracking.
Field Force Automation	Level 4	An enhanced ReFLEX transceiver, with the addition of a GPS module and a handheld computer terminal for full automation of field service activities all the way from the customer's location back to the service company's back office.
We can generally turn a specification into a prototype in two to four weeks. If you have an interesting application in mind, please give me a call so we can talk about it. ()

DX Radio Systems, Inc. manufactures high quality, high specification type communications products. The following is a list of products that DX Radio Systems, Inc. manufactures or supplies as a single supplied product and can be included as part of a turnkey system:

• Repeaters
• Repeater Systems
• Paging Transmitters
• Paging Systems
• LTR & MPT1327 Trunking Systems
• MPT1327 Trunking Repeaters
• SmarTrunk II Trunking Repeaters
• Complete Trunking Systems
• Airport Ground to Air Base Radios
• Airport Ground to Air Systems
• Rural Radiotelephone Link Systems
• Antenna Systems
• Combining Systems
• Complete Turnkey Systems
• Engineering & Installation of All Systems

Performance that is tough to find anywhere at a price you can afford.

CONTACT

DX Radio Systems, Inc. 10941 Pendleton Street Sun Valley, California 91352-1522 USA

Telephone: 818-252-6700

Fax: 818-252-6711

E-mail: Info@DXRadioSystems.com CLICK

Web: www.dxradiosystems.com CLICK

Survey: Some iPod fans dump PCs for Macs

Published: November 24, 2004, 7:28 AM PST

The popularity of the iPod could be boosting Apple Computer's financials in unexpected ways.

According to a survey of iPod users by financial analysis firm Piper Jaffray, Macs are basking in the reflected glory of the iPod, with some who own the music player saying they have already or are intending to ditch their PCs for Macs.

The research found that 6 percent of iPod users have made the switch. An additional 7 percent said they are planning to dump their old PC for an Apple machine, according to the survey.

Gene Munster, Piper Jaffray senior research analyst, said the iPod halo effect will make a difference to Apple for a while to come.

"We're in the very early innings of a multiyear trend," he said.

Among the factors influencing the PC-dumping crowd are ease of use, a focus on entertainment and the perception of better security.

The switchers, according to Munster, tend to be people who aren't necessarily techie types.

"A lot of people, with all due respect, don't understand the technology. . . They're people with money, not tech people," he said.

While Apple might see a healthy period ahead, to turn the advantage into long-term gain the company has to keep setting the design trends, according to the analysts.

"They've got to keep that 'cool factor' going," Munster said. "If they don’t, they're in trouble."

Source: c|net News.Com

TOWERS FOR SALE
New, never installed, complete with hardware.
Please call or e-mail with questions.

TOO MUCH TO LIST • CALL OR E-MAIL

Rick McMichael 888-429-4171 rmcm@preferredwireless.com CLICK

THIRD TERM SUPPORTER

SBC puts wireless spots in Barnes & Noble

Posted on Tue, Nov. 23, 2004

SAN ANTONIO—SBC Communications Inc. said Tuesday it has put wireless Internet service in more than 600 Barnes & Noble Inc. bookstores and will be in 88 Avis airport car-rental locations by early next year.

Barnes & Noble will charge customers $3.95 for a 2-hour session, and Avis, a unit of Cendant Corp., will charge $7.95 for 24 hours.

SBC said customers of its high-speed Internet service would get wireless access at both businesses for no extra charge until April 15 and $1.99 a month extra for a 1-year sign-up after that.

Source: The Miami Herald

Hot spot in the making

Sunday, November 14, 2004

Instant messages and e-mails come and go. A group huddles around a laptop for an important meeting. Someone surfs the Web while sucking back a cafe mocha and listening to tunes on his iPod.

This isn't your father's office.
It's the typical crowd at It's a Grind Coffee house in downtown Grand Rapids. Since the store opened in 2002 with a free wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network, customers have flocked—laptops in tow—to buy coffee, sandwiches and baked goods and get their cyberfix. "I come here because there is good coffee and because of the free Internet," said Scott Sadler, owner of Skyblocks, a small firm that develops Web applications. So, too, do dozens of students, business travelers, sales people and local residents—every day.

Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell wants to see such wireless freedom extended to the city's parks, neighborhoods and offices. "When I look out five years from now, it will allow us to remain a vital economic center," Heartwell said. "I just believe in my heart that we have got to stay ahead of the technology curve if we are going to remain economically viable as a community." If the mayor's plan is realized, portions of a citywide Wi-Fi network could be available next year, adding another high-speed Internet option in a market already served by digital subscriber lines, cable Internet and other services. Atlanta, San Francisco and New York are among the major cities across the country also weighing such systems.

First steps
In Ottawa County, a task force is developing plans for an even-larger countywide network to bring a wireless broadband system to areas without service. A citywide network is in place in Grand Haven through upstart company, Ottawa Wireless. Unlike free "hot spots" in places such as It's a Grind, Ottawa Wireless charges users $5.95 for a day or monthly rates starting at $19.95. Likewise, if Ottawa County introduces a wireless system, it isn't expected to be free.

Heartwell, however, thinks a free municipal system could be feasible, paid for by taxpayers and donations. Earlier this year, Heartwell established a task force to study how to implement such a system here. Last month, the city awarded a $19,000 contract to Community Media Center Executive Director Dirk Koning to develop a request for proposals. Heartwell said wireless technology could bring free or low-cost access to the entire city while giving Grand Rapids a competitive advantage in attracting new businesses.

Intellectual magnet?
Part of the thinking is graduating college students will hunger for widespread access to wireless networks after becoming accustomed to them on campuses throughout the state. John Otterbacher, a communications teacher and graduate student at Grand Valley State University, is not convinced a wireless network will be such an enticing lure -- but he does think it would be cool. He frequents stores and restaurants in Grand Rapids and Chicago where he knows he can get on the Net free. "I don't think we're going to keep people here just because we have it, but it will boost Grand Rapids' image," he said, after pausing his iPod and taking a break from browsing the Web at It's a Grind.

Heartwell also is keen on bridging the "digital divide" between those who can afford high-speed Internet services and those who cannot. "If you want low-income people to have access and that's a priority for your community, then government does have to play a significant role," he said.

Cost concerns
The most daunting question is whether enough people will use wireless connections to justify the millions it will cost to set up and support such a system. The state's new Broadband Authority could help alleviate some of the initial costs by providing low-cost loans. Even the most ardent wireless backers cannot name a situation where deploying a large, urban network has been profitable—or even self-sustaining. The most successful providers to date have focused on business travelers, creating hot spots in airports, hotels, conference centers, copy shops and even aboard some airlines—typically for premium prices.

Others have succeeded by deploying proprietary systems in rural areas that use more expensive equipment where other broadband options aren't available. Ottawa Wireless, which has signed up 250 monthly subscribers in Grand Haven since July, still is losing money, said Les Lewis, the company's chief financial officer. Daily subscriptions, popular with the thousands of tourists who flocked to the area over the summer, have dropped along with temperatures. But Lewis said he is optimistic profitability is just around the corner.

One Grand Rapids-based businessman who bills his company as the state's largest wireless provider says he does not recommend it for people with access to other Internet options. It's not as fast or as reliable as a wired broadband connection, said Steve Van Wieren, co-owner of I-2000 Inc. in Wyoming. "I have hundreds and hundreds of customers all through Michigan who successfully have wireless connections," he said. "But those (customers) are in areas where a wired solution is not easily obtainable or the wired solution has chosen not to be competitive."

Other obstacles
There also are limitations that could be difficult and expensive to overcome, said Steve Langeler, owner of wireless provider Michwave Technologies. "This isn't California, and people need to understand that just because they can do it in California or Arizona where they don't have as many trees doesn't mean it will be easy here," Langeler said. Trees, he noted, contain a lot of water—a big hindrance to the radio signals wireless systems rely on.

Iserv, the region's largest independent Internet provider, only implements wireless in specific cases for its business customers. "We haven't been able to build a solid business model for putting a canopy over an area and trying to serve an area with wireless access," said Jeff Potter, director of consulting services for Iserv. "Wireless certainly is going to be a very viable option in the future but right now it has got its pitfalls."

New technologies such as the Intel Corp.-backed WiMAX standard promise to help alleviate some of the interference, distance and geographic issues that can degrade wireless systems. WiMAX equipment, when available, also is expected to cost significantly less to set up. But that technology has yet to be deployed on a widespread basis since the equipment has only been available in prototype form.

Ottawa Wireless is betting the freedom wireless provides will be enough to help get the business into the black—eventually. The company struck a deal with the Grand Haven Light and Power to mount antennas on the city's utility poles to deliver the service to customers' homes and outdoor areas throughout the city. In return, Grand Haven gets a percentage of Ottawa Wireless' subscriber revenue. Similar models are likely to be adopted in the Ottawa County and Grand Rapids networks.

Among the hurdles Ottawa Wireless faces are cable television giant Charter Communications and telephone behemoth SBC Communications. Both mega companies offer high-speed service in Grand Haven.

Comparable cost
And, with SBC offering DSL lines for $19.95 to customers who also use its phone service, the price is nearly identical while DSL download speeds tend to be faster. Lewis, Ottawa Wireless' CFO, said he expects continued competition -- and perhaps future cooperation—with other providers. "We could supply them with a wholesale connection to our network so they could offer it to their customers as well," Lewis said. "There has been some interest in that."

FreedomNet Communications recently launched a wireless system that covers most of the area around Monroe Center in downtown Grand Rapids. The service costs about $5 a day or $19.95 a month. One of FreedomNet's antennas is mounted on top of the Select Bank building through an arrangement with the building's owner.

So far, there have not been many users, said Timothy Dykstra, president of FreedomNet. But a broader system that blankets more of the town may be commercially viable if done correctly, he said. "There is a niche in the market for people who might have mobile needs," Dykstra said. "In my professional opinion, if Grand Rapids had a ubiquitous WiFi network, it would only be logically useful from an economic standpoint for a very small number of people because there are so many other solutions available," he added.

Koning, who recently began work on developing Grand Rapids' request for proposals, said it's too early to tell what form a network would take, who it might appeal to, how much it will cost or whether it will require a public subsidy. In Ottawa, the county planner Mark Knudson said a task force appointed in August to develop a system came to one conclusion early in its discussions. "We do realize this is a venture that has some risk in it," Knudson said. "That is one reason why we are not putting public dollars in it. We feel if it can't be done through the private sector, then it's probably not a good venture."

Source: The Grand Rapids Press mlive.com

Broadcom Chipsets Expand Wi-Fi Coverage Areas

11/22/04 1:55 PM PT

Broadcom said its new chips will operate at the highest transmission rate possible for a longer time than currently available chips, which are quicker to shift to lower data rates in order to maintain clear transmissions. It said the chips would improve performance whether used only on the client side only or in the router portion of a network.

Broadco (Nasdaq: BRCM) has rolled out a new line of local area network (LAN) chipsets that it says can increase the range of existing Wi-Fi networks by as much as 50 percent in both office and home settings.

Broadcom said its Broadrange 54g chipsets rely on advanced signal processing technology to boost the range from which wireless-enabled computers can access a network. The company rolled out both a single-chip 802.11g client solution for mobile computers and a system-on-a-chip for routers.

Broadcom said its new chips would operate at the highest transmission rate possible for a longer time than currently available chips, which are quicker to shift to lower data rates in order to maintain clear transmissions.

It said the chips would improve performance whether used on the client side only or in the router portion of a network, which sets it apart from other higher-performing Wi-Fi offerings, such as those from Atheros, which relies on having the same chips at both ends of the connection.

Having faster and wider-range Wi-Fi broadband could help the already widespread technology become ubiquitous and expand the use of wireless PCs, cell phones and other hand-held devices to access networks and the Internet.

Playing the Standards
The Broadcom approach avoids clashing with standards groups that have urged vendors to hold off on rolling out next-generation Wi-Fi technology. Some vendors have already started pushing products said to be compliant with 802.11.n pre-standards, something that the oversight groups say could mislead consumers and cause the growth of wireless networks to slow over time.

It also doesn't require locking into a proprietary environment in order to gain the higher speeds, as other higher-performance options do, Linley Group senior analyst Bob Wheeler said.

He said the Broadcom rollout represented the first major upgrade of Wi-Fi ranges that didn't also come with a string attached in the form of being required to upgrade to proprietary chips on both ends of the wireless connection in order to achieve the higher speeds.

The result is a much more cost-effective option, he said, because existing networks can be upgraded without being replaced in their entirety. "We recommend standards-based range enhancements over proprietary approaches because they improve the user experience for both new and existing networks," he said.

Waiting for Bullet Train
Still, some buyers might be reluctant to invest in existing Wi-Fi setups because standards and technology are evolving rapidly. For instance, 802.11.n is expected to have formal standards in place sometime next year or early in 2006, likely leading to a deluge of products in that format.

While standards bodies push for backwards-compatibility in newer formats, many buyers still fear being stuck with yesterday's technology as soon as they purchase it, Yankee Group analyst Roberta Wiggins said. Wi-Fi's limitations are often enough to give pause to those considering investing in small-scale wireless networks.

"There are always going to be those consumers who would rather wait before jumping into an emerging technology," Wiggins said. "Picking up the speeds is one thing that the industry can do to improve uptake."

Source: TechNewsWorld

WiMax Hype, 802.11 Reality

By Glenn Fleishman

Wimax vs. WiFi: WiFi is the inheritor to Ethernet’s Manifest Destiny

Robert Berger writes that WiMax and 802.16 may be eclipsed by near-term 802.11 development: Robert is a veteran of several industries, moving from digital video to Internet to wireless, having spent the last five years thinking about and building wireless systems and companies. He now consults in the industry through his firm Internet Bandwidth Development, LLC. Robert has deep thoughts that come from this experience, and I wanted to pass on (with his permission) an email he sent to Dave Farber’s IP list today.

Robert writes:

I have been involved in these realms for the last 4+ years both in the hardware manufacturer and service provider realms. Here is my opinionated, but educated perspective on the WiMax vs Wi-Fi debate:

At this point in time, WiMax/802.16 is another Zero Billion Dollar industry. There are no WiMax Products today. There will be some WiMax products within the next 3 - 6 months, but they will be first generation and far from the promises that the WiMax forum has been promising. Wi-Fi/802.11 chipsets are already up the learning curve by several generations. Wi-Fi chipsets are already shipping in the high 10’s of millions / year.

IMHO, 802.11 is recapitulating the evolution of Ethernet into the Wireless realms.

Ethernet was originally considered a “toy” technology by many of the industry leaders of the time. The manly technologies at that time were first Token Ring, then 802.12 AnyLAN VG, then ATM.

Wi-Fi is currently considered useful only for the home and some enterprise applications and a “toy” for outdoor Municipal Networks.

But Ethernet out evolved and kept delivering just enough functionality, at much lower cost than the too sophisticated QoS laden and expensive “heavyweights”.

Wi-Fi/802.11 has taken on the mantle of Ethernet’s Manifest Destiny (it uses almost exactly the same packet frame as Ethernet) and brings it into the wireless realms. There are many more companies, universities and hackers pushing the boundaries of what 802.11 can do and the volume is growing at an accelerating pace.

Today 802.11 is at a similar phase of evolution as early Ethernet was when there were only a shared contention medium via hubs and bridges. Ethernet really took off when switches became available and allowed the contention realm to be broken up to support parallel data flows. And that is what we can expect in the next stage of 802.11 evolution. This is what is needed to make mesh wireless networks viable with 802.11. There are already several companies developing mesh (though only a few are doing it in a way that will scale). There is also an 802.11s working group developing a standard for wireless mesh. And mesh is what will allow 802.11 to eventually cover municipal areas.

WiMax hype is extremely misleading. You hear that a WiMax base station can create coverage of 35 - 70 miles, deliver 50 Mbps, will work in unlicensed and licensed frequencies, can deliver Non Line Of Sight (NLOS) through trees and buildings, will support mobility and CPE built into Laptops.

But this hype is misleading because they mush together all the claims for all the different frequencies from 2 GHz to 10 GHz, licensed and unlicensed, and projections of their roadmap for the next 8 years.

If you compare WiMax using the same 5.8 GHz unlicensed frequencies that 802.11a would use, there may be only 3 or 4 dB link budget advantage of WiMax over 802.11a. (I.E., the link budget is the total of receiver sensitivity and transmitter power, less losses between the two end points, thus it represents the distance that can be covered and/or penetration thru obstructions. So WiMax can deliver a link budget that is at most twice as good as 802.11a, and in the scope of things this is not very much compared to the total link budgets used in outdoor links).

If you say, ok, lets use licensed spectrum, then you can get long distances OR NLOS. If you really want to deliver multi MBps and be able to use laptops inside buildings as CPE, you’ll still need microcell sites on the scale of 1- or 2-mile radius of coverage and use multiple WATTS of power. WiMax uses sophisticated base stations and relatively dump CPE. So each micro-cell base station would be relatively expensive (compared to 802.11, but definitely cheaper than cellphone base stations).

AND you would have to buy the spectrum to create the coverage. At this point in time, in the US, the only spectrum that has half decent propagation characteristics and is available for this application in big enough chunks to be useful is the 2.5 GHz MMDS frequencies. These are already owned by primarily 3 corporations, plus a bunch of educational institutions (the later still holding on to it for “educational” distance learning TV).

So there is a customer base of maybe a handful of companies to buy and buildout licensed networks. Two of the license owners failed already in building out an MMDS network, the third is a “new” company, Clearwire, who bought spectrum from Worldcom. This does not represent a robust marketplace needed to drive a rapidly evolving technology. Its more like a legacy telco marketplace that will have to compete against DSL and Cable Modem in the urban/suburban markets that represent the bulk of the potential end user marketplace. It will not be subsidized by a parallel home / enterprise networking marketplace as will 802.11.

Finally, the WiMax industry has (in terms of active, as opposed to paper members) one giant company, Intel, and scores of small, mostly barely surviving wireless equipment companies that had already spent most of their efforts on proprietary LMDS or MMDS technology and then threw their hats into WiMax as a way to try to keep going. Most of these companies plan to offer proprietary enhancements to their WiMax products to “differentiate” from the competitors. So there are already way too many companies involved in WiMax than there will be demand for their products. So we can expect that when the hype dies down most of the companies will fail.

Sometime in the near future, I would expect that Intel will drop out of most activity with WiMax. They will realize that they need to get back to their “knitting” as AMD is challenging their core business and that there is never going to be the kind of volume in WiMax chipsets that is needed to keep Intel’s interest.

There are a few WiMax companies, that will do very well for themselves. Companies such as Alvarian, who are already a leader in the outdoor, wide area wireless network equipment even before WiMax, who understand the market and have the distribution channel / customer base. This niche will grow with the lower costs for this style of rural and Multiple Business Unit (MDU) type network buildouts that can afford the price points that WiMax will end up with. But it will not be a mass market.

In conclusion, Wi-Fi will out evolve and deliver connectivity at costs dramatically lower than WiMax. WiMax / 802.16 is just starting on its path to evolution, has a much smaller base of innovators and chipset growth volume. Wi-Fi is already far along on its core learning curve, has an easy order of magnitude larger base of innovators / investors and chipset growth volume. WiMax hype will sputter out to reality of a niche backhaul and rural marketplace, Wi-Fi/802.11 will evolve and grow into many more realms and dominate the Local Area Network (LAN) / Neighborhood Area Network (NAN) / Metro Area Network (MAN).

Source: Wi-Fi Networking News

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