Page 1 2 3 Page 1 2 3 | FRIDAY - JANUARY 20, 2006 - ISSUE NO. 196 |
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| Wireless Messaging Newsletter | ||
| WIRELESS  MESSAGING | |
| EUROPEAN MOBILE MESSAGING ASSOCIATION |
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| EUROPEAN MOBILE MESSAGING ASSOCIATION |
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| TECHNOLOGY NEWS |
In China, 111 million Net users counted
By Reuters
Published: January 18, 2006, 5:08 AM PST
The number of Web users in China, the world's second-largest Internet market, grew by 18 percent in 2005 to 111 million, the Economic Daily reported Wednesday.
Some 8.5 percent of the country's 1.3 billion people now have access to the Internet, the newspaper reported, citing a survey released by the China Internet Network Information Center.
State media previously predicted that 120 million Chinese people would be surfing the Web by the end of 2005, as computers find their way into more homes and domestic telecommunications networks grow.
The 2005 gains were higher than those in 2004, when the number of Internet users grew 16 percent to 94 million.
More than half of China's Web population—or about 64 million people—accessed the Web via broadband connections, suggesting a 50 percent increase from 2004, as China strongly promotes the development of its broadband networks.
The Internet's explosive growth in China has come despite the government's stepped-up efforts to control the medium, in which occasional pockets of free speech have appeared in chat sites and blogs.
PC makers such as industry leaders Lenovo Group and Dell shipped 5.2 million units in the third quarter of 2005, according to IDC.
The growth of the Internet has also spawned a growing number of local online players, including Yahoo-invested e-commerce firm Alibaba.com, Web portal Sina, online game firm Shanda Interactive Entertainment and online search firm Baidu.com.
Major mutlinationals attracted by the market's big growth potential have also set up shop in China, including online auctioneer eBay, online retailer Amazon.com. and online search leader Google.
Source: c|net News.com
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| PUBLIC SAFETY & SECURITY NEWS |
Study: Upgrades needed for emergency radio system
By RANDY WELLS, Gazette Staff Writer
December 21, 2005
A six-month study of Indiana County's emergency radio system has concluded that the network lacks the adequate coverage, capacity and inter-agency compatibility needed by the county's public safety first responders.
According to consultant L. Robert Kimball & Associates, most of the equipment in the county's emergency radio network has been in use for a number of years, and manufacturers' repair parts will become increasingly difficult to obtain. The county's existing low-band transmitter network—used by volunteer fire departments—has exceeded its expected life cycle and will need special maintenance considerations.
Kimball is recommending that the county upgrade its fire, police, ambulance, Emergency Management Agency and county agency dispatch and paging functions to a UHF-based, digital conventional simulcast public safety radio network.
Kimball estimates the enhancements may cost $14.5 million and will provide a common platform for public safety communications in the county for the next 10 to 15 years.
In addition to building a new jail and extending the runway at the Indiana County/Jimmy Stewart Airport, overhauling the emergency radio network will likely be the biggest undertaking for county government during the next several years.
Not a new problem
Indiana County Commissioner Rodney Ruddock said the county's emergency communication system was raised as a concern when he first took office.
"I was looking at this as a high-priority goal," Ruddock said. "This is a safety and security issue."
Ruddock said Kimball was asked to evaluate the current county emergency radio network and recommend improvements. The study produced a two-inch-thick binder of data, charts and recommendations. It also includes maps indicating how new equipment will shrink the "dead zones" in deep valleys where portable radio communications are iffy.
"We are finding there are some areas of Indiana County not able to communicate as well as they should," Ruddock said. "Our vision is to come up with a concept plan."
Ruddock said identifying the county's needs and designing and building an improved emergency radio system may take five years. But it's important to get started now.
Paul Beatty, Indiana County EMA director, said the Federal Communications Commission is mandating counties to "narrow-band the frequency spectrum"—reduce from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz—the bandwidth that a radio signal occupies.
Beatty said that narrowing of the bands to a 12.5 kHz range has to be completed by 2013, meaning major changes will be needed in base stations, vehicle-mounted and portable radios. Beatty estimated that 90 percent of the county's mobile radios now in use cannot be converted to a narrower band and will have to be replaced with new radios. The changes will affect volunteer fire departments, the sheriff's department, EMA, Citizens' Ambulance Service, police departments (except Indiana Borough and the state police, which have their own dispatchers), all county vehicles and offices equipped with radios and portable radios at the county jail.
How it works now
According to the Kimball study, the existing public safety communications network in Indiana County is a collection of uncoordinated systems that have evolved over time.
Indiana County operates multiple communications systems on VHF Low Band (30-50 megahertz), VHF High Band (150-174 MHz) and UHF (450-512 MHz) conventional repeater channels.
The transmission and receiving equipment for each of these channels is located on five remote towers located around the county.
All 24 fire agencies operate exclusively on VHF low band. Seven law enforcement agencies, along with the sheriff, jail, the district attorney's office and two ambulance agencies use VHF high band channels. The Indiana County Emergency Management Agency operates primarily on a single UHF repeater channel.
As a result of the varied systems, interoperability—the ability of one agency to communicate directly with others—is an issue. It has resulted in the need for some first responders to carry multiple radios and results in cumbersome and often unreliable communications, according to the Kimball study.
Signal breakdown
One indication of the strength of an emergency radio network is the amount of communication coverage it provides for emergency responders when they're away from their police cars, fire trucks and ambulances and are talking over portable, hand-held radios. Base stations may have 100 watts of power and vehicle-mounted mobile radios have about 45 watts of power. But the hand-held portables may operate on as little as five watts of power.
Thomas Stutzman, deputy director of Indiana County's EMA, said the county system now provides coverage by portable radio over about 70 percent of the county's area about 50 percent of the time. The goal of an enhanced system will be to provide coverage—even on relatively low-powered portable radios—over 95 percent of the county 95 percent of the time.
According to Stutzman, some radio base stations in the county network are early 1990s-vintage, and other equipment was manufactured in the mid '80s.
"We started to see on the fire band a lot of interference from new technologies," including radio signals that control automatic teller machines and traffic control devices, he said.
Upgrading to a UHF, digital, simulcast system will provide several advantages.
Using UHF, the county radio system will have better coverage with less traffic, Stutzman said. It will also handle data transmission, allowing police officers to use laptop computers in their cars to see the same databases as dispatchers see at the 9-1-1 center. Officers also will be able to use electronic messaging, similar to e-mail, between cars and have encryption capability, allowing them to have voice conversations not decipherable over radio scanners.
Currently, dispatchers at the 9-1-1 center must select a base station on one of the five existing towers to route a message through. A simulcast system will broadcast messages to all towers simultaneously, both when sending and receiving, Beatty said.
Kimball, in its $45,000 study for the county, is recommending that the county have 11 radio towers. New towers can cost $200,000 each, but it may be possible for the county to mount some new equipment on existing commercial towers.
Kimball also recommended that the county beef up the physical security at the 9-1-1 Center on Haven Drive by limiting public access and installing barriers and fencing.
Ruddock, Beatty, Stutzman and other members of a county communications committee will work with Kimball next to prepare a request for proposals from companies that design, build and supply the hardware for radio communications systems.
The committee will also search for state and federal aid to help pay for the improvements.
Source: The Indiana Gazette
Bill Targets Phone Record Fraud
By Mark Rockwell
January 19, 2006
NEWS@2 DIRECT
WASHINGTON—Members of Congress want to make stealing wireless phone records an explicit crime and are adding fines and prison time as further deterrents.
In a bi-partisan bill introduced yesterday, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Penn.; and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., propose companies or individuals that access individual wireless, wireline and voice over Internet phone records without the consumer's permission under false pretenses would face hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and a possible 10-year stint in federal prison.
The fines and jail time are aimed primarily at online data brokers aiming to get access to customer records on false pretenses in order to sell the information to third parties. Under the proposed legislation, existing federal fraud penalties - which include fines and prison time - would be doubly applied to companies that access more than 50 customer records in a year. Although the bill isn't exact in quoting a fine amount, carrier officials familiar with the bill's details say the fine would most likely be $100,000 for an offender, plus a possible 10-year prison sentence. Current federal code for fraud offenses, say the officials, is $50,000, plus a possible 5-year jail sentence.
The bill has been introduced as the issue of data brokering of wireless phone records has been pulled from relative obscurity to the limelight, as wireless phone records for erstwhile presidential candidate Wesley Clark were posted online last week. The records were obtained without Clark's approval by someone pretending to be him. The posting was made to show the hole in records security.
The FCC launched an inquiry this week into how wireless carriers are protecting the records. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also seems to be conducting its own investigation into the companies actually accessing and selling the information, although FTC spokespeople say they can't comment on the matter.
The new bill, Schumer says, will officially make illegal the data brokers' practices of pretending to be a carrier's customer in order to gain access to that customer's record. The practice has not been specifically covered by other fraud laws.
Source: Wireless Week
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| USMO NEWS RELEASE |
Alexandria, VA (January 19, 2006)—USA Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: USMO), a leading provider of wireless messaging services, today announced it has become a member of the American Association of Paging Carriers (AAPC), the major national association dedicated to representing and advancing the interests of the paging industry. In connection with its membership, the company also announced that David C. Duclos, senior vice president of information technology and engineering, has been named to the Board of Directors of AAPC. “We are pleased to join forces with other organizations interested in promoting and enhancing the fundamental values and technological advantages of paging,” said Vincent D. Kelly, president and chief executive officer of USA Mobility. “There are many important public issues today where paging needs to be represented, and doing so as part of a coordinated industry effort should greatly benefit all industry participants, from carriers and vendors to customers and the public at large.” Kelly added: "One important area of focus for AAPC, for example, is the role the paging industry might play in helping the Federal Communications Commission establish regulations for its proposed expansion to the Emergency Alert System. The successful performance and durability of paging networks during last summer's hurricanes in New Orleans, the Mississippi gulf coast and elsewhere were recognized by federal, state and local emergency response personnel in the aftermath of those disasters. Working in concert with fellow AAPC members, we believe our collective voice will help generate greater public recognition and visibility for the industry’s first-response capabilities, as well as the numerous other merits of our business.” Bruce Deer, president of AAPC and president of SkyTel, said: “We enthusiastically welcome USA Mobility as the newest member of AAPC. The company’s major industry presence will help solidify our ranks as we continue to effectively represent and advance the paging industry throughout the United States.” Duclos joined USA Mobility in 1989 and has more than 20 years experience in the paging and wireless communications business. He is responsible for all of the company’s IT and engineering systems and development. Duclos holds undergraduate degrees in engineering, business management and computer and information sciences, as well as a Master’s degree in Business Administration, from the University of Massachusetts. About USA Mobility Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act: Statements contained herein or in prior press releases which are not historical fact, such as statements regarding USA Mobility’s expectations for future operating and financial performance and the potentially positive impact of its membership in the American Association of Paging Carriers, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause USA Mobility’s actual results to be materially different from the future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expectations include, but are not limited to, declining demand for paging products and services, the ability to continue to reduce operating expenses, future capital needs, competitive pricing pressures, competition from both traditional paging services and other wireless communications services, government regulation, reliance upon third-party providers for certain equipment and services, the timely and efficient integration of the operations and facilities of Metrocall and Arch as well as other risks described from time to time in periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although USA Mobility believes the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. USA Mobility disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statements. # # # | ||||||||||||||||
News, opinions, opportunities, and products to help your business grow. |
Derek Banner brings a wealth of experience to EMMA through his past experience in many areas of the telecommunications industry, including nearly 30 years with British Telecom. These include fixed and mobile, cellular radio, radio paging, voice messaging, managed networks, correspondent relationships and data networks. His experience covers domestic and international telecommunications and its various aspects including engineering, standards, sales, marketing, and responsibility for profitability and revenues. Derek also brings to the post knowledge gained from his position as Implementation Director with BT in Asia.
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