Last WotD we mentioned MiFi’s ability to support EvDO and UMTS/HSDPA 3G technologies. We will explore these further to gain an understanding of what exactly MiFi is able to offer current users.
EvDO (Evolution Data Optimized [or Only]): a newer wireless telecommunications technology that provides wireless data connections that are 300,000 to 600,000 bits per second – as much as 10 times as fast as a regular dial-up modem. Proponents say EvDO offers huge advantages over WiFi. EvDO can work over existing cell phone networks. One of the biggest barriers to EvDO is that it requires wireless companies to set aside a slice of their valuable airwaves just to transmit data. Because mobile phone companies barely have enough room to handle their voice traffic, EvDO is likely to remain on the back burner until the firms can acquire more spectrum. EvDO is a CDMA 2000 technology and implements various multiplexing techniques such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) as well as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to maximize user throughput and overall system throughput. EvDO is commonly spelled as Ev-DO and EV-DO.
Some Major Carriers Offering EvDO:
- Alltel
- Cricket
- LG Telecom (Korea)
- Metro PCS
- SK Telecom (South Korea)
- Sprint (branded as ‘Power Vision’ and ‘Mobile Broadband’
- U.S. Cellular
- Verizon Wireless (often branded as ‘Mobile Broadband’ and ‘VCAST’)
- Virgin Mobile
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
MiFi
MiFi: Developed by Novatel, a portable broadband wireless device typically the size of a credit card that combines functions of a modem, router and access point. Designed to simplify setting up a small local area network (LAN) a MiFi hotspot is a device that connects to a cellular 3G network and bridges the network to Wi-Fi devices (up to 10m/30ft distance). This creates a local “cloud” of high-speed Internet connectivity that can be shared between users and Wi-Fi devices such as laptops, cameras, gaming devices, and multimedia players. The device can be connected to a computer via a MicroUSB connection, though doing so disables the wireless feature. In the U.S., MiFi devices are available from Verizon Wireless (MIFI 2200) and Sprint (MIFI 2200).
Below is a list of some of MiFi’s other featuers:
- Storage capacity.
- The ability to host applications.
- Supports EV-DO or UMTS/HSDPA 3G technologies.
- Internal battery offers four hours active use, forty hours standby before it needs to be recharged.
- Can be configured for automatic email synching and virtual private network (VPN) connection.
- Supports remote management.
Source: http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/mifi.html
Pic: http://www.3g.co.uk/PR/Dec2008/First_MiFi_Intelligent_Mobile_Hotspot.jpg
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
In-Home BPL
Another form of Broadband over Powerline (BPL) is:
In-House BPL: a form of indoor PLC (Powerline Carrier) that operates over residential or business interior electrical cabling at 110/220 volts. Standards for in-house PLC are relatively recent, with the HomePlug standards perhaps being the most notable. HomePlug 1.0 was published in 2001 by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance (http://www.homeplug.org/), which was founded by vendors including Cisco and Intel. Those standards are loosely based on Ethernet and support up to 16 devices communicating at speeds up to 14 Mbps over a shared electrical path. HomePlug compatible devices (e.g., include Pcs, routers and bridges that use Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi technologies) can simply plug into an electrical socket through a bridge or adapter about the size of a typical voltage adapter and, thereby, connect directly to the LV wiring. So every electrical socket effectively becomes a port into a high speed LAN. In-House BPL speeds don’t compare well with more conventional Ethernet LANs, but can be an attractive solution where buildings can’t easily be rewired and where a building’s physical layout is not conducive to wireless LANs. The next step is the HomePlug AV standard, which is being built from the group up to support entertainment applications such as HDTV and Home Theater. HomePlug AV will run at speeds up to 200 Mbps. Dozens of HomePlug 1.0 compatible products have been certified and many more are under development. In a home a BPL modem plugs into a wall outlet inside the house, receives those signals from the outside power lines and typically converts them into a familiar 802.11b Ethernet connection.
Pictured below: Illustration of how a BPL modem used in a home
In-House BPL: a form of indoor PLC (Powerline Carrier) that operates over residential or business interior electrical cabling at 110/220 volts. Standards for in-house PLC are relatively recent, with the HomePlug standards perhaps being the most notable. HomePlug 1.0 was published in 2001 by the HomePlug Powerline Alliance (http://www.homeplug.org/), which was founded by vendors including Cisco and Intel. Those standards are loosely based on Ethernet and support up to 16 devices communicating at speeds up to 14 Mbps over a shared electrical path. HomePlug compatible devices (e.g., include Pcs, routers and bridges that use Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi technologies) can simply plug into an electrical socket through a bridge or adapter about the size of a typical voltage adapter and, thereby, connect directly to the LV wiring. So every electrical socket effectively becomes a port into a high speed LAN. In-House BPL speeds don’t compare well with more conventional Ethernet LANs, but can be an attractive solution where buildings can’t easily be rewired and where a building’s physical layout is not conducive to wireless LANs. The next step is the HomePlug AV standard, which is being built from the group up to support entertainment applications such as HDTV and Home Theater. HomePlug AV will run at speeds up to 200 Mbps. Dozens of HomePlug 1.0 compatible products have been certified and many more are under development. In a home a BPL modem plugs into a wall outlet inside the house, receives those signals from the outside power lines and typically converts them into a familiar 802.11b Ethernet connection.
Pictured below: Illustration of how a BPL modem used in a home
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Access BPL
We left off last time with Broadband over Powerline (BPL) discussing home voice/data traffic is able to be transmitted via electrical utility power lines. Today we will discuss one form of this technology.
Access BPL: a form of PLC (Powerline Carrier) that uses components of the existing electrical power grid for the delivery of broadband services. Specifically, Access BPL uses special injectors (i.e. modems and couplers) to interface the telecommunications network to medium voltage (MV) lines in the electrical distribution network. MV operates at a manageable 7,200 volts or so. The Radio Frequency carrier supporting the communications signals shares the same line with the electrical signals as they operate at different frequencies. Repeaters spaced every 300 meters or so serve to re-amplify, re-time and regenerate the signal as it travels from the utility substation toward the customer premises. The signals are removed by extractors placed just ahead of the transformers, which typically serve a number of households. Typically, the extractors bypass the transformers and bridge the communications signals between the MV lines and the low voltage (LV) (110/220 volts) drops to the premises. Alternatively, they may bridge the signal to a Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) node that serves multiple premises through a wireless hotspot. Although Access BPL services are not widely available, a small number of utilities began offering service in 2003 and 2004, and several others have announced their intentions to do so.
In summary, there are 3 components to Access BPL:
1) Medium voltage line (MV)
2) Bypass of the low-voltage transformer in residential neighborhoods that steps down voltage
3) Low voltage distribution from the transformer to residential electrical outlets
Overall, this could be a great “last mile” alternative to DSL and Cable access when speaking in terms of delivering connectivity to rural subscribers.
Source: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/vwimages/bplf1e.jpg/$file/bplf1e.jpg
Access BPL: a form of PLC (Powerline Carrier) that uses components of the existing electrical power grid for the delivery of broadband services. Specifically, Access BPL uses special injectors (i.e. modems and couplers) to interface the telecommunications network to medium voltage (MV) lines in the electrical distribution network. MV operates at a manageable 7,200 volts or so. The Radio Frequency carrier supporting the communications signals shares the same line with the electrical signals as they operate at different frequencies. Repeaters spaced every 300 meters or so serve to re-amplify, re-time and regenerate the signal as it travels from the utility substation toward the customer premises. The signals are removed by extractors placed just ahead of the transformers, which typically serve a number of households. Typically, the extractors bypass the transformers and bridge the communications signals between the MV lines and the low voltage (LV) (110/220 volts) drops to the premises. Alternatively, they may bridge the signal to a Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) node that serves multiple premises through a wireless hotspot. Although Access BPL services are not widely available, a small number of utilities began offering service in 2003 and 2004, and several others have announced their intentions to do so.
In summary, there are 3 components to Access BPL:
1) Medium voltage line (MV)
2) Bypass of the low-voltage transformer in residential neighborhoods that steps down voltage
3) Low voltage distribution from the transformer to residential electrical outlets
Overall, this could be a great “last mile” alternative to DSL and Cable access when speaking in terms of delivering connectivity to rural subscribers.
Source: http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gst.nsf/vwimages/bplf1e.jpg/$file/bplf1e.jpg
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Broadband over Powerline (BPL)
In the News Today:
Since the federal government as set aside an estimated $7.2 Billion in funding to bring broadband to underserved areas, telecom companies are rushing to meet the August 14th deadline to apply. 1 company in particular, International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) located in Huntsville, Alabama is hoping to secure a piece of this funding to further push their technology offering known as Broadband over Powerline or “BPL”. Today we will discuss further what BPL entails and how, although it is a viable technology, it’s very expensive to implement and maintain.
For more information on how companies are responding to the August 14th application deadline for part of the money granted by American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, check out the following URL:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32284073/ns/business-businessweekcom/#storyContinued
Broadband over Powerline (BPL): the contemporary and updated version of Powerline Carrier (PLC), a means for sending and receiving voice and data over electric utility power lines. PLC has been used for many years by electric utilities for low speed data communications applications such as telemetry and control between power plants and substations. PLC also has long been used by telephone companies to provide voice service to extremely remote subscribers who have electric service but for whom the construction costs associated with telco local loops would be prohibitively expensive. BPL can be broken into two component technologies: Access BPL and In-House BPL
We will continue to explore these technologies throughout the week…for now, refer to the below illustration for a reference on how BPL delivers voice/data to households
Source: http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/08/diagram2.gif
Since the federal government as set aside an estimated $7.2 Billion in funding to bring broadband to underserved areas, telecom companies are rushing to meet the August 14th deadline to apply. 1 company in particular, International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC) located in Huntsville, Alabama is hoping to secure a piece of this funding to further push their technology offering known as Broadband over Powerline or “BPL”. Today we will discuss further what BPL entails and how, although it is a viable technology, it’s very expensive to implement and maintain.
For more information on how companies are responding to the August 14th application deadline for part of the money granted by American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, check out the following URL:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32284073/ns/business-businessweekcom/#storyContinued
Broadband over Powerline (BPL): the contemporary and updated version of Powerline Carrier (PLC), a means for sending and receiving voice and data over electric utility power lines. PLC has been used for many years by electric utilities for low speed data communications applications such as telemetry and control between power plants and substations. PLC also has long been used by telephone companies to provide voice service to extremely remote subscribers who have electric service but for whom the construction costs associated with telco local loops would be prohibitively expensive. BPL can be broken into two component technologies: Access BPL and In-House BPL
We will continue to explore these technologies throughout the week…for now, refer to the below illustration for a reference on how BPL delivers voice/data to households
Source: http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/08/diagram2.gif
Friday, July 31, 2009
Mobile Communications (story)
A small entertaining bit about the origins of “mobile” technology….
Mobile communications: Quite simply, the ability to communicate while moving. Wireless technologies like cordless telephony and cellular allow you to communicate on the go. Wired technologies, like copper wire and fiber optics, don’t work if you might break the wire, or run out of wire. One of the great stories about mobile communications involves wires.
According to William E. Kennard, FCC Chairman, and as included in a speech he made in 1998, the U.S. military faced a problem in 1907. The cavalry needed to communicate when on patrol. So, one horse solider would ride behind the troops, unreeling wire along the ground. When a message needed to be sent back to the base camp, the soldier would jump off his horse, plant a metal stake in the ground, and send a message via Morse code. This process slowed the progress of the troop. Military engineers came up with a solution. They put a copper patch on the horse’s skin! Since a horse always has one hoof on the ground, the circuit was complete! Therefore, the scouts could send a message while riding. (No mention was made of the effect on the horse)
Mobile communications: Quite simply, the ability to communicate while moving. Wireless technologies like cordless telephony and cellular allow you to communicate on the go. Wired technologies, like copper wire and fiber optics, don’t work if you might break the wire, or run out of wire. One of the great stories about mobile communications involves wires.
According to William E. Kennard, FCC Chairman, and as included in a speech he made in 1998, the U.S. military faced a problem in 1907. The cavalry needed to communicate when on patrol. So, one horse solider would ride behind the troops, unreeling wire along the ground. When a message needed to be sent back to the base camp, the soldier would jump off his horse, plant a metal stake in the ground, and send a message via Morse code. This process slowed the progress of the troop. Military engineers came up with a solution. They put a copper patch on the horse’s skin! Since a horse always has one hoof on the ground, the circuit was complete! Therefore, the scouts could send a message while riding. (No mention was made of the effect on the horse)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Mobile Virtual Network operator Enabler (MVNE)
Last week we ended with discussing MVNO’s (Mobile Virtual Network Operators). Today we will take a look a what constitutes an MVNE.
MVNE (Mobile Virtual Network operator Enabler): a company that “enables” MVNO’s. In order to “enable” an MVNO, the enabler builds a service platform, which provides billing, care, logistics, and carrier interfaces. By contrast, Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile, probably the most successful MVNO to date, has built out their own infrastructure, at a cost estimated to be $40-50 millions. It took them more than two years to get to market by going this route. An enabler, or MVNE, builds out a shared platform, which is offered to multiple MVNOs, thus allowing them to avoid the huge capital cost of building out their own infrastructure and at the same time, getting them to market faster. An MVNO enabled by an MVNE can get to market in as little as three or four months at a cost of a few million, depending on how complex/feature-laden their offerings are.
For more information visit: http://www.mobilein.com/MVNE_White_Paper.pdf
MVNE (Mobile Virtual Network operator Enabler): a company that “enables” MVNO’s. In order to “enable” an MVNO, the enabler builds a service platform, which provides billing, care, logistics, and carrier interfaces. By contrast, Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile, probably the most successful MVNO to date, has built out their own infrastructure, at a cost estimated to be $40-50 millions. It took them more than two years to get to market by going this route. An enabler, or MVNE, builds out a shared platform, which is offered to multiple MVNOs, thus allowing them to avoid the huge capital cost of building out their own infrastructure and at the same time, getting them to market faster. An MVNO enabled by an MVNE can get to market in as little as three or four months at a cost of a few million, depending on how complex/feature-laden their offerings are.
For more information visit: http://www.mobilein.com/MVNE_White_Paper.pdf
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