Digia releases Qt 5.0

Digia the company that has taken over the development of Qt (from Nokia) has released version 5.0 of the toolkit. This maintains compatibility with Qt 4.

Qt 5 benefits include:

• graphics quality
• performance on constrained hardware
• cross-platform portability
• support for C++11
• HTML5 support with QtWebKit 2
• a vastly improved QML engine with new APIs

Qt 5 also supports OpenGL ES (the version of Open GL that is optimised for embedded systems).

Qt supports a wide range of operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, embedded operating systems such as embedded Linux, Windows Embedded as well as the most widely deployed real-time operating systems for embedded devices – VxWorks, Neutrino and INTEGRITY – and popular mobile OSes.

Digia is maintaining 2 versions of Qt, the commercial version and a 30 day free trial is available from qt.digia.com and the open source version from qt-project.org.

Ofcom announces bidders for 800MHz and 2.6GHz auctions

Ofcom the super regulator that covers amongst other things radio spectrum has announced the bidders that have been accepted for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions (a total of 250MHz is being made available). The details of who is bidding for what has not been made available.

Each of the following paid a £100,000 deposit and the actual auction will take place in early 2013.

• Everything Everywhere Limited (UK)
• HKT (UK) Company Limited (a subsidiary of PCCW Limited)
• Hutchison 3G UK Limited
• MLL Telecom Ltd
• Niche Spectrum Ventures Limited (a subsidiary of BT Group plc)
• Telefónica UK Limited
• Vodafone Limited

The four existing mobile network operators (MNOs) EE, 3UK, O2 (Telefonica) and Vodafone were expected to bid and will probably bid for the 800MHz spectrum.

BT was a preferred outsider and will probably be bidding for 2.6GHz spectrum.

HKT's parent PCCW already has a nationwide 3.4GHz license (but it's a weird LTE band) but they have launched an LTE-TD wholesale service in the London area, so they may well bid for 2.6GHz spectrum as at least this is a common worldwide LTE band.

MLL already have a low power GSM license and also will probably have bid for a 2.6GHz license, especially as they are developing their own LTE stack (via a 3rd party).

Next year Ofcom will announce which bidders bid for what spectrum.

Ofcom updates GC17

Ofcom the super regulator has published a statement on General Condition 17 (GC17) which relates to the UK numbering plan and telephone number allocations.

The statement just cleans-up the old GC17 as this was published over 10 years ago prior to Ofcom coming into being and though still relevant things have changed since Ofcom took over the role previously maintained by Oftel.

The statement provides the following modifications to the Numbering Plan and GC17: create a single reference point for CPs and other stakeholders in relation to number ranges and related restrictions;

• simplify the provisions relating to compliance with the Numbering Plan and other restrictions on the adoption or use of numbers
• improve the clarity of the Numbering Plan, and remove unnecessary duplication; ensure consistent reflection of current numbering policy across GC17 and the Numbering Plan
• make other minor drafting amendments such as deleting obsolete or redundant text, removing duplication and correcting textual and typographical errors.

This will also affect number allocation forms to correspond to the changes.

Ofcom consults on whitespace use

Ofcom the Super regulator has published a consultation on the use of whitespace frequencies.

Whitespace is radio spectrum (generally in the Digital Terrestrial Television [DTT] and Program Making and Special Events [PMSE] bands) in the UHF TV bands (470MHz to 790MHz) that isn't used in a particular area. This is because adjacent TV transmitters cant use the same radio frequencies, so there are geographic areas where certain spectrum is available, but those frequencies will be used elsewhere in the UK.

As certain frequencies are available in certain areas, these could be used (in lower power) by other devices such that they wont interfere with their use in neighbouring areas. In order for that to work, the devices (or central transmitter) will have to know where it is and how much power it can transmit and on what frequencies such that interference wont occur.

There are various uses for whitespace spectrum such as rural broadband or hotspot connectivity. Here the central transmitter would have to query the central database and CPE equipment would get transmit power and frequency use from the central transmitter.

Whitespace could also be used for in-home or M2M applications and in this case the central router (which would be connected to the Internet) would make the database queries and the rest of the in-home/M2M equipment would get the power/frequency information from the central router.

Ofcom is proposing making whitespace devices license except, though they will have to contact a central database and pass back their location and thus be given allowable frequencies and their power constraints.

As part of the consultation Ofcom has specified the types of queries and responses, but not how they're implemented as this would be down to the market to implement.

The full statement (PDF) is available on-line and the stakeholders can also respond on-line. The consultation closes on the 10 January 2013.

Ofcom starts 800MHz and 2.6GHz auction race

Ofcom, the Super regulator that looks after radio spectrum (amongst others) has today released guidance for applicants and bidders PDF) and application forms for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions.

These are similar to recent other spectrum auctions and all applications must be received by Ofcom by December 11th 2012 and at the same time Ofcom must have received a £100,000.00 deposit (which is refundable if the bidder doesn't win or withdraws from the auction within the withdrawal timeframe).

Ofcom will have some time to ensure the validity of the application and applicant (they must pass tests to ensure they are valid applicants).

On the 2nd dat Ofcom will tell all bidders of other bidders in their group.

Ofcom then allow 4 days for bidders to notify Ofcom on any group overlaps.

Ofcom then has 3 days to notify successfully qualified bidders, publish them on the Ofcom website and notify them of the last day for withdrawal.

The last day for withdrawal is 2 days following publication.

Ofcom will then publish the list of actual bidders.

Ofcom will use an electronic bidding system which allows bids to be submitted in rounds (this all gets very complicated, especially when an additional opt-in round is added to the process). Ofcom will train bidders on the use of the electronic voting system.

It's expected that at least O2 and Vodafone will bid for the 800MHz spectrum, though 3UK may join in too as they don't have any sub 1GHz spectrum at present. The 2.6GHz spectrum (especially low power licenses) may be more of a jamboree with some unexpected players joining in.

Ofcom to move DTT from 700MHz to 600MHz

Ofcom, the Super Regulator, is proposing to clear the current Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) band at 700MHz and move it to the 600MHz band that was cleared during the digital switchover. This is not going to be a quick process and Ofcom are proposing a 2018 switch-over date.

This is in-line with both EU and International harmonised spectrum policy.

The 700MHz band is already used for wireless broadband in countries such as North America and the EU also wishes to move in this direction to cope with future broadband spectrum requirements (the band could be used for LTE or other wireless broadband technologies). The 800MHz band is already being freed (as part of the digital switchover) and is being auctioned in early December 2012 and should be available in March 2013 and it is assumed the licensees will operate LTE services in the 2 bands being auctioned.

In order to move DTT services, it will be necessary to ensure maximum spectral efficiency and thus it's likely DTT MUX's will all have to migrate to DVB-T2 and MPEG-4 (as is used by Freeview HD) which may affect end-users as they will have to ensure they have the correct systems to receive these transmissions.

Ofcom are also keen to promote innovative new services such as White Space Devices (WSD) as these can use parts of the spectrum that aren't being used for DTT services (this is mainly due to overlapping DTT regions that have to use different frequency sets and thus there are areas of spectrum that are left empty in one area so as not to interfere with neighbouring areas). The 'white spaces' are perfectly usable for controlled transmissions that wont interfere with neighbouring areas, but can provide spectrum for broadband. WSDs will need to contact a central database, both to ensure that they are only using allowable frequencies and also Ofcom may enforce a kill switch to ensure that if interference does occur, that the devices can be remotely disabled.

Currently trials of WSDs are taking place in the 700MHz band.

Though 2018 seems a long way away, it took a huge amount of effort to ensure the current digital switchover could take place and it seems that this is really a second digital switchover (though DTT services already operate in the lower 600MHz band so new equipment and transmitters/etc shouldn't be required).

Zapd 2.0 goes live

What is Zapd? Well it's a hugely powerful mobile website builder, but usable by anyone and creates really professional looking websites that are available from any platform (phone, tablet desktop and whatever comes along in the future).

Currently available on iOS from iTunes, the user just selects a template (and there are lots of them, with more added every month) and then starts adding photos (and text and links that can describe the photo or anything else). A photo can be taken there and then, or batch uploaded from previous photos. Of course there are now image editing facilities now built into Zapd such as image enhancement (brightness, saturation, hues, colours etc), resizing, cropping etc.

Zapd 2.0 also has 'social' features built-in so users can now follow other people's Zaps, they can be followed and users can even collaborate on Zaps (so say you're at a wedding or party, just add friends there) and all their photos can go on to the same site.

There's also traditional sharing too so Zaps can be pushed to Facebook and other sites.

It's also completely free, though premium features are expected to be released in the future along with an Android version (note this version is a native app compared to the original Zapd which was built using Sensa Touch and Phonegap).

More info on their Facebook Page, Website and Twitter.

Blackberry 10 to launch Jan 30th 2013

RIM have announced that Blackberry 10 devices will launch on Jan 30th 2013 and that they have already received Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 security certification which means they are suitable for (US) Government use on launch.

The Blackberry 10 platform is based on QNX so is similar to the Playbook operating system which is already based on it and though it's possible to write native and Java based apps, RIM are no where near the number of apps available for Apple's iOS or Google's Android.

RIM have tried to be as developer friendly as possible and have given devices to anyone who'll listen, but with iOS and Android getting Government use approval, they may well have done too little too late.

Blackberry have always made smartphones (with keyboards) that excel in Email, text and instant messaging and also get phone features right (like handling pretty much any phone number format and being able to dial it correctly in the local convention) and they sort of do apps. This is contrast to iOS and Android which are computers that sort of do phone stuff.

Ofcom announces date for 800MHz and 2.6GHz auctions

Ofcom, the super regulator has announced that the auction for the 800MHz and 2.6GHz bands will commence on December 11th 2012.

The new regulations (pdf) covering the auction (know as a Standard Instrument) has been published and will come into force on November 23rd 2012.

Ofcom is proposing to auction the following lots: -

Lot Category	A(i)	A(ii)	B	C	D(i)	D(ii)	E
800 MHz 2x5 MHz	800 MHz 2x10 MHz (with coverage obligation)	1800 MHz 2x15 MHz (Divestment)	2.6 GHz 2x5 MHz (standard power)	2.6 GHz 2x10 MHz (shared low power)	2.6 GHz 2x20 MHz (shared low power)	2.6 GHz 5 MHz (unpaired)
Ofcom’s proposal	£225m	£250m	£225m	£15m	£3m per bidder, £30m threshold	£6m per bidder, £60m threshold	£0.1m

Lots A(i), A(ii) and C are suitable for generic mobile network operator LTE services, lot B is now irrelevant as EE have divested this spectrum to 3UK.

The low power bands D(i) and D(ii) are more suited to companies that have infrastructure and can offer femto cell type services (probably on a wholesale service to the main operators - for network offload), though new entrants could come in and offer innovative localised LTE services.

Lot E is probably suited to an operator who wants to offer broadband services (not using LTE which requires paired spectrum).

This means the minimum bid (if there only 1 bidder each for the low power license) is £499.1m, and if there are 10 low power bidders £580.1m. Obviously these are Ofcom's minimum bid values and the actual values could increase substantially.

Ofcom have also valued the 800Mhz significantly more than the 2.6GHz spectrum (as it has better propagation characteristics and therefore it's easier to cover large areas of population).

Ofcom agreed to move forward the auction after O2 and Vodafone threatened to take Ofcom to judicial review after allowing EE to offer LTE services on their 1800MHz spectrum, however O2 and Vodafone have no guarantees that they will win a license in either 800MHz or 2.6Ghz (though Ofcom can assess bidders not to be suitable to bid - but based on their stability etc).

Let the fun begin.

EE releases LTE charges

EE the new name for Everything Everywhere has announced its plans for devices using their LTE bands. EE got permission from Ofcom to use their 1800MHz spectrum for LTE earlier this year and after successful negotiations with the other Mobile Network Operators (and selling off some of the spectrum to 3 UK) they will be launching on Oct 30th.

The prices are at a premium though and EE is charging more for their LTE tariffs than on their 3G bands.

If you want a LTE devices, tariffs are: -

500MB	£36
1GB	£41
3GB	£46
5GB	£51
8GB	£56

SIM only deals for people with existing devices are: -

500MB	£21
1GB	£26
3GB	£31
5GB	£36

As well as a premium EE are imposing heavy data limits and every extra 2GB costs £15 per month.

Though LTE will allow faster downloads of content, EE is effectively limiting how users can actually use their services unless it's for corporates who are willing to pay the excessive charges for data use (though voice and SMS are unlimited).

New .xxx domains go for sale

The ICM registry which controls the .xxx domain has put up 1000 new domains for sale (based on current searches from the search.xxx search engine).

The .xxx is for adult domains and search.xxx is run purely as an adult/porn search engine.

ICM has already released 200 domains under .xxx which have generated around $5m in revenue. The domain Gay.xxx went for $500,000 and Fetish.xxx for $300,000.

Six3 integrates Facebook and Twitter sharing

Six3 have an iPhone app that allows users to send short videos to each other. This now supports sharing to Facebook and a users Twitter stream.

Facebook integrations allows sending to users privately or posting on their timeline (publicly) and any comments can be viewed in the app itself. The new app is also faster (both in loading and responsiveness).

It's available in the iTunes store and will soon be available on Google Play.

0500 Freephone numbers to disappear

Ofcom the super regular that deals with telecoms amongst other things is holding a consultation to remove the 0500 freephone number range.

This was initially allocated to Mercury and subsequently taken over by Cable and Wireless that is the only operator able to allocate new numbers (though some 0500 numbers have been ported to other providers).

The number of 0500 numbers allocated is not large and therefore Ofcom wants to deallocate the number block (which could be used for new services in future). 0500 number holders will be encouraged to migrate to 080 numbers.

Anyone wishing to respond to the consultation can do so through Ofcom's on-line form.

Plessey release consumer ECG product

Plessey Semiconductor have released an consumer ECG monitor based on their EPIC chip. Called imPulse, it works by a user just holding the device with their thumbs and then displays the ECG on a smartphone or tablet connected via Bluetooth.

The devices contains two Plessey PS25201 EPIC sensor (one for each thumb) and the software on the smartphone/tablet can perform simple analysis to display the heart rate.

The sensors work by detecting the electrical potential in the air (about 100V per metre of height) and the disruption caused by the human electrical signals.

The sensors can also be used for non-contact heart rate detection, but there is a lot more ambient noise to remove and requires more complex software for analysis.

The EPIC sensors can also be used to detect people through walls using clever software.

O2 upgrades HLR

O2 is spending £10m revamping it's mobile registration database system (know as an HLR or Home Location Register) as it has suffered 2 major outages in as many months. The HLR stores the customer IMSI (SIM number) and their real telephone number as well as location and other information. When a call comes in, the HLR is queried to find out how do deliver the call the mobile. If the HLR fails, then mobile calls will not work (as mobiles cant register on to the network) and calls to mobiles will fail too. The current HLR (or cluster of HLRs) are made by Ericsson and O2 is buying new systems.

Droidcon returns to London

Next week (October 25/26th 2012) Droidcon returns to London at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

Droidcon is the best Android conference in Europe and anyone interested in the Android ecosystem should definitely go.

Day one is using the 'barcamp' idea whereby anyone can come along and give a talk (with a few 'proper' talks interspersed) and then demo slots and of course the evening party.

Day two is structured with the the more formal speaking slots.

See you there.

Will Amazon buy OMAP?

Texas Instruments (TI) recently announced they were 'defocusing' efforts on their OMAP line of ARM based CPUs (OMAP is their bleeding edge line of ARM based CPUs made for mobile type devices, they also have various lines of industrial ARM based CPUs, but these tend to be based on older ARM architectures). The defocusing has led to rumours that TI want to sell their OMAP devision. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble use OMAP processors for their Kindle and Nook readers respectively. It seems Amazon has been in discussions with TI for a while and they may be a leading contender in an OMAP purchase. This would give Amazon control of their own CPUs, much like Apple has done with its Ax range of CPUs. Amazon could also use the OMAP processor in devices that may come to market such as a smartphone or other tablet. Amazon may also be in discussions with RIM to license Blackberry OS 10 and also in discussion with HP to buy or license WebOS (which HP took control of when they purchased Palm). Currently WebOS is being open sourced. Amazon have already forked Google's Android and removed all the Google sign-in functionality as well as Google's apps and they run their own Amazon app store.

Apple to drop Samsung for CPUs

Apple's latest iPhone 5 has hit the streets, but what many people don't know is that most of the phone is actually made by Samsung. Samsung fabricate the CPU and make the display and also many of the wireless chips (they used to be made by Cambridge Silicon Radio/CSR, but Samsung acquired their chip division). Apple are moving chip fabrication away from Samsung and their A7 chip will be fabricated by TSMC (or other fab plant), though they may not completely remove themselves from Samsung as they have a production line set-up for the A6. Samsung contributed both design and technology expertise to Apple's earlier CPUs but now much of this expertise has been taken in-house and Apple just require a silicon fab to actually manufacture their new CPUs. The A6 was almost entirely engineered in-house by Apple. This will be a blow to Samsung as they struggle to fill the production lines at their fabs.

EE to offer LTE for end of October

EE (the new brand that was Everything Everywhere) is to launch their LTE service on their 1800MHz spectrum by end of October 2012 covering 10 cities on launch and a further 6 by the end of the year. EE have now started selling LTE capable phones including the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy SIII LTE, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820, HTC One XL and the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE. The launch was delayed by complaints by Telefonica/O2 who didn't like Ofcom's decision to allow EE to refarm their 1800MHz spectrum which would in reality give them 12 to 18 months advantage as the only UK network to be able to offer LTE services (Vodafone didn't like it much either, but were less vocal). After Government intervention where O2/Vodafone agreed not to take legal action against Ofcom and EE agreed to delay the LTE launch until the dispute was resolved. It seems that Ofcom and the Government have agreed to push forward (slightly) the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrum auctions and move people out of the 800MHz spectrum more quickly so that these bands can be released for LTE use early in 2013. 800MHz is extremely valuable (it was the old analogue TV band) as it has extremely good propagation characteristics (i.e. it can penetrate buildings well) so is good for wide coverage in rural areas. The 2.6GHz spectrum has poor propagation characteristics though it suits urban areas where high data bandwidth is required. Both O2 and Vodafone are expected to bid for both bands. 3 has purchased the excess 1800MHz spectrum that EE had to sell off as part of the merger (as agreed with the European Competition Commission), however they don't actually get it until late in 2013 (which was the deadline for EE to get rid of it). Though it's likely that EE's launch will go ahead, there could still be problems in future as the operators could still mount legal battles. Another possibility is that a new entrant will try and land grab spectrum which could leave O2 and Vodafone out in the cold.

Sky keeps their Broadcast License

Ofcom the Super Regulator that looks after broadcasting (amongst other things) has performed an investigation into Sky and found that they are 'fit and proper'.

Ofcom performed the investigation in light of the public debate about phone hacking and other allegations.

This means that Sky can continue to operate in the UK.