News @ Cisco: Cisco Systems to Acquire Sipura Technology
2nd time around for the Sipura founders. It seems that originally the Cisco ATA-186 was made by a small company and they were bought out by Cisco. The founders then left and set-up Sipura (and couldn't do various things for a few years - so they bided their time and designed).
Now Cisco has acquired Sipura (via it's Linksys division) for $68M in cash and shares, so how long before the founders leave again and do the whole start-up thing and then sell to Cisco again ... seems a good business model.
Sipura make some good VoIP kit, let's hope that Cisco/Linksys continue to offer decent product set as Sipura join the fold.
2005/04/27
D-Link United Kingdom
D-Link United Kingdom
Well I installed the DSL-G604T as my ADSL router, it was pretty painless as I had all the right values to plug in from my exisiting set-up (a Cisco 1700). The D-Link appears faster, though I have no empirical evidence to support it. It's also got a 4 port Ethernet switch and Wireless AP built-in which saves on floor space (or desktop space).
Everything seems to work well, apart from filtering rules, it may be that D-Link have got the inbound and outbound filters thr wrong way around, but they're looking at that.
Another oddity, it seems the 902 (with a Cardbus PC-Card WLAN adapter) and the 904 (USB WLAN adapter) bundles are considerably cheaper (around £60 in the UK) than buying the DSL-G604T by itself ...
If you're relatively competent at using a web based interface and understand the very basics of DSL/routing/IP it's an easy system to configure and works pretty well.
Things it does lack are QoS, firewall rules/filters are confusing, no syslog/SNMP support etc. but at least some of these are expected in the next firmware version - which isn't quite ready for prime time I believe (but should be coming out soon). All in all a worthwhile bit of kit, especially in the bundle.
Well I installed the DSL-G604T as my ADSL router, it was pretty painless as I had all the right values to plug in from my exisiting set-up (a Cisco 1700). The D-Link appears faster, though I have no empirical evidence to support it. It's also got a 4 port Ethernet switch and Wireless AP built-in which saves on floor space (or desktop space).
Everything seems to work well, apart from filtering rules, it may be that D-Link have got the inbound and outbound filters thr wrong way around, but they're looking at that.
Another oddity, it seems the 902 (with a Cardbus PC-Card WLAN adapter) and the 904 (USB WLAN adapter) bundles are considerably cheaper (around £60 in the UK) than buying the DSL-G604T by itself ...
If you're relatively competent at using a web based interface and understand the very basics of DSL/routing/IP it's an easy system to configure and works pretty well.
Things it does lack are QoS, firewall rules/filters are confusing, no syslog/SNMP support etc. but at least some of these are expected in the next firmware version - which isn't quite ready for prime time I believe (but should be coming out soon). All in all a worthwhile bit of kit, especially in the bundle.
2005/04/25
One.Tel hoovers up RedNet for �5m | The Register
One.Tel hoovers up RedNet for �5m | The Register
Centrica are on an acquisition spree, it's likely there will be more to follow.
Centrica were looking at getting out of the voice business, but it looks like they've decided trying to sell it wouldn't work in the current climate, so put money into One.tel instead.
Rumours are they have between £200m - £300m to spend on building up the business.
They will need to diversify as voice revenues will continue to decline as the UK moves to flat rate UK dial-plans with pressure from CPS (carrier pre select) and VoIP suppliers. It's likely BT will also consider flat-rate telephony once they introduce their 21CN network, as moving a packet between exchanges doesn't really alter costs depending on their distance (it's probably too hard to bill too, and they'll just include UK voice with the line rental).
Unfortunately the telco business is not a good business to be in now (or won't be shortly) so telcos who just rely on voice minutes aren't going to be in business for too long and need to diversify and offer other services that can generate revenue.
Centrica are on an acquisition spree, it's likely there will be more to follow.
Centrica were looking at getting out of the voice business, but it looks like they've decided trying to sell it wouldn't work in the current climate, so put money into One.tel instead.
Rumours are they have between £200m - £300m to spend on building up the business.
They will need to diversify as voice revenues will continue to decline as the UK moves to flat rate UK dial-plans with pressure from CPS (carrier pre select) and VoIP suppliers. It's likely BT will also consider flat-rate telephony once they introduce their 21CN network, as moving a packet between exchanges doesn't really alter costs depending on their distance (it's probably too hard to bill too, and they'll just include UK voice with the line rental).
Unfortunately the telco business is not a good business to be in now (or won't be shortly) so telcos who just rely on voice minutes aren't going to be in business for too long and need to diversify and offer other services that can generate revenue.
2005/04/21
Science Museum and WiMAX
There was an article in IEE Review about the Science Museum's WiMAX trial near Swindon. It came out with some interesting revelations.
Firstly the area is isolated, there's little telecomms infrastructure there including lack of GSM coverage.
Secondly they were going to lay their own fibre, but that would have cost near enough £1m.
Thirdly (and here's the crux) Intel are based in Swindon and offered to run the trial.
The site is several hundred acres in size (it's an old airfield) and has 11 hangars. They're using WiMAX from Intel to the airfield and between hangars and WiFi in the hangars themselves.
Now the problems with WiMAX has always been frequency allocation/regulatory not the technology which is great. They've got around this by going to PCCW (who own the UK 3.4GHz license) and asking to "borrow" it in this area. Since there's so little in the vicinity it's very unlikely PCCW would roll-out in that area anyway. So PCCW said yes and then Intel went to Ofcom and applied for a test license to run a WiMAX trial on 3.4GHz.
It does seem to work, even though the power levels in use in the trial are lower than PCCW are allowed to use.
However it does show that rolling out WiMAX in the UK isn't going to be easy, Intel could have chosen 5.8GHz Band C, but they chose not to. Other areas aren't going to be so lucky as PCCW will want to offer service there.
Firstly the area is isolated, there's little telecomms infrastructure there including lack of GSM coverage.
Secondly they were going to lay their own fibre, but that would have cost near enough £1m.
Thirdly (and here's the crux) Intel are based in Swindon and offered to run the trial.
The site is several hundred acres in size (it's an old airfield) and has 11 hangars. They're using WiMAX from Intel to the airfield and between hangars and WiFi in the hangars themselves.
Now the problems with WiMAX has always been frequency allocation/regulatory not the technology which is great. They've got around this by going to PCCW (who own the UK 3.4GHz license) and asking to "borrow" it in this area. Since there's so little in the vicinity it's very unlikely PCCW would roll-out in that area anyway. So PCCW said yes and then Intel went to Ofcom and applied for a test license to run a WiMAX trial on 3.4GHz.
It does seem to work, even though the power levels in use in the trial are lower than PCCW are allowed to use.
However it does show that rolling out WiMAX in the UK isn't going to be easy, Intel could have chosen 5.8GHz Band C, but they chose not to. Other areas aren't going to be so lucky as PCCW will want to offer service there.
The WIreless LAN Event
The show seemed smaller than last year, and there was definately less of the hype (well apart from a lot of WiMAX buzz, but that's to be expected - Intel had a large stand).
It's definately a business show geared up for the b2b market. The traditional players were there offering WiFi kit, as well as Wireless operators etc.
Netgear were pushing their new MIMO 802.11g router (with annoying blue LEDs showing which antenna was in use), but the technology does look clever (6 antennas which are switched between) allowing full 54Mb/s over the air connectivity.
D-Link also had MIMO kit, but not actually for sale yet.
Intel were there of course pushing WiMAX, which may more may not be the next big thing - in the UK at least.
Mapesbury Communications had a small stand, they provide the hotpsot network for T-Mobile at Texaco service stations and elsewhere, but they've also got some interesting VoIP/Wireless solutions and can build out Wireless networks using some new technology.
CSR were showing VoIP over WiFi radio systems (they make chipsets).
T-Mobile had a big stand and were showing their T-Zones and also some nice PDA's (MDAIII).
Will next year's show dwindle or will it just become a WiMAX show?
2005/04/20
'Standards wars' threatening Ultrawideband - ZDNet UK News
'Standards wars' threatening Ultrawideband - ZDNet UK News
Ultrawideband (UWB) is a really interesting technology, WiMAX is actually a UWB system but only uses a small subset of frequencies.
UWB works by sending signals over a large section of spectrum so it could work from <1GHz all the way up to 100's of GHz. It's clever because it uses a lot of error correction and splits the data up over lots of parts of the spectrum. So a "bit" of data may actually be sent over 100's of frequencies simultaneously. A receiver "listens" to the whole set of frequencies and puts the data back together again. If any particular frequencies aren't received (they may be absorbed by walls, or reflected etc) then the receiver can still reconsitute the data as it's spread across a large number of frequencies. This does mean data rates are reduced, but the system is highly resilient.
In the US the Federal Communications Agency (FCC, similar to the UK's Ofcom) has allowed the US of UWB for short range communications, but at very low power. This allows UWB to be used as a replacement for wires and give very high data rates (100's of Mb/s). As the power is so low, anything that isn't a UWB system will just assume the signal is background noise and ignore it. If other systems are using some of the same frequencies and drowning them out, again it doesn't matter as the UWB system will have spread the data over many frequencies, some of which wont be being used by anything else.
Ofcom originally inferred they were in favour of UWB and would allow its use in the UK, but they still haven't announced a decision, which is angering some UK players who would like to see it adopted here and produce UWB systems.
UWB can also be used in high power applications, but these would likely used licensed bands.
A very interesting application can be for cable TV, a US manufacturer has produced a UWB specifically for this and can send data down a co-ax cable at over 400Mb/s, which would support many channels of TV and Internet and voice. It would also not degrade so much as current CATV systems do with the more people in a street getting service.
UWB is a pretty exciting technology, it just needs Ofcom to clear the way.
Ultrawideband (UWB) is a really interesting technology, WiMAX is actually a UWB system but only uses a small subset of frequencies.
UWB works by sending signals over a large section of spectrum so it could work from <1GHz all the way up to 100's of GHz. It's clever because it uses a lot of error correction and splits the data up over lots of parts of the spectrum. So a "bit" of data may actually be sent over 100's of frequencies simultaneously. A receiver "listens" to the whole set of frequencies and puts the data back together again. If any particular frequencies aren't received (they may be absorbed by walls, or reflected etc) then the receiver can still reconsitute the data as it's spread across a large number of frequencies. This does mean data rates are reduced, but the system is highly resilient.
In the US the Federal Communications Agency (FCC, similar to the UK's Ofcom) has allowed the US of UWB for short range communications, but at very low power. This allows UWB to be used as a replacement for wires and give very high data rates (100's of Mb/s). As the power is so low, anything that isn't a UWB system will just assume the signal is background noise and ignore it. If other systems are using some of the same frequencies and drowning them out, again it doesn't matter as the UWB system will have spread the data over many frequencies, some of which wont be being used by anything else.
Ofcom originally inferred they were in favour of UWB and would allow its use in the UK, but they still haven't announced a decision, which is angering some UK players who would like to see it adopted here and produce UWB systems.
UWB can also be used in high power applications, but these would likely used licensed bands.
A very interesting application can be for cable TV, a US manufacturer has produced a UWB specifically for this and can send data down a co-ax cable at over 400Mb/s, which would support many channels of TV and Internet and voice. It would also not degrade so much as current CATV systems do with the more people in a street getting service.
UWB is a pretty exciting technology, it just needs Ofcom to clear the way.
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Court releases file-share details
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Court releases file-share details
Well it had to happen, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has applied to get court orders against several ISPs to hand over the details of their customers.
The BPI will then take the users to court and try to seek compensation and legal costs from those distributing music.
ISPs hard not to hand over customer details to anyone, but they do have to comply with court orders (and generally with law enforcement agencies - with caveats), but once a court order is in place the data is there.
This could spell the start of more actions if this is successful, but will it curtail file sharing. It may have some effect.
However watch this space for news of interesting movements that may allow at least limited file sharing with record company approval.
Well it had to happen, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has applied to get court orders against several ISPs to hand over the details of their customers.
The BPI will then take the users to court and try to seek compensation and legal costs from those distributing music.
ISPs hard not to hand over customer details to anyone, but they do have to comply with court orders (and generally with law enforcement agencies - with caveats), but once a court order is in place the data is there.
This could spell the start of more actions if this is successful, but will it curtail file sharing. It may have some effect.
However watch this space for news of interesting movements that may allow at least limited file sharing with record company approval.
BBC NEWS | Technology | Wimax to plug rural broadband gap
BBC NEWS | Technology | Wimax to plug rural broadband gap
Here we see another Intel hyped article on WiMAX. As stated in an earlier article as yet the is no WiMAX (only preWiMAX) and who knows if it will actually be allowed in the UK as it has to meet ETSI/Ofcom interface requirements (which are unlikely to reach the stated 50Km).
BT might successfully launch a service, as they are likely to buy the 3.5GHz lincese off Pipex Communications, which means they'll be able to use the lightly licensed spectrum of 5.8GHz Band C and the licensed 3.5GHz band.
Here we see another Intel hyped article on WiMAX. As stated in an earlier article as yet the is no WiMAX (only preWiMAX) and who knows if it will actually be allowed in the UK as it has to meet ETSI/Ofcom interface requirements (which are unlikely to reach the stated 50Km).
BT might successfully launch a service, as they are likely to buy the 3.5GHz lincese off Pipex Communications, which means they'll be able to use the lightly licensed spectrum of 5.8GHz Band C and the licensed 3.5GHz band.
2005/04/19
New services as Skype hits 100 million users - vnunet.com
New services as Skype hits 100 million users - vnunet.com
Another gripe at Skype. It seems if you subscribe to SkypeIn they give you free Voicemail, but if you don't you have to pay for it. Of course if you sign-up to voicemail first, then you don't get a discount on the SkypeIn service.
It's a shame Skype haven't made these things clearer, especially as they are still in beta and thus potentially annoying the very customers (i.e. early adopters) that would otherwise spread the word of how good the services can be.
Another gripe at Skype. It seems if you subscribe to SkypeIn they give you free Voicemail, but if you don't you have to pay for it. Of course if you sign-up to voicemail first, then you don't get a discount on the SkypeIn service.
It's a shame Skype haven't made these things clearer, especially as they are still in beta and thus potentially annoying the very customers (i.e. early adopters) that would otherwise spread the word of how good the services can be.
2005/04/18
About SkypeOut
About SkypeOut
Skype are on to a money spinner here, if you buy SkypeOut - but do NOT use it (from their web page - which probably most people don't actually read "Your SkypeOut credits will remain active for 180 days after your last SkypeOut call") they just cancel your credit.
I bought SkypeOut so if I was not at somewhere where I had a phone or easy access to one, I could use Skype and make calls that way. Unfortunately not as they just wiped the credit from my SkypeOut account. I'd have to make a call every 180 days if I want to keep it active. OK that's not so difficult, but not what I'd want to use it for.
There's also no warning that it's about to expire, it just disappears from your options.
Not really a good customer experience, and I hope they'll change their policy.
Skype are on to a money spinner here, if you buy SkypeOut - but do NOT use it (from their web page - which probably most people don't actually read "Your SkypeOut credits will remain active for 180 days after your last SkypeOut call") they just cancel your credit.
I bought SkypeOut so if I was not at somewhere where I had a phone or easy access to one, I could use Skype and make calls that way. Unfortunately not as they just wiped the credit from my SkypeOut account. I'd have to make a call every 180 days if I want to keep it active. OK that's not so difficult, but not what I'd want to use it for.
There's also no warning that it's about to expire, it just disappears from your options.
Not really a good customer experience, and I hope they'll change their policy.
Scotsman.com Business - Technology - American private equity company eyes Thus as target for merger
Scotsman.com Business - Technology - American private equity company eyes Thus as target for merger
"Columbia Ventures already owns 7.1% of the Glasgow company but chief executive Ken Peterson has revealed that he wants to combine Thus’s UK telecoms network with his undersea transatlantic cable to supply telecoms services on both sides of the Atlantic."
Well it makes sense. THUS has a share value of under £200m (at the closing price of 14.25p on Friday - so even less today as the share price dropped to under 14p). With network assets of more that £0.5bn and a turnover of £360m it looks a good buy.
Of course it's only a good buy for someone with cash, they'd have to make an offer to buy out the existing shareholders (mainly institutions) and they'd need a UK network.
THUS has little money for new investment (and new products) so they need external cash. They could go to the banks for a loan, but then they'd be at the mercy of the banks who are vary wary of investing in telecoms companies.
A foreign operator needing a UK network (or a UK operator wanting the Demon brand) would make a good partner, there are some clever people at THUS and the network being one of the most modern in the UK can support the tranch of IP centric services that convergence is demanding.
"Columbia Ventures already owns 7.1% of the Glasgow company but chief executive Ken Peterson has revealed that he wants to combine Thus’s UK telecoms network with his undersea transatlantic cable to supply telecoms services on both sides of the Atlantic."
Well it makes sense. THUS has a share value of under £200m (at the closing price of 14.25p on Friday - so even less today as the share price dropped to under 14p). With network assets of more that £0.5bn and a turnover of £360m it looks a good buy.
Of course it's only a good buy for someone with cash, they'd have to make an offer to buy out the existing shareholders (mainly institutions) and they'd need a UK network.
THUS has little money for new investment (and new products) so they need external cash. They could go to the banks for a loan, but then they'd be at the mercy of the banks who are vary wary of investing in telecoms companies.
A foreign operator needing a UK network (or a UK operator wanting the Demon brand) would make a good partner, there are some clever people at THUS and the network being one of the most modern in the UK can support the tranch of IP centric services that convergence is demanding.
2005/04/15
Ecademy & Opengardens
opengardens.net
Opengardens held an interesting meeting last night with a presentation by Mike Short (who's VP R&D for mmO2 and Chair of the Mobile Data Association) and presented some interesting information and thoughts on where the industry was going.
In the UK there are now more mobile phones than people which is true of several countries but for different reasons i.e. in the UK people may have a company and personal phone or phone and Blackberry type device.
SMS growth has been phenomenal with 3/4 of a trillion messages sent last year. The MDA isn't publishing number of MMS messages (probably due to very low numbers), instead numbers of MMS and/or GPRS enabled handsets.
The MDA has some interesting mini directories available to download from their site here. Currently there's one for Mobile Messaging and Mobile Broadband and another due for release soon on Mobile Applications.
Opengardens held an interesting meeting last night with a presentation by Mike Short (who's VP R&D for mmO2 and Chair of the Mobile Data Association) and presented some interesting information and thoughts on where the industry was going.
In the UK there are now more mobile phones than people which is true of several countries but for different reasons i.e. in the UK people may have a company and personal phone or phone and Blackberry type device.
SMS growth has been phenomenal with 3/4 of a trillion messages sent last year. The MDA isn't publishing number of MMS messages (probably due to very low numbers), instead numbers of MMS and/or GPRS enabled handsets.
The MDA has some interesting mini directories available to download from their site here. Currently there's one for Mobile Messaging and Mobile Broadband and another due for release soon on Mobile Applications.
Storage Technology
Storage Technology
Hitachi Data Systems and Seagate have announced they're working on perpendicular bit technology (where the magnetic bits on a disk surface are aligned vertically rather than as they are now horizontally along the surface). This should allow much higher disk densities than is currently possible.
Anyway nice idea, but have a look at the Flash animation they've done for it, very weird, not corporate at all.
Hitachi Data Systems and Seagate have announced they're working on perpendicular bit technology (where the magnetic bits on a disk surface are aligned vertically rather than as they are now horizontally along the surface). This should allow much higher disk densities than is currently possible.
Anyway nice idea, but have a look at the Flash animation they've done for it, very weird, not corporate at all.
2005/04/12
PSP - in English at last
Nuplayer import various game consoles including the PSP.
It seems they're shipping 500 per day, which is pretty amazing for an import item. It shows that Sony have made a mistake not launching over in the UK yet (expected UK launch is expected in July or August).
One of the reasons people are buying imports is that currently none of the games are region locked and Sony has said it doesn't plan to lock games. Of course it's extremely likely that videos will be released in UMD (like DVD) format and these will be region locked, but if you purchase a Japanese unit luckily the UK and Japan are in Region 2 so they should play.
I got a game (US import) and it just worked, all the menus are in English even though the PSP itself is Japanese. It's a shame that Japanese games don't take the User Interface language into account and therefore display game options etc in English too. That's surely an oversight on the design - it would seem sensible to have made all settings/options etc utilise the PSP language settings, but then maybe that was deliberate by Sony to stop people importing games from Japan (which seems silly since the games aren't region locked in the first place).
I haven't yet tried network play, but I guess it will just work. All Sony need to do is realease a software update to add Internet utilities into the mix, media streaming, and it will be the perfect handheld device.
If you're interested in getting an import, get a Japanese unit Play Asia sell them, I don't know if Nuplayer sell US or Japanese versions. It's rumoured the Japanese version has a better LCD screen manufactured by Sharp, while US (and UK) models have a display made by Samsung which isn't as bright or sharp (sic).
It seems they're shipping 500 per day, which is pretty amazing for an import item. It shows that Sony have made a mistake not launching over in the UK yet (expected UK launch is expected in July or August).
One of the reasons people are buying imports is that currently none of the games are region locked and Sony has said it doesn't plan to lock games. Of course it's extremely likely that videos will be released in UMD (like DVD) format and these will be region locked, but if you purchase a Japanese unit luckily the UK and Japan are in Region 2 so they should play.
I got a game (US import) and it just worked, all the menus are in English even though the PSP itself is Japanese. It's a shame that Japanese games don't take the User Interface language into account and therefore display game options etc in English too. That's surely an oversight on the design - it would seem sensible to have made all settings/options etc utilise the PSP language settings, but then maybe that was deliberate by Sony to stop people importing games from Japan (which seems silly since the games aren't region locked in the first place).
I haven't yet tried network play, but I guess it will just work. All Sony need to do is realease a software update to add Internet utilities into the mix, media streaming, and it will be the perfect handheld device.
If you're interested in getting an import, get a Japanese unit Play Asia sell them, I don't know if Nuplayer sell US or Japanese versions. It's rumoured the Japanese version has a better LCD screen manufactured by Sharp, while US (and UK) models have a display made by Samsung which isn't as bright or sharp (sic).
2005/04/11
ElectricNews.net:News:Brussels backs broadband over power lines
ElectricNews.net:News:Brussels backs broadband over power lines
Broadband over Power Lines (or PLC power line communications) has been promised for a while. Unfortunately the technology hasn't met expectations and there are still problems with it.
In the UK there have been trials in various regions including rural areas of Scotland where the results have been very promising and the technology can work well in rural areas. Why? a) there's nothing to interfere with, so any leakage of EMI (elctromagnetic interference) doesn't actually interfere with much (well maybe a few sheep) and b) a single substation feeds a region.
In somewhere like London, multiple substations feed premises and putting PLC into substations doesn't work as they destructively interfere with each other. However that's a technology problem that may well find a solution in the coming months or years.
In house PLC has been reasonably successful and there's even an organisation supporting it HomePlug, but with the introduction of wireless USB, Zigbee and WiFi/WiMAX it may get lost in the dust.
Broadband over Power Lines (or PLC power line communications) has been promised for a while. Unfortunately the technology hasn't met expectations and there are still problems with it.
In the UK there have been trials in various regions including rural areas of Scotland where the results have been very promising and the technology can work well in rural areas. Why? a) there's nothing to interfere with, so any leakage of EMI (elctromagnetic interference) doesn't actually interfere with much (well maybe a few sheep) and b) a single substation feeds a region.
In somewhere like London, multiple substations feed premises and putting PLC into substations doesn't work as they destructively interfere with each other. However that's a technology problem that may well find a solution in the coming months or years.
In house PLC has been reasonably successful and there's even an organisation supporting it HomePlug, but with the introduction of wireless USB, Zigbee and WiFi/WiMAX it may get lost in the dust.
Banks set to lead On-line identity
Why it's taken so long who knows? The initiative comes out of the "Connecting the UK Strategy" launched at Downing St last week.
Banks are ideally placed to run identity services, they know who their customers are and already issue "identity" information in the form of cheque books, bank and credit cards. It's a simple step to offer an "identity" that is suitable for on-line use.
The banks are adopting "chip & pin" for use with debit/credit cards which will hopefully reduce fraud (both at point of sale and over the Internet) and therefore are ideally suited to extend this to on-line identification. They already have the infrastructure to authorise on-line purchases and this could be extended to on-line identification. They also would be ideally suited to say introduce some kind of on-line certificate and act as a trusted third party for identification. This way a user's browser could have a certificate installed signed by the bank which would identify the user. This could be extended to certificated in WAP phones, PDA's etc.
Until there is a trusted way to identify people in a secure manner, various on-line practices are bound to fail - or at least not take-off to the extent that government wants them to.
Banks are ideally placed to run identity services, they know who their customers are and already issue "identity" information in the form of cheque books, bank and credit cards. It's a simple step to offer an "identity" that is suitable for on-line use.
The banks are adopting "chip & pin" for use with debit/credit cards which will hopefully reduce fraud (both at point of sale and over the Internet) and therefore are ideally suited to extend this to on-line identification. They already have the infrastructure to authorise on-line purchases and this could be extended to on-line identification. They also would be ideally suited to say introduce some kind of on-line certificate and act as a trusted third party for identification. This way a user's browser could have a certificate installed signed by the bank which would identify the user. This could be extended to certificated in WAP phones, PDA's etc.
Until there is a trusted way to identify people in a secure manner, various on-line practices are bound to fail - or at least not take-off to the extent that government wants them to.
UK Online offers broadband for �9.99 - Web User News
UK Online offers broadband for �9.99 - Web User News
Broadband pricing is starting to reach commodity pricing. UL Online (the consumer variant of Easynet) has dropped the price of it's 512K service to £9.99 a month (approx $15). They've also dropped their 2Mb/s and 8Mb/s pricing.
It's likely that others will follow so broadband pricing is hitting narrowband (i.e. dial-up) levels.
The margins on these services will be very low, so it's likely that other plays will have to come into force such as voice services and/or IPTV, though they have the advantage of a service based on local loop unbundling (LLU) based on Easynet's infrastructure of (currently) 230 exchanges giving them access to aound 4.4 million households.
Broadband pricing is starting to reach commodity pricing. UL Online (the consumer variant of Easynet) has dropped the price of it's 512K service to £9.99 a month (approx $15). They've also dropped their 2Mb/s and 8Mb/s pricing.
It's likely that others will follow so broadband pricing is hitting narrowband (i.e. dial-up) levels.
The margins on these services will be very low, so it's likely that other plays will have to come into force such as voice services and/or IPTV, though they have the advantage of a service based on local loop unbundling (LLU) based on Easynet's infrastructure of (currently) 230 exchanges giving them access to aound 4.4 million households.
2005/04/08
Canary Wireless
Canary Wireless
I just received the Digital Hotspotter. It's a tiny little unit that takes 2 AAA batteries and detects WiFi networks.
It's really easy to use, just press the button and it scans for available networks. If there are any it shows the SSID (i.e network name), the channel it's using and whether encryption is being used.
If the network isn't broadcasting the SSID (they called it "cloaked") which really means it's not sending out the name in beacon packets, then it still shows the network, channel and whether WEP is in use or not.
As the device is so small, it's pretty convenient to carry about if you're looking for a hotspot (or want to jump on to someone's wireless network).
Of course using to "steal" someone's bandwidth may not be such a good idea as it may well be illegal (in fact even snooping out a WiFi network can be illegal in some countries). In the UK for example intercepting data that you're not meant to is breaking the law it's covered by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act, of course the likelyhood of you being prosecuted for it are extremely unlikely (if you can be caught in the first place) but that would including decoding the WiFi beacon packets that every WiFi network uses. Once you join a WiFi network (that you're not meant to) you're also breaking the law as you're using computing resource (even just in the Access Point which is having to process the packets your sending) which you're not entitled to be using which is covered by the Computer Misuse Act. Again unless you're doing something seriously wrong, it's unlikely that you'd be prosecuted.
This does bring up the whole security issue, recent reports still show that most WiFi networks are unsecured or on default settings. This is not only dangerous in terms of people having unrestricted access to your network, but also if they are doing something illegal (maybe hacking someone else or down or uploading illegal material such as child pornography) then the Police will come knocking at your door. You may think you're being nice by having an open network, but remember you're responsible for its use.
It's not hard to secure a network, depending on traffic levels WEP can be enough (you need to snoop a reasonable ammount of data to break the WEP codes), someone determined to get in will but it will deter the average user. Of course upgrading to WPA which uses AES (advanced encryption standard) makes it even more difficult. Then if you run things like SSH (secure shell), IPSEC (IP Security) or a secure VPN (virtual private network) on top of the WiFi network it's going to be very difficult ot snoop the traffic. It's even a reasonable policy to run an open WiFi network if the only thing you can do with it is run a secure protocol above it.
I just received the Digital Hotspotter. It's a tiny little unit that takes 2 AAA batteries and detects WiFi networks.
It's really easy to use, just press the button and it scans for available networks. If there are any it shows the SSID (i.e network name), the channel it's using and whether encryption is being used.
If the network isn't broadcasting the SSID (they called it "cloaked") which really means it's not sending out the name in beacon packets, then it still shows the network, channel and whether WEP is in use or not.
As the device is so small, it's pretty convenient to carry about if you're looking for a hotspot (or want to jump on to someone's wireless network).
Of course using to "steal" someone's bandwidth may not be such a good idea as it may well be illegal (in fact even snooping out a WiFi network can be illegal in some countries). In the UK for example intercepting data that you're not meant to is breaking the law it's covered by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIP) Act, of course the likelyhood of you being prosecuted for it are extremely unlikely (if you can be caught in the first place) but that would including decoding the WiFi beacon packets that every WiFi network uses. Once you join a WiFi network (that you're not meant to) you're also breaking the law as you're using computing resource (even just in the Access Point which is having to process the packets your sending) which you're not entitled to be using which is covered by the Computer Misuse Act. Again unless you're doing something seriously wrong, it's unlikely that you'd be prosecuted.
This does bring up the whole security issue, recent reports still show that most WiFi networks are unsecured or on default settings. This is not only dangerous in terms of people having unrestricted access to your network, but also if they are doing something illegal (maybe hacking someone else or down or uploading illegal material such as child pornography) then the Police will come knocking at your door. You may think you're being nice by having an open network, but remember you're responsible for its use.
It's not hard to secure a network, depending on traffic levels WEP can be enough (you need to snoop a reasonable ammount of data to break the WEP codes), someone determined to get in will but it will deter the average user. Of course upgrading to WPA which uses AES (advanced encryption standard) makes it even more difficult. Then if you run things like SSH (secure shell), IPSEC (IP Security) or a secure VPN (virtual private network) on top of the WiFi network it's going to be very difficult ot snoop the traffic. It's even a reasonable policy to run an open WiFi network if the only thing you can do with it is run a secure protocol above it.
PlayStation Portable update
In the vein of being geeky at the moment, I decided to try and connect my PSP to the WiFi network and see what happens.
The WiFi network is secured using WEP to reduce the chance of people randomly connecting to it (not that I wouldn't mind people using spare bandwidth, just there are major issues with liability etc.).
So on the PSP I create a network connection, unfortunately the key entry system in in Japanese but that was only for the connection name (I think you can change it), but since there was a default, not a problem. The select the SSID - luckily this has an English keyboard and it wasn't too difficult, WEP was the same, everything else was left on automatic (such as IP address, netmask, etc). It's odd the PSP wouldn't scan for a network.
There's then a test connection, which happily connected.
It was then possible to upgrade the unit (there's an upgrade option), which worked flawlessly. It just pulled a new image from Sony and stored it on the (supplied 32MB) memory stick. The firmware is then copied from the memory stick to the internal Flash memory. You need to make sure you have sufficient battery power and that unit should be plugged into the mains and then it all runs smoothly.
I haven't yet noticed much of a difference in actual operation, apart from the OS reporting v1.5 instead of 1.0.
It looks as though there is a lot more functionality in the unit than Sony have made publically available yet, there are reports of people having got web browsers, IRC clients and other Internet applications running on the units.
I do believe Sony are on to a winner here and that the PSP really has the possibility of becoming a sophisticated portable media hub.
The WiFi network is secured using WEP to reduce the chance of people randomly connecting to it (not that I wouldn't mind people using spare bandwidth, just there are major issues with liability etc.).
So on the PSP I create a network connection, unfortunately the key entry system in in Japanese but that was only for the connection name (I think you can change it), but since there was a default, not a problem. The select the SSID - luckily this has an English keyboard and it wasn't too difficult, WEP was the same, everything else was left on automatic (such as IP address, netmask, etc). It's odd the PSP wouldn't scan for a network.
There's then a test connection, which happily connected.
It was then possible to upgrade the unit (there's an upgrade option), which worked flawlessly. It just pulled a new image from Sony and stored it on the (supplied 32MB) memory stick. The firmware is then copied from the memory stick to the internal Flash memory. You need to make sure you have sufficient battery power and that unit should be plugged into the mains and then it all runs smoothly.
I haven't yet noticed much of a difference in actual operation, apart from the OS reporting v1.5 instead of 1.0.
It looks as though there is a lot more functionality in the unit than Sony have made publically available yet, there are reports of people having got web browsers, IRC clients and other Internet applications running on the units.
I do believe Sony are on to a winner here and that the PSP really has the possibility of becoming a sophisticated portable media hub.
The Dangers of Broadband
A couple of days ago I decided to revitalise an old laptop that had been sitting dormant for a while. It had an old copy of XP that (long story) had a dubious Product Key, so wouldn't upgrade to newer versions. Since I had a spare (real) copy lying around I booted from this and did a recovery - that installed the new Product Key while hopefully maintaining all the programs etc that had been installed. That actually went very well, slow, but well.
Next step run Windows Update and get the system into a reasonable state, again slow (just due to the system - there's a fast broadband connection) but all went well. Then install Microsoft's new Anti spyware system and Grisoft's AVG (free version while testing). They immediately showed problems, a virus and lots of spyware. Several attempts at scanning and deleting just didn't seem to work. Unplugging the LAN connection did improve things but as soon as the Ethernet was reconnected up pops the spyware. Something was badly wrong. Leave it until morning ...
Next decision was to completely reinstall XP (actually SP1), plug the system in and leave XP installing. After the initial load of CD, XP reported 39 minutes remaining - which took more like 2 hours, but at least it could just get on with it. Then do the updates etc. and install the Anti spyware software. Somehow the system had become infected again. I'd guess that either the original spyware reports itself to a site which then probes you, or the system was just randomly attacked (probably the former). It seems that when XP is installing it leaves NetBIOS turned on which since it's unpatched at that point leaves the system open to attack.
This had taken most of the morning and dragged into the early afternoon. But since I couldn't get rid of the spyware - another reinstall. This time I unplugged the system from the LAN and started again. I also made sure I had SP2 and the anti spyware/virus software on CD. Eventually XP installed and then installed the software (which noticed NetBIOS was turned on and turned it off) and did the local SP2 upgrade. It was now evening but it seemed to work. SP2 comes with a pretty lame firewall, but at least it's a firewall so I made sure that was running, then plugged the system into the LAN. No spyware/virii appeared and I managed to get the system updated. It's been like that ever since.
I also happen to run a Samba server (which is an open source file/print sharing system for UNIX that emulates a Microsoft Domain controller) so I can keep important files centrally. I decided I'd check the logs, and lo and behold there have been consistant attempts to connect to it. As a precaution I've always only allowed machines on the local network to connect, but I'm sure if it had been left open it would have been severely comprimised by now.
I'm now going to start filtering at the router connection to my broadband provider. It may make things slightly more restrictive, but stopping external probes and even attacks is more important. It shows that there are nasty things at work on the Internet.
The moral of the story is run a firewall if possible at border of you and your broadband provider, if not firewall every PC that connects to the Internet.
Next step run Windows Update and get the system into a reasonable state, again slow (just due to the system - there's a fast broadband connection) but all went well. Then install Microsoft's new Anti spyware system and Grisoft's AVG (free version while testing). They immediately showed problems, a virus and lots of spyware. Several attempts at scanning and deleting just didn't seem to work. Unplugging the LAN connection did improve things but as soon as the Ethernet was reconnected up pops the spyware. Something was badly wrong. Leave it until morning ...
Next decision was to completely reinstall XP (actually SP1), plug the system in and leave XP installing. After the initial load of CD, XP reported 39 minutes remaining - which took more like 2 hours, but at least it could just get on with it. Then do the updates etc. and install the Anti spyware software. Somehow the system had become infected again. I'd guess that either the original spyware reports itself to a site which then probes you, or the system was just randomly attacked (probably the former). It seems that when XP is installing it leaves NetBIOS turned on which since it's unpatched at that point leaves the system open to attack.
This had taken most of the morning and dragged into the early afternoon. But since I couldn't get rid of the spyware - another reinstall. This time I unplugged the system from the LAN and started again. I also made sure I had SP2 and the anti spyware/virus software on CD. Eventually XP installed and then installed the software (which noticed NetBIOS was turned on and turned it off) and did the local SP2 upgrade. It was now evening but it seemed to work. SP2 comes with a pretty lame firewall, but at least it's a firewall so I made sure that was running, then plugged the system into the LAN. No spyware/virii appeared and I managed to get the system updated. It's been like that ever since.
I also happen to run a Samba server (which is an open source file/print sharing system for UNIX that emulates a Microsoft Domain controller) so I can keep important files centrally. I decided I'd check the logs, and lo and behold there have been consistant attempts to connect to it. As a precaution I've always only allowed machines on the local network to connect, but I'm sure if it had been left open it would have been severely comprimised by now.
I'm now going to start filtering at the router connection to my broadband provider. It may make things slightly more restrictive, but stopping external probes and even attacks is more important. It shows that there are nasty things at work on the Internet.
The moral of the story is run a firewall if possible at border of you and your broadband provider, if not firewall every PC that connects to the Internet.
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