Google VoIP will still be Free of Charge in 2011

Google Dec. 20 said it will continue to make its Gmail calling capability free through 2011, a sign that the company wants to make sure more of its Webmail users embrace the technology.

Google launched its Call Phones from Gmail feature in August, leveraging the company's popular Google Voice phone management software.

Google said the tool would let U.S. users call anywhere in the U.S. and Canada for free through 2010 and make international calls for pennies per minute. Gmail users took up the service with gusto, logging 10 million calls through the first week.

"In the spirit of holiday giving and to help people keep in touch in the new year, we're extending free calling for all of 2011," Google software engineer Robin Schriebman said in a blog post.

To access the feature, users must download Google's voice and video plug-in. Gmail users may then click the "Call Phone" tab in the chat section in the left menu bar.

This action will pop open a window with a virtual keypad to the right of the screen. The feature will display Google Voice users' numbers in outbound calls.

Gmail calling is certainly one way to get more users to use Google Voice. AllThingsDigital's Liz Gannes said she uses the feature as her primary landline at home.

What Google should do, in addition to making Google Voice available to its Gmail users all over the world, is layer the phone calling capability across all relevant services, including Google Docs, Sites and all other Google Apps.

Moreover, adding calling across its dozens of consumer Web services could help the company as it looks to build out its social networking communications capabilities in 2011.

This would alsocounter Facebook's integration with VOIP giant Skype.

(source eWEEK Des 2010)

Analog TV antennas deliver rural broadband

As the GSM Association and the Wimax Forum lobby for LTE and Wimax as the top option for bringing wireless broadband to areas underserved by DSL (or not served at all), there is at least one other option in the works: converting old analog TV antennas into wireless data receivers capable of 12-Mbps download speeds.

Australian government research body CSIRO - one of the pioneers in Wi-Fi that won a patent battle last year over the 802.11 wireless standard against IT heavyweights such as Microsoft, Intel and Dell - last month unveiled a wireless technology that does just that. It's called Ngara, and it combines OFDM-based Wi-Fi and beam-forming transmission techniques.

CSIRO says any rural property capable of receiving an analog television signal today would be able to use the technology through a new set-top box and a slightly modified version of their existing TV aerial.

Ngara enables multiple users to transmit simultaneously without compromising individual transfer rates of 12 Mbps, as the beamforming technology allows the towers to focus beams on individual homes, explains CSIRO ICT center director Ian Oppermann.

"Someone who doesn't live near the fiber network could get to it using our new wireless system," Oppermann said in a statement. "They'd be able to upload a clip to YouTube in real time and their data rate wouldn't change even if five of their neighbors also started uploading videos."

Ngara offers more than ten times the spectral efficiency of the industry's minimum standard, Oppermann says. Six users can be served with 12-Mbps connections in the space of one 7-MHz television channel, representing an efficiency of 20 bps per Hz.

CSIRO developed the technology under its Broadband In The Bush project with the proposition that it could be used to provide connectivity to the 7% of Australia's population that are too remote to reach via fiber via Australia's NBN rollout. NBN Co plans to use both wireless and satellite technologies to connect these places.

Analog television services in Australia are currently being switched off in phases, with the last signal due to go off in late-2013. That process will free up a contiguous block of spectrum from 694 MHz to 820 MHz.

However, regulator ACMA plans to follow ITU guidelines and use most of this frequency range for LTE.

The GSM Association is pushing hard to have digital dividend spectrum worldwide allocated for LTE usage. Its latest argument for "spectrum harmonization" cites a report co-authored by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) that projects that turning digital-dividend frequencies over to mobile could increase Asia-Pacific GDP by $729 billion and tip $131 billion in taxes into government coffers by 2020.

CSIRO acknowledges that most digital dividend spectrum will be used for mobile networks but says it's developing Ngara "on the reasonable assumption that, in regional and rural areas, these services are not likely to take up all the available spectrum."

Meanwhile, wireless access is just the first phase of Ngara's development; CSIRO is also developing wireless backhaul using the same technology, aiming to combine isolated available channels into a single link ten times faster than the current 150-Mbps microwave backhaul links serving Australia's rural towns.

Source:

Telecom Asia

Dylan Bushell-Embling and John C Tanner

Why rush to LTE if there is no Handset for LTE?

3G was a huge disappointment for customers. It took seven to eight years for what many operators are calling the "true 3G experience" to be delivered via HSPA+. Two upgrades later. And what happened to video telephony, promoted as a key capability of "3's" first 3G models back in 2004.

The iPhone homepage states prominently that "video calling is a reality" with FaceView. But not with 3G! Read the fine print -- that of course is over Wi-Fi. So there's still a ways to go there.

It's hard not to get that "oh, here we go again" feeling as operators rush toward LTE.

Adrian Scrase from the 3GPP said yesterday at the LTE Asia conference in Hong Kong that 22 operators are due to launch commercial LTE networks by the end of the year. With only three rolled out to date, that's 19 in less than 17 weeks.

At lot of it is about being first in a market. But that doesn't make for a very good business case.

Voice-centric LTE handsets are still two years away, according to Ovum's consulting director for Asia Pacific, CW Cheung.

3G device shipments are now just starting to surpass those of 2G.

Lars Bandelind, Huawei's VP of wireless marketing, asked the audience: "Why launch if there are no handsets?" (Soure:Joseph Waring -telecomasia.net)

The challengers to APAC IPTV market

Apple has upgraded its Apple TV device, dropping the price to $99, with the intention of developing a larger installed base. Apple's strategy is to take a share of video on demand (VoD) revenues. This contrasts with Google's TV aspiration, which is primarily aiming for the broadcast advertising market.

Unlike Apple's first-generation device, the new Apple TV has no internal hard drive, being purely a streaming media receiver for content from other computing devices on a home network, or from Apple's (and selected partners) own walled-garden service. Apple TV allows sharing of content from iDevices (iPods, iPhones, iPads) which Apple hopes will help drive demand for Apple TV. Apple has consequently moved to a rental model for content within the Apple TV store in conjunction with Netflix, a partner with existing content rights.

Google's approach to the market is to capture a greater share of total adverting revenues through indexing all the services vying for audience attention on the TV screen, providing a single unified UI and controlling the advertising. Google is already making progress expanding into the mobile market with Android, and this is the next step in its strategy to leverage its data analytics and advertising targeting across multi-screens.

The existing traditional TV broadcasters and IPTV players in the Asia-Pacific TV market need to watch Apple and Google very carefully. Two bellwether Asia-Pacific markets with very different local market structure and competitive dynamics are Hong Kong and Singapore.

Two models

PCCW in Hong Kong was a world pioneer in IPTV services, introducing the service in 2003 and transforming the traditional telco into a dynamic convergence player. Its IPTV service is posing a significant threat to the cable-TV service and surpassed them in terms of customer numbers mid-2009. A very competitive market, both in telecom and TV, Hong Kong has achieved a higher than 50% household penetration of IPTV.

PCCW built its early customer base with innovative packaging and pricing options, rather than restricting customers to pre-determined bundles. From its launch, PCCW focused on capturing the rights to key content, placing strong pressure on its rivals. PCCW has also been able to tie content and services across its quad-play bundles, reusing the same premium content with its mobile services.

Even Google and Apple will find it challenging to enter such a strongly competitive market with high existing IPTV take-up, with customers already having set-top boxes and tied into packages. They will need to focus on extending and working around the existing services rather than direct competition.

In Singapore, StarHub had dominated the pay-TV market until SingTel launched its IPTV service in mid-2007. SingTel's strategy was to use the IPTV service to strengthen its position as a converged player. Conversley, StarHub has expanded from its cable-based pay-TV service, into converged pay-TV and telecom services.

The IDA in Singapore has developed its NGN initiative to deliver an open access high-speed network due to reach 95% completion by 2012. This network will assist in accelerating bandwidth intensive services such as high-definition IPTV.

Additionally, IDA and MDA are consulting with industry to foster an open access video delivery platform, NIMS, including common standards and interoperability. The importance of this project is that it will improve competition in interactive and video services by both lowering the barriers to entry for a new player through access to the wholesale platform as well as removing customer lock-in.

This means that new players to the Singapore market, such as Google and Apple, will find it easier to enter, providing more competitive pressure to the existing IPTV players.

Craig Skinner is a senior consultant with Ovum

Source:

Telecom Asia

Craig Skinner/Ovum

Surging Data Traffic will strain 3G Networks in 2011

1. Surging mobile data traffic will continue to test 3G network capacity

As we predicted at the end of last year, 2010 was the year in which the surge in mobile data traffic, driven by the consumer smartphone boom, began to place the 3G networks under severe strain. A number of network operators have responded by introducing tiered data pricing – a trend which will undoubtedly increase – but as smartphone adoption continues apace, network capacity will be sorely tested in 2011. Tiered pricing (and the use of WiFi as capacity relief) may serve to alleviate the problem to a certain extent, but until we see mass deployments of LTE networks (and, equally important, devices that are LTE-capable), then operators face a nervous period while attempting to manage the transition.

2. Augmented reality to enhance mobile games and retail

Augmented Reality, or AR, has largely been used in local search and reference applications thus far, but is now attracting the attention of the retail industry. Given its potential to geotag products or locations with brand/campaign-specific information, as we near the end of 2010 a raft of major retailers and brands are releasing apps with an AR element. Brands on the bandwagon include eBay, H&M and Carlsberg. With Apple opening its accelerometer and gyroscope APIs to mobile Safari developers, there is also an opportunity for AR-enabled web-based apps. Also expect to see an increasing number of AR-based games – THQ Wireless’ forthcoming Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner likely to be the first of many such titles.

3. Cloud-based operating systems will launch

So far mobile operating systems have followed their PC-based cousins, the structure for which was formulated when the web was in its infancy. Consequently, with the web having taken-off, for some time now industry figures have been talking about the potential for applications to run from a “cloud”. Google announced the start of new project, the Chrome cloud OS in 2009; and the latest is that it will be launched in early 2011. With network reach and reliability reaching a point where cloud-based solutions can be considered viable, and remote servers already being used to allow the mobile internet and email, we believe 2011 will see the launch of the first cloud OS for mobile.

4. Mobile banking will become a “must-have” when opening a new account

Banks in developed countries will harness the power of the app and the smartphone to provide their customers with a much improved and personalized service experience. The sign-up process will be a simple box to tick in account opening processes from banks that are keen to make life easier for customers by proving the ability to manage their money on the move in what might otherwise be dead time.

5. Mobile devices begin to replace credit cards

In some countries at least, using your phone as a credit card for lower value purchases will in 2011 become a reality. Google recently announced that NFC (Near Field Communication) technology will be supported in the next release of Android – 2.3 or “Gingerbread”; a natural step, given it already offers several mobile commerce apps and services including shopping, coupons and products search. Also, Nokia’s C7 handset has an NFC chip included, which will be activated in 2011, and rumors of Apple’s next iPhone including NFC refuse to die down. A word of caution: it won’t all happen at once. Stores need to deploy contactless readers, and more problematically, it is dependent on user preference. However, as with Bluetooth and cameras, we will see NFC in new devices whether we want it or not.

6. Mobile handsets become even more sensitive

Locational and sensory features on smartphones - such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and GPS - have been key drivers in application development. Handset manufacturers will be keen to add more “killer” features to their devices to give them that edge. With the aforementioned features becoming standard, vendors are already looking to incorporate others, such as, proximity, temperature, biometrics, 3D displays, and projectors, into their handsets.

7. Mobile lottery tickets sales to soar

With lottery sales from traditional distribution channels in decline in many developed markets – notably the US – national/state lottery organizers are anxious to explore new means of distribution. Juniper Research believes 2011 is the year when mobile lotteries will hit the mainstream. As consumers across all age ranges become more comfortable with browsing for content and making purchases via the mobile handset, this major hurdle to mobile lotteries will begin to disappear. We expect a raft of mobile lottery launches across the US and Europe, while VODone’s existing service in China (which already has more than 10 million registered users) is likely to experience further significant growth.

8. Mobile-specific threats lead to demand for mobile-specific security

With the growing number of open WiFi networks, and antivirus vendor Kaspersky reporting the first virus designed to disrupt Google’s Android operating system, the risks for smartphone users will increase in 2011. Antivirus and firewalls have been a “must-have” for PC users for some time, and with mobile handset featuring a wider array of connectivity options – and less secure ones – the lure for vigilantes and criminals is even greater. In light of this, anti-virus software vendors such as Kaspersky and McAfee are likely to make a concerted effort to sell into the mobile space in 2011.

9. Buyouts take social purchasing to a new level

Google is heavily rumored to be keen on purchasing Groupon, a company which sends users offers on products and services. But rather than providing a coupon, it manages the transaction, taking a share of the proceeds. We expect a Google acquisition to have similar impact on this model as we saw in mobile advertising, when it purchased AdMob.

10. More vendors develop a GreenHeart

Sony Ericsson’s GreenHeart mantra lead to the Sony Ericsson Elm, a handset made from recycled plastics and free of hazardous chemicals, and comes with a low power consumption charger, reduced packaging, some eco-aware apps and an e-manual on the phone instead of a printed guide. Given this move, we expect other vendors to go down a similar route, in order to appeal to the increasingly-environmentally conscious consumer. (Source: Juniper Research)

Lesson from Wikileaks: Cyberspace is Lawless

The most telling release from the State Department this week was not a leaked cable but its “World Press Freedom Day” announcement.

Just as the rest of the US government was hounding companies not to do business with WikiLeaks, the department hailed the ability of new media to empower citizens in “environments sometimes hostile” to freedom of expression.

“At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information,” it went on to say.

You gotta love that.

But as well as the unembarrassed hypocrisy, it reminds us that internet freedom is severely vulnerable to attacks by governments, and not just the usual culprits such as China and Iran.

A month ago the flap about China “hijacking” web traffic pointed to the fragility of the BGP routing infrastructure which underpins IP traffic management.

The WikiLeaks saga shows how the DNS system is a chokepoint and thus also vulnerable.

The DDoS attacks on WikiLeaks forced its registrar, EveryDNS, to cancel its domain registration in order to protect its other 500,000 customers.

Then the retaliatory attacks this week by hacktivists on Visa and Mastercard further demonstrated the power of DDoS to take websites off the air.

WikiLeaks is online thanks to hundreds of mirror sites, but that’s not an option for other websites that come under attack.

The lesson from WikiLeaks is that cyberspace is a lawless zone where the weak are prey to the strong.

What we need is a cyberspace police force to protect the rights of legitimate sites, and an effective judicial forum to settle disputes.

Obviously that would require the cooperation of the world’s powers, and for the US to cede its dominance. Obviously it ain’t going to happen soon. Or ever.

But the US assault on WikiLeaks has exposed giant cracks in web governance. They will only get bigger.

Enterprise Mobility: Apple, Google, Sprint Among Winners in Yankee`s 2011 4G Predictions

• Prediction: '4G Will Be a Drop in the Ocean'

  By the end of 2011, only 25 percent of North American consumers will understand what 4G means, says Yankee Group. Incumbent operators, such as Vodafone and AT&T, will win out, as they'll "be able to align 4G investments with pragmatic adoption forecasts." Pictured: A new Vodafone ad campaign starring F1 driver Jenson Button, indie rock darling Florence Welch and supermodel Lilly Cole.

• Prediction: 'A Denial-of-Service Attack Will Take Down a 4G Network'

  Speeding to deployment, some security corners may be cut that will cost operators in the long-term. AT&T's struggle, says Yankee, is "particularly poignant," as it works to rollout 4G while supporting its iPhone customers on 3G.

• Prediction: 'Chinese Vendors Will Beat 3G Incumbents'

  Tier 1 players shouldn't dismiss Chinese vendors as offering inferior solutions, says Yankee. The competition they pose over the next five years will be considerable. Pictured is China-based Huawei's testing center.

• Prediction: '4G Users Will Spend Twice as Much Time on the Mobile Web as Their Non-4G Counterparts'

  By the end of 2011, 4G users are expected to spend more than 36 minutes a day browsing the mobile Web. The new Microsoft ad campaign for its Windows Phone 7 phones, features the tag line: "It's time for a phone to save us from our phones." Pictured: the WP7-running Dell Venue Pro.

• Prediction: 'Mobile Video Will Not Drive Consumers to 4G'

  Mobile video is constrained not just by bandwidth but how much attention users can spend on video. Instead, mobile apps and Web browsing will for now lead 4G use.

• Prediction: 'The Web Will Not Save Operators in the Mobile Apps Market'

  Unfortunately for operators, says Yankee, "Apple and Google own the most popular mobile Web browsers and are well-positioned to optimize these for app discovery and search." Pictured is Apple's new store in Shanghai, China. (Image courtesy of Apple.)

• Prediction: 'MVNO Hype Will Build, but Most of It Will Lead to Nothing'

  In theory, the 4G MVNO business should be a successful one, says Yankee, "but it won't be." To succeed, the MVNO can't compete with its host in any meaningful way. The Kyocera Loft, pictured, is offered by the MVNO Virgin Mobile.

• Prediction: 'Pricing Will End in Tiers'

  Goodbye, flat rates. In 2011, 4G mobile data plans are expected to be tiered. Where the business model supports it, however—as with the Amazon Kindle—connectivity will come as a built-in standard.

• Prediction: 'Carrier VOIP Will Still Be AWOL, Despite 4G'

  Most operators are still planning their 4G networks and won't support VOIP on 4G in the short-term. Only T-Mobile and other operators using HSPA+ offer voice support on their "4G" networks. The new T-Mobile myTouch 4G is pictured.

• Prediction: 'Google Will Take the Wheel in Mobile Data'

  More bandwidth means more data traffic, says Yankee, and "Google is the most successful company at monetizing that traffic." Pictured is Google's Dublin office.

Google upgraded the Google Voice application it wrote for the iPhone to enable phone-management capabilities on Apple's iPad and iPod touch.

Google Dec. 14 said it augmented its Google Voice phone-management application for the iPhone to run on Apple's iPad and iPod touch.

U.S. users may download the new version of Google Voice to send and receive free text messages and enjoy voice mail transcription, listen to live messages left on voice mail and other communications perks.

Users cannot make calls with the Google Voice application from the iPad and iPod touch, which lack calling capabilities. However, users may still manage their Google Voice inbox and enjoy the Click2Call feature.

This feature will trigger Google Voice calls from the iPad and iPod touch devices to mobile, home and work phones users have set up to work with Google Voice. Google Voice will call the line that users select and connect the call.

Google finally saw its native application for Apple's iPhone approved for Apple's App Store in November, putting an end to a 16-month rift between two companies competing in the mobile phone market.

Apple had blocked Google's original Google Voice application submission from its App Store because it competed with its iPhone features.

To mitigate the lack of Google Voice support on the iPhone, Google launched a Web version of Google Voice for iPhone based on HTML5 in January. However, the Web application lacked push notifications to alert users to new voice mail or text messages.

The new native version of Google Voice for the iPhone, which Apple blessed after easing its developer terms of service, offers push notifications. These alerts have just been improved.

As of today, when iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users turn push notifications on in the Google Voice application, Google will automatically disable text forwarding so users don't see duplicate notifications.

Users may also send all callers straight to voice mail by turning on the “do not disturb” function in the settings tab.

Users can also place calls from the address book more conveniently by adding a dedicated contacts button to the dialer tab.

The Google Voice application is available to download from Apple's App Store now for the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch running iOS 3.1 or later. The application requires users to have a valid Google Voice account, available only in the United States.

The introduction of Google Voice for the iPad and iPod touch comes one day after Google launched a native Google Latitude friend-finding application for the iPhone.

Will PT TELKOM buy CamGSM Cambodia's largest mobile Operator?

PT TELKOM Indonesia will be holding its Special Shareholders' Meeting today, Friday, December 17, 2010. The company will appoint new executives for the next 5-year period, its new Board of Directors and Board of Commissioners. Among its Meeting Agenda, includes the decision to sell its subsidiary division, Telkom Flexi CDMA Semi-fixed Wireless Division, and the acquisition of Cambodia's largest GSM Operator, the CamGSM for a value about US$500 million. The following is the latest news from telecomasia.net :

Jakarta. Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Indonesia’s biggest telecommunications company, said on Wednesday that it was in talks to acquire a majority stake in Cambodia’s largest mobile operator CamGSM in a deal that could be worth over $500 million.

The planned acquisition, which values CamGSM at about $1 billion according to a source with knowledge of the deal, would be Telkom’s first major acquisition overseas after a failed bid to acquire Iran Telecommunication Company last year.

“I hope that the process of acquisition will be completed by the first quarter next year,” said Tanri Abeng, Telkom’s chief commissioner.

“We’ve made it through the bidding process and we’re now in talks to get financial details done, but we are surely going to take a majority stake,” Abeng said, declining to give any financial details.

CamGSM, established in 1996 between Millicom Group and Cambodia’s Royal Group, is the largest mobile operator in Cambodia through its Mobitel and Cellcard brands.

Mobitel’s CEO David Spriggs declined to comment on the deal.

Millicom sold its 58.4 percent stake in the firm last year to Royal Group for $346 million in cash.

Telkom’s plan to acquire a majority stake in CamGSM is part of the company’s strategy this year to find acquisition opportunities in the region as the once-buoyant Indonesian market is starting to mature