By Staff Writer | 29 Sep 2006
The people of Wales have a month to contribute their views on how the Welsh Assembly Government can use IT to improve public services and the economy of Wales, as part of WAG's ‘Towards e-Wales’ consultation. The closing date for responses is 31 October 2006.
Responses from the consultation will lead to an implementation plan to be issued later in 2006, which will stress the priorities for action to exploit IT in public services and Wales’ economic development strategy.
Those living and working in Wales are invited to share their views on how best to heighten Welsh economic performance, improve public services and ensure all citizens can exploit the opportunities offered by ICT and benefit from developments in telecommunications infrastructure.
This consultation follows the recent restructuring of WAG and the setting up of the new e-Wales Unit, which supersedes the previous Broadband Wales programme.
The enefits of the Broadband Wales scheme has come under the microscope in a report issued by WAG this month. The Broadband Benefits Report] [pdf] carried out by Newport-based Atkins Management Consultants, studies the impact of broadband and the Broadband Wales programme on the Welsh economy and covers the period 2000-2015.
WAG says: “The key findings of the report estimates that the net benefit of broadband on the Welsh economy to be at least £1.4 billon and the net benefit of the Broadband Wales programme to be at least £357 million.”
The report also states: “We estimated that, if the programme had not been established, there would have been 7.5 broadband connections per 100 inhabitants in Wales as at June 2005, compared to our estimate of actual penetration of 12.7 connections per 100 inhabitants.”
According to the study, Wales is doing well in providing first generation broadband, but is still lagging behind the UK and other industrialised countries when it comes to faster broadband services.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Minister's wiki experiment suspended
Minister's wiki experiment suspended
Graeme Wearden
ZDNet UK
September 06, 2006, 16:25 BST
After asking the public to contribute their views on environmental policy, David Miliband says he won't be put off by 'malicious' interventions
Government minister David Miliband has vowed to continue experimenting with online engagement after his department's first move into wiki-policy ended in disarray (...)
Graeme Wearden
ZDNet UK
September 06, 2006, 16:25 BST
After asking the public to contribute their views on environmental policy, David Miliband says he won't be put off by 'malicious' interventions
Government minister David Miliband has vowed to continue experimenting with online engagement after his department's first move into wiki-policy ended in disarray (...)
BT launches mobile TV service
David Meyer
ZDNet UK
September 07, 2006, 11:30 BST
Communications giant claims Movio is a world first, but analysts see challenges ahead
BT has announced the launch of its mobile broadcast TV service, Movio, with partner Virgin Mobile.
The service, for which Virgin currently has one handset — the Lobster 700TV — runs over the existing Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network and also provides access to radio channels on that network.
BT claims Movio is the first wholesale service in the world to include live TV, DAB radio, a seven-day programme guide and "red-button" interactivity for mobile phones.
Channels include BBC1, ITV1 and E4, although certain content such as "some film, sport and US-produced content" will not be broadcast on the service, BT said on Thursday. The BBC1 tie-in is a year-long trial and Channel 4 may join in later, although it is providing its made-for-mobile "Short Cuts" service in the meantime.
"Viewing TV via the mobile is fast becoming a reality and the popularity of our existing services proves a strong demand for mobile viewing already exists," said Rod Henwood, Channel 4's director of new business, on Thursday.
However, analysts have previously told ZDNet UK that, while demand exists, no one yet knows how big take-up will be and operators who don't work together on standards are taking a big risk with the technology.
Analysts at Gartner said on Thursday that the mobile sector could get a boost from TV services, if they are implemented correctly.
"In mature markets, mobile TV might be a good way to convince people to replace existing phones. However, vendors need to design handsets carefully. Trends towards thin phones and smaller 3G devices mean users might not appreciate a bulkier device, even though a larger screen will be easier to watch," said Gartner.
On Wednesday Orange issued a statement saying it had "considered the DAB service from BT, but with only one compatible handset currently available and only a small number of channels on offer, [streaming TV over 3G] remains the best means of delivery for Orange".
Another rival format to DAB-IP is DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting — Handheld), which can supply a greater number of channels but for which spectrum is currently unavailable.
Virgin is expected to release pricing and availability details for the Lobster handset later on Thursday.
ZDNet UK
September 07, 2006, 11:30 BST
Communications giant claims Movio is a world first, but analysts see challenges ahead
BT has announced the launch of its mobile broadcast TV service, Movio, with partner Virgin Mobile.
The service, for which Virgin currently has one handset — the Lobster 700TV — runs over the existing Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network and also provides access to radio channels on that network.
BT claims Movio is the first wholesale service in the world to include live TV, DAB radio, a seven-day programme guide and "red-button" interactivity for mobile phones.
Channels include BBC1, ITV1 and E4, although certain content such as "some film, sport and US-produced content" will not be broadcast on the service, BT said on Thursday. The BBC1 tie-in is a year-long trial and Channel 4 may join in later, although it is providing its made-for-mobile "Short Cuts" service in the meantime.
"Viewing TV via the mobile is fast becoming a reality and the popularity of our existing services proves a strong demand for mobile viewing already exists," said Rod Henwood, Channel 4's director of new business, on Thursday.
However, analysts have previously told ZDNet UK that, while demand exists, no one yet knows how big take-up will be and operators who don't work together on standards are taking a big risk with the technology.
Analysts at Gartner said on Thursday that the mobile sector could get a boost from TV services, if they are implemented correctly.
"In mature markets, mobile TV might be a good way to convince people to replace existing phones. However, vendors need to design handsets carefully. Trends towards thin phones and smaller 3G devices mean users might not appreciate a bulkier device, even though a larger screen will be easier to watch," said Gartner.
On Wednesday Orange issued a statement saying it had "considered the DAB service from BT, but with only one compatible handset currently available and only a small number of channels on offer, [streaming TV over 3G] remains the best means of delivery for Orange".
Another rival format to DAB-IP is DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting — Handheld), which can supply a greater number of channels but for which spectrum is currently unavailable.
Virgin is expected to release pricing and availability details for the Lobster handset later on Thursday.
BT set to take broadband lead again
Matthew Broersma
ZDNet UK
September 12, 2006, 13:25 BST
ntl:Telewest's March merger made it the UK's biggest broadband service provider, but it's likely to cede the top position back to BT Retail by the end of the year, according to a new study.
A report released by Point Topic on Tuesday, covering UK ISP market share through Q2 2006, found that the cable provider's ability to keep adding broadband subscribers has been hampered by geographic limitations. As a result, ntl:Telewest's broadband growth has slowed considerably, while BT has forged ahead with its DSL services.
At the end of March, ntl:Telewest was 5 percent ahead of BT Retail in broadband subscribers. By the end of June the gap had narrowed to 2.4 percent, according to Point Topic.
At this rate, BT will once again be number one by the end of the year, with 25 percent of all the UK's broadband subscribers — 3 million subscribers in total, Point Topic said.
"Once again, it illustrates the inherent difficulty of competing against the incumbent in this type of market," said Point Topic chief executive Tim Johnson, in a statement.
Those figures cover BT Retail, but the company also has a large wholesale operation, which got a boost on Monday with a deal under which Vodafone will launch itself into the broadband business as a BT reseller.
Point Topic found that the ntl group, encompassing the ntl, Telewest and Virgin ISPs, grew by only 3.1 percent in the second quarter, below the market average and a steep drop from its growth of 10.3 percent in the last quarter of 2005.
Meanwhile, BT has gone from 22.4 percent of the market in September 2005 to 24.3 percent in the second quarter of this year. That is BT's fourth successive quarter of growth, Point Topic said.
ntl:Telewest is ultimately limited by the reach of its network, and competing telcos have been unable to get BT to release its grip on its network via local loop unbundling, Point Topic said. Meanwhile, BT has been able to focus on straightforward marketing to bring in new customers.
ZDNet UK
September 12, 2006, 13:25 BST
ntl:Telewest's March merger made it the UK's biggest broadband service provider, but it's likely to cede the top position back to BT Retail by the end of the year, according to a new study.
A report released by Point Topic on Tuesday, covering UK ISP market share through Q2 2006, found that the cable provider's ability to keep adding broadband subscribers has been hampered by geographic limitations. As a result, ntl:Telewest's broadband growth has slowed considerably, while BT has forged ahead with its DSL services.
At the end of March, ntl:Telewest was 5 percent ahead of BT Retail in broadband subscribers. By the end of June the gap had narrowed to 2.4 percent, according to Point Topic.
At this rate, BT will once again be number one by the end of the year, with 25 percent of all the UK's broadband subscribers — 3 million subscribers in total, Point Topic said.
"Once again, it illustrates the inherent difficulty of competing against the incumbent in this type of market," said Point Topic chief executive Tim Johnson, in a statement.
Those figures cover BT Retail, but the company also has a large wholesale operation, which got a boost on Monday with a deal under which Vodafone will launch itself into the broadband business as a BT reseller.
Point Topic found that the ntl group, encompassing the ntl, Telewest and Virgin ISPs, grew by only 3.1 percent in the second quarter, below the market average and a steep drop from its growth of 10.3 percent in the last quarter of 2005.
Meanwhile, BT has gone from 22.4 percent of the market in September 2005 to 24.3 percent in the second quarter of this year. That is BT's fourth successive quarter of growth, Point Topic said.
ntl:Telewest is ultimately limited by the reach of its network, and competing telcos have been unable to get BT to release its grip on its network via local loop unbundling, Point Topic said. Meanwhile, BT has been able to focus on straightforward marketing to bring in new customers.
Trains get satellite broadband boost
Matthew Broersma
ZDNet UK
September 12, 2006, 17:35 BST
The telecoms regulator says train companies can now use the same high-speed satellite Internet uplinks as planes and ships
Ofcom on Tuesday made available a new type of spectrum licence that could allow train operators such as GNER to upgrade their on-board wireless services to two-way satellite links, similar to those already in use on aeroplanes and ships.
Wireless hot spots have become ubiquitous in city centres, but transport operators have been slower to bring wireless Internet access to passengers, partly because of the technical hurdles involved in maintaining a continuous link to a moving vehicle. Trains also need to deal with ground obstacles and tunnels.
Train operators such as GNER and Virgin have settled on solutions that combine satellite and cellular coverage, normally using satellite for the downlink and cellular services (including 3G, GPRS and GSM) for the uplink. The combination means connectivity can be maintained even in tunnels.
Plane-based systems such as the now-defunct Connexion by Boeing tend to use simpler systems based on a two-way satellite link. Previously, licensing constraints barred trains from using a satellite uplink. Ofcom has now lifted that constraint, creating a new licence category for train-based systems.
"Currently, some train operators are using stationary satellite uplinks mounted at the side of the track. The new licence class allows them to have an on-board satellite uplink," said an Ofcom spokeswoman.
Ofcom has had licence types for planes and ships for some time, but created the new type because of the increasing use of wireless links on trains.
The licence applies to the 14-14.25GHz band. Trials using this band on train systems have already been carried out in some European countries, Ofcom said. Some existing train satellite systems use other bands — for instance, Icomera, which provides GNER's system, uses the 1.2168 GHz frequency.
Details of the new licence type can be found on Ofcom's Web site, here and here.
GNER launched its on-board Wi-Fi service commercially in July.
Last month Korean Air said it would sue Boeing over the failure of its in-flight broadband venture, Connexion by Boeing. The Korea Times said the airline had spent $400,000 equipping 29 planes to be able to offer in-flight broadband connectivity and had been planning to roll out the service to another 25 aircraft by 2008.
Boeing announced the closure of Connexion earlier in August, saying there was little demand for the service.
ZDNet UK
September 12, 2006, 17:35 BST
The telecoms regulator says train companies can now use the same high-speed satellite Internet uplinks as planes and ships
Ofcom on Tuesday made available a new type of spectrum licence that could allow train operators such as GNER to upgrade their on-board wireless services to two-way satellite links, similar to those already in use on aeroplanes and ships.
Wireless hot spots have become ubiquitous in city centres, but transport operators have been slower to bring wireless Internet access to passengers, partly because of the technical hurdles involved in maintaining a continuous link to a moving vehicle. Trains also need to deal with ground obstacles and tunnels.
Train operators such as GNER and Virgin have settled on solutions that combine satellite and cellular coverage, normally using satellite for the downlink and cellular services (including 3G, GPRS and GSM) for the uplink. The combination means connectivity can be maintained even in tunnels.
Plane-based systems such as the now-defunct Connexion by Boeing tend to use simpler systems based on a two-way satellite link. Previously, licensing constraints barred trains from using a satellite uplink. Ofcom has now lifted that constraint, creating a new licence category for train-based systems.
"Currently, some train operators are using stationary satellite uplinks mounted at the side of the track. The new licence class allows them to have an on-board satellite uplink," said an Ofcom spokeswoman.
Ofcom has had licence types for planes and ships for some time, but created the new type because of the increasing use of wireless links on trains.
The licence applies to the 14-14.25GHz band. Trials using this band on train systems have already been carried out in some European countries, Ofcom said. Some existing train satellite systems use other bands — for instance, Icomera, which provides GNER's system, uses the 1.2168 GHz frequency.
Details of the new licence type can be found on Ofcom's Web site, here and here.
GNER launched its on-board Wi-Fi service commercially in July.
Last month Korean Air said it would sue Boeing over the failure of its in-flight broadband venture, Connexion by Boeing. The Korea Times said the airline had spent $400,000 equipping 29 planes to be able to offer in-flight broadband connectivity and had been planning to roll out the service to another 25 aircraft by 2008.
Boeing announced the closure of Connexion earlier in August, saying there was little demand for the service.
Friday, September 08, 2006
BT 21 CN - UK pilot, Cardiff
Press release | DC06-456 | September 4, 2006
BT announces details of first live customer upgrades to 21st century network in Cardiff
BT today announced details of the first steps it will take to transition customers in the UK to its 21st century network (21CN). This is a new secure and intelligent communications infrastructure that will deliver existing and future services designed to make people’s lives more productive and businesses more efficient. BT believes 21CN will have as significant an impact on the way people communicate as the arrival of motorways had on road travel in the late 20th century, and will make communications easier, faster and better for voice, data or video services.
Starting in late November this year, BT, working closely with other communications providers, will begin the planned upgrade of customers and their voice and broadband services, in Cardiff and the surrounding area.
Customers will not have to do anything for their lines to be upgraded. Telephone numbers will not change and, as all work will be carried out in BT’s telephone exchanges, no roads will have to be dug up to deliver the upgrade.
The first stage of the new network will be delivered in three phases, increasing in scale with each phase. Phase one, to run from November this year until March 2007, will see the upgrade of voice services to some 10 percent of customer lines in Cardiff and the surrounding area. Phase two, from April to mid May 2007, will deliver a further 10 percent of upgraded lines.
By the end of Phase 3 in the summer of 2007, BT will have upgraded all 350,000 customer lines. 90,000 of these lines also support broadband and ISDN2 and ISDN30 services. Private circuit-based services, which typically support business-critical corporate applications, will not be migrated on to the new network until much later in the programme.
“Years of planning, testing and development will culminate in South Wales in three months when we start the exciting process of bringing the world’s most advanced national communications infrastructure to everyone the UK.
“This is a world leading programme that will provide customers with a radically improved experience and new products and services faster.” said Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale and BT Board sponsor for the 21CN programme. “21st Century Network is an unprecedented programme of cooperation right across the communications industry and a world’s first for the UK.”
Huw Saunders, of Kingston Communications, speaking as Industry co-chair of the Consult21 Steering Board, said: "Next generation networks will play a fundamental role in how we will all communicate and do business in the future. As an industry, we've participated in the development and design of BT's programme to ensure that it takes into account the needs of everyone, regardless of which communications provider they choose to take services from. What happens in Cardiff in a few short months is only the beginning of the journey."
At the end of the final stage of the Cardiff upgrade, BT and other communications providers will begin an in-depth review before moving to the planned national upgrade of all remaining customers across the UK, some 30 million lines supported from over 5,500 telephone exchanges, from January 2008.
BT also announced today that it has agreed with industry to implement a single communications programme designed to inform all consumers and single site small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the upgrade programme, regardless of who their service provider or providers are. This programme will let them know when the migration to 21CN will happen in their area, how it will be done and what it means for them. Further details of this programme will be announced in October.
Corporate customers will receive more detailed communications directly from their communications providers, including the comprehensive testing regime for customer equipment which is already well underway.
BT announces details of first live customer upgrades to 21st century network in Cardiff
BT today announced details of the first steps it will take to transition customers in the UK to its 21st century network (21CN). This is a new secure and intelligent communications infrastructure that will deliver existing and future services designed to make people’s lives more productive and businesses more efficient. BT believes 21CN will have as significant an impact on the way people communicate as the arrival of motorways had on road travel in the late 20th century, and will make communications easier, faster and better for voice, data or video services.
Starting in late November this year, BT, working closely with other communications providers, will begin the planned upgrade of customers and their voice and broadband services, in Cardiff and the surrounding area.
Customers will not have to do anything for their lines to be upgraded. Telephone numbers will not change and, as all work will be carried out in BT’s telephone exchanges, no roads will have to be dug up to deliver the upgrade.
The first stage of the new network will be delivered in three phases, increasing in scale with each phase. Phase one, to run from November this year until March 2007, will see the upgrade of voice services to some 10 percent of customer lines in Cardiff and the surrounding area. Phase two, from April to mid May 2007, will deliver a further 10 percent of upgraded lines.
By the end of Phase 3 in the summer of 2007, BT will have upgraded all 350,000 customer lines. 90,000 of these lines also support broadband and ISDN2 and ISDN30 services. Private circuit-based services, which typically support business-critical corporate applications, will not be migrated on to the new network until much later in the programme.
“Years of planning, testing and development will culminate in South Wales in three months when we start the exciting process of bringing the world’s most advanced national communications infrastructure to everyone the UK.
“This is a world leading programme that will provide customers with a radically improved experience and new products and services faster.” said Paul Reynolds, chief executive of BT Wholesale and BT Board sponsor for the 21CN programme. “21st Century Network is an unprecedented programme of cooperation right across the communications industry and a world’s first for the UK.”
Huw Saunders, of Kingston Communications, speaking as Industry co-chair of the Consult21 Steering Board, said: "Next generation networks will play a fundamental role in how we will all communicate and do business in the future. As an industry, we've participated in the development and design of BT's programme to ensure that it takes into account the needs of everyone, regardless of which communications provider they choose to take services from. What happens in Cardiff in a few short months is only the beginning of the journey."
At the end of the final stage of the Cardiff upgrade, BT and other communications providers will begin an in-depth review before moving to the planned national upgrade of all remaining customers across the UK, some 30 million lines supported from over 5,500 telephone exchanges, from January 2008.
BT also announced today that it has agreed with industry to implement a single communications programme designed to inform all consumers and single site small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of the upgrade programme, regardless of who their service provider or providers are. This programme will let them know when the migration to 21CN will happen in their area, how it will be done and what it means for them. Further details of this programme will be announced in October.
Corporate customers will receive more detailed communications directly from their communications providers, including the comprehensive testing regime for customer equipment which is already well underway.
No more copper - fibre rules
11.15 Thursday 7th September 2006
Peter Cochrane's Blog: No more copper - fibre rules
(...) It wasn't long after this, when I had finished my PhD and had moved into systems design and engineering, that I found myself deep in the debate on the deployment of the then-rapidly maturing technology of optical fibre. As the loss of glass fibre per kilometre dropped and availability of lasers and pin diodes advanced, the economic wheels turned in favour of replacing all the old copper trunk (long distance) lines with fibre. And so one afternoon over coffee, the decision to switch to optical fibre was made in the UK, and similarly in the US and Japan.
I am not a religious man but if I were I would be tempted to think that god is a communications engineer as he gave us abundant supplies of silica (for glass) and silicon (for chips).
Around seven to 10 years later optical fibre was everywhere in the UK. All the copper and microwave radio long-lines circuits had been relegated to the files of history, turned over to a lesser role of broadcast distribution and emergency stand-by use. The original economic calculations and estimates were spot on! Massive savings were realised in equipment and people, network performance was improved, operating costs fell and customers benefited enormously.
This pattern of events was echoed across the planet as country after country came to the same conclusion and opted for fibre. Furthermore, undersea cables containing optical fibre were laid across the Atlantic Ocean starting in 1986, to be followed by the Pacific and all the seas, to the point where satellite communication was relegated to the insignificant and became largely irrelevant for major trunk applications.
There was a very obvious next step - to advance fibre into the local access network and get right down to the home and office. At first the technology and economics looked promising, and in 1986 the first optical fibre trial system to undercut the cost of copper was installed in the UK. But then after extensive system development worldwide, the economics of the mad house kicked in globally. It was as if people forgot all they had learned, and the emphasis flipped to a simple-minded upfront costing model. It was as if the whole industry lost the plot overnight!
To be fair the guardians of the copper access network had seen their long-line brethren retire early or find new jobs as their numbers shrank by 90 per cent with the advance of fibre, and naturally enough, the promise of DSL (digital subscriber line) technology - which runs over copper wires - seemed to significantly discount the need for fibre in the short and long term.
But as it turned out, DSL only delivered less than 10 per cent of what was originally promised in the early 1990s, and the customer appetite for bandwidth grew 1,000 per cent faster than the forecasts! All that was predicted by many in the industry but largely discounted because it was economically and politically unpopular. The planet had decided that copper was it and no amount of proof or reason was going to change the decisions made and directions already selected.
It was all a bit of a bummer and the decision to stay with copper in the access network has, to date, cost most nations an arm and a leg. But what is particularly damaging is the apparent and continued inability to make any intermediate correction of what was a really bad decision in the first place.
Worse, it seems as if all economic decisions are now exclusively made on the basis of upfront cost. What really fascinates me is that the people inside a company who are taking such a simple-minded view wax lyrical about the quality of their latest badged and exclusively designed goods. They take a lifetime view at home and a 'cheapest is best' approach to everything for their company!
This past week I have been at my first optical technology conference in a decade and the biggest non-issue being extensively discussed was still 'fibre to the home' (FTTH). But the advances in optical fibre, lasers, devices and microprocessors over the past 20-plus years have rendered all the arguments for FTTH absolutely unassailable. However, the cheapest-is-best merchants persist.
So here is the route to the biggest transformation in telecom networks ever:
Water ingress in copper cables typically accounts for around 50 per cent of all the faults found in the access network. The cost of repair and keeping cables dry is enormous in materials, manpower and loss of revenues. Fibre on the other hand can be wet - glass is impervious to water.
People employed in the switch and hub sites of the access network to reroute copper pairs, and repair all manner of faults, do in the course of their work inflict around 25 per cent of all line faults. With fibre, rerouting can be remotely programmed and human intervention at a physical level is not required and saves around 95 per cent of all human activity in the networking aspects.
Fibre reach is at least 10 times that of copper and therefore removes huge amounts of electronics from the field as well as reducing the number of switch and hub sites. For example, in a copper network with 1,000 switch sites, the move to optical fibre would see a reduction to only 10 or so. The continual saving on unwanted real estate and the upfront - one-off sale - recoups vast amounts of money.
Energy consumption is vastly reduced with fibre access, along with huge reductions in the need for battery back-up, standby generators and access points.
Operational and business support systems can be dramatically reduced in scale as the amount of plant to be managed with fibre compared to copper is reduced by around 100-fold depending on the network geography, topology, operations and services delivered.
People requirements for a fibre network are around 10 to 15 per cent of the copper equivalent.
Path transparency of fibre networks gives a very effective future-proofing against new technologies, services and customer demand. In short, fibre gives us the ultimate and near infinite bit-transport pipe. Unlike copper, it does not suffer from bandwidth restrictions, harsh attenuation and cross-talk limits at high frequencies, and is indifferent to signal format.
Operational Expenditure (Opex) falls year-on-year with technology advances and new, unlimited service offerings.
Future Technology coming down the optical and micro technology pike is going to boost all of the above arguments even further over the next decade, and I can see the prospect of network people requirements falling to five per cent of today.
Well, that's most of the argument from 1986, and it is even more applicable today. It really is that simple, and moreover it is now even easier to do now than before. Just start with new install, stop buying more copper and get fibre rolling. The savings will start to bootstrap the overall investment for network transformation.
I am not a religious man but if I were I would be tempted to think that god is a communications engineer as he gave us abundant supplies of silica (for glass) and silicon (for chips). Both are inert and safe, easy to manipulate and work with and have ideal electrical and optical characteristics for computing and telecommunications. Unfortunately, mankind discovered copper first and went off on a very expensive detour!
I jest of course, for without copper technologies we would never have discovered the magic of silica and silicon. But now the time of copper is long gone and we should gracefully bid farewell!
Imagine what would have happened if our Victorian forefathers had adopted the simple-minded, soda straw, 'one-at-a-time issue', economic principals of today. There would be no telecommunications network. The initial rollout cost would never have been justified!
What has happened? Might it be that this is all a manifestation of an increasingly limited or failing education system globally? Are we really becoming so simple-minded that we can't simultaneously appreciate and deal with several broad arguments spanning engineering, science, business, economics, social and political consequences as well as competition?
I think I'll leave wireless in the access network out of the picture for now and address it in another blog!
Peter Cochrane's Blog: No more copper - fibre rules
(...) It wasn't long after this, when I had finished my PhD and had moved into systems design and engineering, that I found myself deep in the debate on the deployment of the then-rapidly maturing technology of optical fibre. As the loss of glass fibre per kilometre dropped and availability of lasers and pin diodes advanced, the economic wheels turned in favour of replacing all the old copper trunk (long distance) lines with fibre. And so one afternoon over coffee, the decision to switch to optical fibre was made in the UK, and similarly in the US and Japan.
I am not a religious man but if I were I would be tempted to think that god is a communications engineer as he gave us abundant supplies of silica (for glass) and silicon (for chips).
Around seven to 10 years later optical fibre was everywhere in the UK. All the copper and microwave radio long-lines circuits had been relegated to the files of history, turned over to a lesser role of broadcast distribution and emergency stand-by use. The original economic calculations and estimates were spot on! Massive savings were realised in equipment and people, network performance was improved, operating costs fell and customers benefited enormously.
This pattern of events was echoed across the planet as country after country came to the same conclusion and opted for fibre. Furthermore, undersea cables containing optical fibre were laid across the Atlantic Ocean starting in 1986, to be followed by the Pacific and all the seas, to the point where satellite communication was relegated to the insignificant and became largely irrelevant for major trunk applications.
There was a very obvious next step - to advance fibre into the local access network and get right down to the home and office. At first the technology and economics looked promising, and in 1986 the first optical fibre trial system to undercut the cost of copper was installed in the UK. But then after extensive system development worldwide, the economics of the mad house kicked in globally. It was as if people forgot all they had learned, and the emphasis flipped to a simple-minded upfront costing model. It was as if the whole industry lost the plot overnight!
To be fair the guardians of the copper access network had seen their long-line brethren retire early or find new jobs as their numbers shrank by 90 per cent with the advance of fibre, and naturally enough, the promise of DSL (digital subscriber line) technology - which runs over copper wires - seemed to significantly discount the need for fibre in the short and long term.
But as it turned out, DSL only delivered less than 10 per cent of what was originally promised in the early 1990s, and the customer appetite for bandwidth grew 1,000 per cent faster than the forecasts! All that was predicted by many in the industry but largely discounted because it was economically and politically unpopular. The planet had decided that copper was it and no amount of proof or reason was going to change the decisions made and directions already selected.
It was all a bit of a bummer and the decision to stay with copper in the access network has, to date, cost most nations an arm and a leg. But what is particularly damaging is the apparent and continued inability to make any intermediate correction of what was a really bad decision in the first place.
Worse, it seems as if all economic decisions are now exclusively made on the basis of upfront cost. What really fascinates me is that the people inside a company who are taking such a simple-minded view wax lyrical about the quality of their latest badged and exclusively designed goods. They take a lifetime view at home and a 'cheapest is best' approach to everything for their company!
This past week I have been at my first optical technology conference in a decade and the biggest non-issue being extensively discussed was still 'fibre to the home' (FTTH). But the advances in optical fibre, lasers, devices and microprocessors over the past 20-plus years have rendered all the arguments for FTTH absolutely unassailable. However, the cheapest-is-best merchants persist.
So here is the route to the biggest transformation in telecom networks ever:
Water ingress in copper cables typically accounts for around 50 per cent of all the faults found in the access network. The cost of repair and keeping cables dry is enormous in materials, manpower and loss of revenues. Fibre on the other hand can be wet - glass is impervious to water.
People employed in the switch and hub sites of the access network to reroute copper pairs, and repair all manner of faults, do in the course of their work inflict around 25 per cent of all line faults. With fibre, rerouting can be remotely programmed and human intervention at a physical level is not required and saves around 95 per cent of all human activity in the networking aspects.
Fibre reach is at least 10 times that of copper and therefore removes huge amounts of electronics from the field as well as reducing the number of switch and hub sites. For example, in a copper network with 1,000 switch sites, the move to optical fibre would see a reduction to only 10 or so. The continual saving on unwanted real estate and the upfront - one-off sale - recoups vast amounts of money.
Energy consumption is vastly reduced with fibre access, along with huge reductions in the need for battery back-up, standby generators and access points.
Operational and business support systems can be dramatically reduced in scale as the amount of plant to be managed with fibre compared to copper is reduced by around 100-fold depending on the network geography, topology, operations and services delivered.
People requirements for a fibre network are around 10 to 15 per cent of the copper equivalent.
Path transparency of fibre networks gives a very effective future-proofing against new technologies, services and customer demand. In short, fibre gives us the ultimate and near infinite bit-transport pipe. Unlike copper, it does not suffer from bandwidth restrictions, harsh attenuation and cross-talk limits at high frequencies, and is indifferent to signal format.
Operational Expenditure (Opex) falls year-on-year with technology advances and new, unlimited service offerings.
Future Technology coming down the optical and micro technology pike is going to boost all of the above arguments even further over the next decade, and I can see the prospect of network people requirements falling to five per cent of today.
Well, that's most of the argument from 1986, and it is even more applicable today. It really is that simple, and moreover it is now even easier to do now than before. Just start with new install, stop buying more copper and get fibre rolling. The savings will start to bootstrap the overall investment for network transformation.
I am not a religious man but if I were I would be tempted to think that god is a communications engineer as he gave us abundant supplies of silica (for glass) and silicon (for chips). Both are inert and safe, easy to manipulate and work with and have ideal electrical and optical characteristics for computing and telecommunications. Unfortunately, mankind discovered copper first and went off on a very expensive detour!
I jest of course, for without copper technologies we would never have discovered the magic of silica and silicon. But now the time of copper is long gone and we should gracefully bid farewell!
Imagine what would have happened if our Victorian forefathers had adopted the simple-minded, soda straw, 'one-at-a-time issue', economic principals of today. There would be no telecommunications network. The initial rollout cost would never have been justified!
What has happened? Might it be that this is all a manifestation of an increasingly limited or failing education system globally? Are we really becoming so simple-minded that we can't simultaneously appreciate and deal with several broad arguments spanning engineering, science, business, economics, social and political consequences as well as competition?
I think I'll leave wireless in the access network out of the picture for now and address it in another blog!
Monday, September 04, 2006
Wales Broadband Stakeholder Group dissolved
pingwales.co.uk
By Staff Writer | 1 Sep 2006
The Wales Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) has been dissolved following an internal consultation with its members. The group said it needed a new approach to fulfil its role in contributing to the Welsh broadband strategy.
In a statement, the Wales BSG said it recognises that the reorganisation of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), the setting up of the new Department for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, the new e-Wales unit, and the strategic review of the Broadband Wales programme represent a new phase of governmental activity.
It also stated that the changed broadband and ICT marketplace offered new opportunities and challenges beyond the original Broadband Wales agenda.
The founding members of the group are planning a Wales broadband forum event for the autumn. Charlie Bass, chair of Wales BSG, told Ping Wales: “An open forum will allow us to be more aggressive in questioning the broadband strategy in Wales. This will give a much broader opportunity for people to voice their views on the matter.”
Set up in 2002 as a critical friend of WAG and the Broadband Wales initiative, the group reportedly encountered difficulties in establishing a working relationship with WAG.
Its last disappointment was the much-delayed and somewhat contentious RIBS programme, which is the final stage of the Broadband Wales strategy to ensure 100% broadband coverage in Wales by 2007.
Bass said the Wales BSG had expected the initiative to act as a catalyst to generate a collective community spirit and deliver community-based broadband projects, but now has to accept that this is not part of the RIBS agenda.
By Staff Writer | 1 Sep 2006
The Wales Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) has been dissolved following an internal consultation with its members. The group said it needed a new approach to fulfil its role in contributing to the Welsh broadband strategy.
In a statement, the Wales BSG said it recognises that the reorganisation of the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), the setting up of the new Department for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, the new e-Wales unit, and the strategic review of the Broadband Wales programme represent a new phase of governmental activity.
It also stated that the changed broadband and ICT marketplace offered new opportunities and challenges beyond the original Broadband Wales agenda.
The founding members of the group are planning a Wales broadband forum event for the autumn. Charlie Bass, chair of Wales BSG, told Ping Wales: “An open forum will allow us to be more aggressive in questioning the broadband strategy in Wales. This will give a much broader opportunity for people to voice their views on the matter.”
Set up in 2002 as a critical friend of WAG and the Broadband Wales initiative, the group reportedly encountered difficulties in establishing a working relationship with WAG.
Its last disappointment was the much-delayed and somewhat contentious RIBS programme, which is the final stage of the Broadband Wales strategy to ensure 100% broadband coverage in Wales by 2007.
Bass said the Wales BSG had expected the initiative to act as a catalyst to generate a collective community spirit and deliver community-based broadband projects, but now has to accept that this is not part of the RIBS agenda.
The future for UK telecoms after Marconi is broadband
electronicsweekly.com
The future for UK telecoms after Marconi is broadband
by EW speaks to David Cleevely
Monday 4 September 2006
(...)
Q) What technologies do you believe the Communications Research Network should be looking at in the next few years?
A) There are three main areas that the we should be looking at. Firstly, the use of radio spectrum. We are about to see a proliferation of technology, delivering capability to use radio spectrum more efficiently and effectively and at much lower cost. This has implications not only for the manufacture of equipment but also for the services and applications that this will enable and for the regulatory and economic challenges. Secondly, photonics. I think we are only at the beginning of the photonics revolution. In Communications, there is a huge opportunity for integrating, processing and the transmission of information – as well as providing very high levels of security. Finally, interconnection - in a broad sense including self organising networks, the behaviour of complex systems, and their vulnerabilities. Understanding this last topic will be very important for our ability to gain the greatest value from the first two. We should always remember however that while the technologies will enable us to do things, it’s the services and applications that users actually want, and the CRN is going to spend a significant portion of its’ resources looking at these services and applications.
Q) Did BT hold back the development of a broadband Britain?
A) Britain now has almost as many broadband connections per head as the US, and more than many other countries within the European Union. BT has recognised the importance of broadband and operates in an extremely competitive broadband provider market. My concern is not with history, but with what we do in the future. For this, our models must be the countries like Korea and Japan, where innovative broadband services and applications are helping drive significant investment.
The future for UK telecoms after Marconi is broadband
by EW speaks to David Cleevely
Monday 4 September 2006
(...)
Q) What technologies do you believe the Communications Research Network should be looking at in the next few years?
A) There are three main areas that the we should be looking at. Firstly, the use of radio spectrum. We are about to see a proliferation of technology, delivering capability to use radio spectrum more efficiently and effectively and at much lower cost. This has implications not only for the manufacture of equipment but also for the services and applications that this will enable and for the regulatory and economic challenges. Secondly, photonics. I think we are only at the beginning of the photonics revolution. In Communications, there is a huge opportunity for integrating, processing and the transmission of information – as well as providing very high levels of security. Finally, interconnection - in a broad sense including self organising networks, the behaviour of complex systems, and their vulnerabilities. Understanding this last topic will be very important for our ability to gain the greatest value from the first two. We should always remember however that while the technologies will enable us to do things, it’s the services and applications that users actually want, and the CRN is going to spend a significant portion of its’ resources looking at these services and applications.
Q) Did BT hold back the development of a broadband Britain?
A) Britain now has almost as many broadband connections per head as the US, and more than many other countries within the European Union. BT has recognised the importance of broadband and operates in an extremely competitive broadband provider market. My concern is not with history, but with what we do in the future. For this, our models must be the countries like Korea and Japan, where innovative broadband services and applications are helping drive significant investment.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Sony's new WiFi personal communicator
NEW POCKET SIZED COMMUNICATOR FROM SONY IS ALL PLAY AND NO WORK
The mylo Personal Communication Device Enables Social Networking in the Wireless World
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 7, 2006 –Sony is launching its first WiFi broadband communication and entertainment device to capitalize on the growth of wireless Internet access. The new mylo™ personal communicator is capable of operating in any open 802.11b wireless network, often found on college campuses, in public spaces and within private homes around the country.
This product is designed for people who use instant messaging as a primary form of communication and networking for their social life. The name mylo stands for “my life online” and the communicator lets you use instant messaging, browse the Internet, listen to music, send emails and view photos concurrently.
Small enough for a pocket or purse, the slim, oblong-shaped device features a 2.4 inch color LCD (measured diagonally) with a slide out QWERTY keyboard for comfortable and quick thumb typing.
The device, available in black or white, comes embedded with popular instant messaging services: the Google Talk™ instant messaging service, Skype and Yahoo! Messenger™. These services are free and the product does not require initial computer setup or a monthly service contract.
“The mylo personal communicator puts the fun parts of a computer in the palm of your hand,” said John Kodera, director of product marketing for personal communication devices at Sony Electronics. “It’s ideal for people who want to stay connected to their online friends and family, but not be weighed down by a PC or buffeted by charges for IM and texting on cell phones.”
Get Up, Get Out and Get Online
The pocketable design encourages users to get up and away from their desks and roam available wireless networks. The product includes JiWire’s hotspot directory listing more than 20,000 WiFi networks in the United States. so you can find a hotspot near you.
The mylo personal communicator boots up in seconds and can scan for available wireless networks right away. The “What’s Up” screen serves as the hub, storing up to 90 of your friends’ avatars so you can quickly see who’s online. You can store up to nine online identities per person which allows you to first choose who you want to chat with then easily initiate conversations using your preferred application.
The embedded HTML browser lets you quickly connect to full Web pages on the Internet. You can also send and receive text emails with web mail services like Yahoo!® Mail and the Gmail™ web mail service.
The communicator comes with Skype™ software built into it, allowing registered Skype users to make free Internet calls with the 113 million other Skype users worldwide. For a limited time, Skype is offering free SkypeOut™ calls from United States and Canada to most phone numbers in the United States or Canada.
.
Stop, Look and Listen
While you chat or browse the Internet, the 1GB of the flash memory on the mylo personal communicator lets you enjoy your music too. It supports the playback of MP3, ATRAC® or WMA (secure and unsecure) files. The mylo communicator has a built-in speaker for listening to music so you can share your music with those around you. You can also view MPEG-4 personal videos by transferring files via USB cable or with Memory Stick Duo™ media. You can also store JPEG pictures from the Internet or your digital camera.
Providing networking possibilities without a wireless network, the mylo personal communicator detects when it comes into the presence of other mylo units. With the ad-hoc application, you can share play lists and stream music between mylo communicators one at a time.
Gotta Keep Up
To support all of this functionality, the mylo device uses a lithium-ion battery that offers up to 45 hours of music playback, around seven hours of chatting and web surfing and more than three hours of continuous Skype talk time. It comes with a microphone, stereo headphones, a USB cable and a neoprene case.
The mylo personal communicator will be available in September for about $350 online at sonystyle.com, at Sony Style® retail stores (www.sonystyle.com/retail) and at authorized dealers nationwide. For more information about the product, go to http://www.sony.com/mylo.
UK Wireless Internet Use Rises
ispreview.co.uk
News - August 29, 2006
UK Wireless Internet Use Rises
By: MarkJ @ 1:00 PM
More than a third (35%) of UK Internet users have access to a wireless connection, with half of the 2,000 people surveyed by Populus for ISP AOL saying that the garden is their dream surfing location:
Half of all those surveyed chose the garden as their dream location to surf wirelessly, ahead of the bed or the beach. Just a quarter said they would most like to have wireless access from the bedroom, while 15% said they dreamed of surfing on sandy shores.
Those aged 18-24 were less keen to venture out of doors though, with 41% of this age group choosing their bedroom as their surfing sanctuary.
The majority (84%) of those who are already wireless have access in the home, with 12% using it at the office and the remainder using Internet hotspots. Three quarters of wireless users have started using it in the last year and over half (39%) have done so within the last six months, showing rapid growth in uptake recently.
Most of the people surveyed (63%) simply felt that the freedom of wireless was the greatest benefit, though nearly one in four (23%) felt it was tidier. This is more sensible than many might realise as a surprisingly high number of people suffer domestic injury from cables cluttering up the home.
According to figures from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), more than 3,000 people every year are the victim of a domestic accident involving an electrical appliance lead or extension*.
Nearly one in six say they have stolen someone else's wireless bandwidth, with men (22%) far more likely to do it than women (6%) and it being more prevalent in London and the South East than elsewhere in the UK. Four out of five people believe that bandwidth thieves should be punished, with two thirds preferring a fine as punishment over a Net ban or prison sentence.
Of the third of online users with wireless access already, nearly half are 'professionals', with 41% living in London and 39% living in other areas of the South East. Nearly half are 18-24 year olds (43%) indicating significant use by young people who have been first to see the benefits of a wireless connection.
The news follows a similar item from iPass last week, which highlighted a growth in Wi-Fi Hotspot usage. Wireless is clearly becoming a technology of choice.
News - August 29, 2006
UK Wireless Internet Use Rises
By: MarkJ @ 1:00 PM
More than a third (35%) of UK Internet users have access to a wireless connection, with half of the 2,000 people surveyed by Populus for ISP AOL saying that the garden is their dream surfing location:
Half of all those surveyed chose the garden as their dream location to surf wirelessly, ahead of the bed or the beach. Just a quarter said they would most like to have wireless access from the bedroom, while 15% said they dreamed of surfing on sandy shores.
Those aged 18-24 were less keen to venture out of doors though, with 41% of this age group choosing their bedroom as their surfing sanctuary.
The majority (84%) of those who are already wireless have access in the home, with 12% using it at the office and the remainder using Internet hotspots. Three quarters of wireless users have started using it in the last year and over half (39%) have done so within the last six months, showing rapid growth in uptake recently.
Most of the people surveyed (63%) simply felt that the freedom of wireless was the greatest benefit, though nearly one in four (23%) felt it was tidier. This is more sensible than many might realise as a surprisingly high number of people suffer domestic injury from cables cluttering up the home.
According to figures from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), more than 3,000 people every year are the victim of a domestic accident involving an electrical appliance lead or extension*.
Nearly one in six say they have stolen someone else's wireless bandwidth, with men (22%) far more likely to do it than women (6%) and it being more prevalent in London and the South East than elsewhere in the UK. Four out of five people believe that bandwidth thieves should be punished, with two thirds preferring a fine as punishment over a Net ban or prison sentence.
Of the third of online users with wireless access already, nearly half are 'professionals', with 41% living in London and 39% living in other areas of the South East. Nearly half are 18-24 year olds (43%) indicating significant use by young people who have been first to see the benefits of a wireless connection.
The news follows a similar item from iPass last week, which highlighted a growth in Wi-Fi Hotspot usage. Wireless is clearly becoming a technology of choice.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Google offers free PDFs of books
Candace Lombardi
CNET News.com
August 31, 2006, 09:55 BST
Files of public-domain works are now available for download and print via Google Book Search (...)
---
Related:
Google clashes with UK publishers over digital libraries
Tom Espiner
ZDNet UK
June 06, 2006, 13:45 BST
Google claims its Book Search helps publishers sell books, but publishers beg to differ
Google has again clashed with publishers over its controversial programme to scan, digitise and make searchable the collections of libraries in the US and the UK.
CNET News.com
August 31, 2006, 09:55 BST
Files of public-domain works are now available for download and print via Google Book Search (...)
---
Related:
Google clashes with UK publishers over digital libraries
Tom Espiner
ZDNet UK
June 06, 2006, 13:45 BST
Google claims its Book Search helps publishers sell books, but publishers beg to differ
Google has again clashed with publishers over its controversial programme to scan, digitise and make searchable the collections of libraries in the US and the UK.
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