… and could still be if we got our heads out of the sand. All those large muni installs that never happened still could. But the muni itself has to give up the idea of WiFi as an income source. –

…just wanted to share the joy. This week we successfully completed the first 802.11n long range link in the network. Its not very far (only 4KM) but it is very promising. 80 to almost 100Mbit TCP Traffic with 20MHz channels and ~150Mbit with 40MHz. Currently we are dealing with the redesign of our feeders and trying to find an optimal soft/hardware set. We are all really excited to see what AWMN V3 will bring to us. The first link has been routing traffic successfully at 80Mbit since the 11th of June 2009.

That’s right, 80-100Mbit data rates on N channel commercial hardware and open source software. Happening here in the USA? Nope. Athens, Greece. They just happen to have one of the largest Muni WiFi installations on the planet. Web Page here. (Brush up on your Greek)

The logic here by many in the Muni world here is that WiFi should be like a toll road and everybody pays. The reality is they should be treating it like a freeway and charge nothing. Why? Same reason as the freeways — access. A Muni should not look at WiFi as a revenue source but a revenue enabler.

The reason Muni’s support freeways is that the improved access increases business interest in relocating there. The Muni benefits indirectly by increase in revenue volume and revenue velocity by those who relocate businesses there. That gets reflected in the increased sales tax revenues.

The same can be said for Muni WiFi. The WiFi presence increases the sales velocity of product. Need a restraunt? Geolocate one using the Muni system. Pablos Mexican restraunt business improves he pays more to the city. Its the same game. Of course you can play the tiered game as well. Open free base service at a given base rate. Become a subscriber and your base rate is raised. The subscriptions going to pay for the electric bill.

That model with a few exceptions is being deployed everywhere else but here. Why?

HT: saschameinrath.com

In a world swimming in wireless transmissions, how does one operate without it? Cell phone, WiFi, 900mhz phone, the list is endless. So is the FCC, hence the government’s right, to abrogate the 4th Amendment –

That’s the upshot of the rules the agency has followed for years to monitor licensed television and radio stations, and to crack down on pirate radio broadcasters. And the commission maintains the same policy applies to any licensed or unlicensed radio-frequency device.

“Anything using RF energy — we have the right to inspect it to make sure it is not causing interference,” says FCC spokesman David Fiske. That includes devices like Wi-Fi routers that use unlicensed spectrum, Fiske says.

The FCC claims it derives its warrantless search power from the Communications Act of 1934, though the constitutionality of the claim has gone untested in the courts. That’s largely because the FCC had little to do with average citizens for most of the last 75 years, when home transmitters were largely reserved to ham-radio operators and CB-radio aficionados. But in 2009, nearly every household in the United States has multiple devices that use radio waves and fall under the FCC’s purview, making the commission’s claimed authority ripe for a court challenge.

“It is a major stretch beyond case law to assert that authority with respect to a private home, which is at the heart of the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure,” says Electronic Frontier Foundation lawyer Lee Tien. “When it is a private home and when you are talking about an over-powered Wi-Fi antenna — the idea they could just go in is honestly quite bizarre.”

Alarmist? Well maybe. When you consider that the average consumer grade transmitter is running way less than a watt of RF output power, I don’t think you will be breaking the law nor the FCC being after you. The rule that the article points to was in place to go after large wattage stations and CB radios being upjacked to a 1000w linear amp.

But it is a tad troubling on the face. If a FCC guy came to the house asking. I probably would say come on in. I don’t have anything that does high watt RF transmission. But if they started acting like stormtroopers a call to my lawyer would be made long before they left.

Linky.

In this week’s RCR ‘Analyst Angle’ Frank Dickson takes a look at the current handset war. He ticks off a litany of placement analysis on the current players. Much of which I agree with. So what is the point he misses? Well first lets put down the marker –

So what happens to mobile handset providers when the functional of the phone is defined by a third party, open OS? The nature of competition moves from features to cost. The result is that margins begin getting squeezed and competitive advantage is determined by those with the lowest cost manufacturing. As the market makes the transition to cost based competition, the process is never pleasant.

The battle for the platform is an enormous threat to the existing business models of the rest of the mobile community. New competitors battling for platform control do not need to worry directly about network infrastructure or compatibility impacts. Internet issues such as spam, viruses and person-to-person file sharing could have massive ramifications for existing mobile operators. The impact of offloading data traffic from 3G networks to Wi-Fi networks on mobile data revenues is of little concern to the new providers. The new breed of platform combatants seems to have a mobile manifest destiny, looking to capture not only platform control but also the service and content revenue.

” The nature of competition moves from features to cost.”. Well when has this never happened? Think of anything, computers, cars, steel, etc. The cost of the goods are continually being pushed downward by competition in the marketplace. The handset makers should be immune from this capitalist fact? I think not. Handset MFR’s have relied for too long on their cozy relationship with the carriers to bury some of the largess of the CPE in subscription contracts. ThirdPipe has for 2 years stated that such practices delay the shift and should stop.

Features to cost? Hmm. If anything the features that are being heaped on the smartphone component of the CPE market are growing not dwindling. The iPhone has its 10,000th app at the online iPhone store. Android is having similar success on their side as well. Such growth is spurred by an ecology that fosters third party software development. In that type of environment, the development growth INCREASES as the hardware costs dwindle. The other irony is features for whom? Up until it was dead certain that Android would make it to the marketplace, most of the CPE makers were only offering closed systems and their version of ‘black’ from the Henry Ford Industrial Arts Hall of Fame.

Which brings us back to Mr. Dickson’s list. In a world where a cellphone is as smart as you want it, has the power of a PIV chip and costs $75 what happens to that cast of characters? –
More on It Misses the Point of the Shift

The FCC is holding a workshop for those interesting in getting their community up to speed on the Big I. Can’t happen soon enough for those sitting between the eastern rockies and the Mississippi river. –

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today provided additional information regarding the Rural Broadband workshop to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 20, 2008.

The workshop will be held at the Mountain Preserve Reception Center, South Room, located at 1431 East Dunlap Avenue from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. The workshop will be held free of charge; however, attendees will be responsible for providing their own transportation, lodging, and meals http://www.mprc.net/pages/home.html). Additional information via email will be sent to all registrants with the agenda as well as specific logistical information.

This workshop is designed to provide communities, organizations, and businesses in rural America seeking to bring the benefits of broadband to their communities with an opportunity to learn about the resources, programs, and policies of the FCC and USDA. The topics to be covered at the workshop include the following: different technology platforms used to provide
broadband services, USDA funding for broadband deployment, the Universal Service Fund, the FCC’s Rural Health Care Pilot program, and wireless spectrum access. The workshop will also provide communities and organizations with an opportunity to share their experiences about
broadband deployment in rural and hard-to-reach areas.

Another words just about everybody who is dissatisfied with their current carrier!

Linky

In what has to be a massive blow to the 700mhz band, the FCC in a report and as a policy decision has concluded that a open frequency will be necessary for this nation in the future. –

“We need to reserve some spectrum for free broadband services,” Martin said. “This would be lifeline broadband service . . . that would be designed for lower-income people who may not otherwise have access to the Internet.”

Of course the legacy carriers are all up in arms! –

But several large wireless carriers, including T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, argue that using the spectrum will in fact interfere with their own broadband services operating in adjacent airwaves.

T-Mobile has been a vocal opponent of the plan, saying it will cause major disruption for its customers, especially as it rolls out its new G1 phone in partnership with Google.

FCC engineers conducted field tests last month in Seattle to determine the level of static between the services. The FCC concluded that sufficient technical protections would prevent major problems.

Martin’s proposal is to auction off the spectrum, with some rules attached. Some of the spectrum would be used for free Internet service, which would have content filters to block material considered inappropriate for children. Adults would be able to get around the filters.

The network would have to reach half of the U.S. population after four years, and 95 percent after 10 years.

I will be the last to tell you that I love the shaft the carriers are giving the American Public. But then again, were I Verizon I would probably be asking for my money back on the 700mhz space they just won. Nor from a FCC perspective is this prudent. It damages any future auctions they may have in the wireless space. Buyers will factor in any possibility of a free band that will compete against them as part of their pricing strategy. That’s Adam Smith’s Invisible Hammer at work.

But on the other hand, I see the need for the free band. There are frequencies that will not be used. We have had the battle of the white space wars and it has been proven that a properly designed spread spectrum device will not cause havoc. That it will be used only by low income will be a fallacy. So long as anybody can walk down to Frys and buy it off the shelf, it will be deployed regardless of income level.

Were I Verizon I would be seriously concerned.

Linky.
Linky.

The Broadband Data Improvement Act really isn’t in the relation to having more WiMax towers up. But it will improve the data of why we are falling behind a lot more clearer. Anybody want to lay bets its because the Telcos want to suck the life out of CDMA as long as possible? –

requires that:

Demographic Information for Unserved Areas- As part of the inquiry required by subsection (b), the Commission shall compile a list of geographical areas that are not served by any provider of advanced telecommunications capability (as defined by section 706(c)(1) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. 157nt note)) and to the extent that data from the Census Bureau is available, determine, for each such unserved area
(1) the population;
(2) the population density; and
(3) the average per capita income.

For those of us studying the digital divide, these data will provide much-needed information about the nature of underserved communities. Of course, they could also paint a damning picture of systematic, institutionalized redlining of poor and rural constituencies.

The Act also calls for an in-depth international comparison of broadband service levels, speeds, and pricing. 75 communities in 25 countries, matched “to the extent possible [by] population size, population density, topography, and demographic profile…comparable to the population size, population density, topography, and demographic profile of various communities within the United States” will be assessed.

I direct your attention to this graphic. It clearly shows the US from being in the middle of the pack to in a tight group of dead lasters. My gripe is not the like of the Hong Territories having the second fastest growth. Based on logistics and territory throwing up a few towers covers a lot of ground in their dense environment. Mine is why even in the denser cities of the US do we at this juncture, other than Baltimore and a few locations by TowerStream have lagged in WiMax deployments?

Linky.

We’ve been generally positive with the ‘n’ class wireless design. The one thing that has held it up has been ratification. Well we are beyond that. So all the ‘pre’ routers will give way to either firmware upgrades or product replacements. The move is on of course –

Competition for the home

Since 2006, WLAN vendors have been touting the higher throughput, capacity, and range offered by 802.11n. While the uptake of 802.11n in the enterprise just started in the last few quarters, the message is resonating with consumers, and manufacturer sales to this market are in full stride and likely to achieve half a billion in 2008. The 802.11n standard is becoming mainstream. Even Mariah Carey (yes, the songstress) remarked in a recent music video that she needed to upgrade her home network to 802.11n to improve download speeds.

While early adopters typically source the latest 802.11n wireless router gear from local electronics retailers like Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics, many mass market consumers will likely not purchase 802.11n devices but will adopt this technology through a broadband CPE provided by their service provider. Service providers are expected to drive market adoption of 802.11n when 802.11n-based broadband CPE with WLAN equipment is rolled out en masse later next year, and we estimate that after this introduction it will take approximately two years before N-based products will account for more than half of broadband CPE with WLAN market.

The n class devices also tend to obligate the need for wiring in a household or small business environment. Since the spec can handle a reasonable amount of video traffic the need for other tham maybe a couple of lan drops in a closet somewhere the balance of wiring disappears. n also makes it possible to complete the mediacentric household. Intel’s bold idea of ViiV was just 3 years too soon.

Linky.

There appears to be a gnashing of teeth by the brie set. Its a bear when you won’t be able to smile at the little barrista you have been doing business with for years. –

In towns as small as Bloomfield, N.M., and metropolises as large as New York, customers and city officials are starting to write letters, place phone calls, circulate petitions and otherwise plead with the coffee company to change its mind.

“Now that it’s going away, we’re devastated,” said Kate Walker, a facilities manager for software company SunGard Financial Systems who recently learned of a store closing in New York City.

Dear Cappo drinker, be aware that this is a normal course of events when an economy is in a downturn. Its called ‘getting back to basics’ in biz lingo. You trim the nonperforming locations. Not only that, but please consider that the business segment that ‘Bucks is in is a luxury good for all intents and purposes. But raising petitions is not going to change the decisions that have been made.

Your cure? Find another store on your way to work and frequent that one. Its not like they are going under anytime soon. This concludes our expose on StarBucks and their dwindling hot spots.

Linky
HT: Consumerist

For all you Texas cappo drinkers out there, and websuckers too, here is the list of StarBucks closing in Texas. Looks like almost half in the Arlington area are going down.

Texas
south arlington 1201 w arbrook arlington tx
cooper & green oaks 5435 s cooper arlington tx
collins & green oaks 2733 n collins arlington tx
matlock & bardin 4645 matlock arlington tx
s congress and academy 1007 s congress austin tx
mopac & slaughter 5000 w slaughter austin tx
hwy 83 & boca chica 100 expressway 83 brownsville tx
us 377 & us 67 300 w commerce brownwood tx
spid & weber 3920 s padre island dr corpus christi tx
staples & doddridge 3738 staples corpus christi tx
greenville & matalee 3715 greenville ave dallas tx
preston & beltline 14891 preston rd dallas tx
lovers lane & greenville ave 5500 greenville ave dallas tx
camp wisdom rd & hwy 67 3431 camp wisdom rd dallas tx
skillman and audelia 9090 skillman st dallas tx
northpark mall ii 8687 n central exp dallas tx
lbj & montfort 5631 lbj fwy dallas tx
illinois & westmoreland 3403 w illinois ave dallas tx
coit & 635 7995 lbj dallas tx
pleasant run & hampton rd 900 n hampton rd desoto tx
cedar ridge & wheatland rd 107 s cedar ridge dr duncanville tx
montana & mcrae 9615 montana rd el paso tx
spring valley & midway 13901 midway rd farmers branch tx
camp bowie & hulen 4603 camp bowie fort worth tx
hulen mall 4800 s hulen st fort worth tx
mccart & altamesa 6221 mccart ave fort worth tx
fm 423 lebanon 5605 fm 423 frisco tx
warren & dallas pkwy 6801 warren pkwy frisco tx
firewheel town center 470 coneflower dr garland tx
shepherd & farnham 3821 shephard houston tx
i-45 & red ripple 6001 n fwy houston tx
hwy 249 & antoine 12503 tomball pkwy houston tx
main & dallas 914 dallas st houston tx
fannin & preston 1018 preston houston tx
westheimer & briargreen 14333 wheimer rd houston tx
bellaire & wilcrest 10611 bellaire blvd houston tx
fannin & macgregor 6400 fannin st houston tx
deerbrook mall 20131 hwy 59 humble tx
hwy 77 & general cavazos 1401 e general cavazos kingsville tx
zapata hwy & chestnut 2201 chestnut laredo tx
town east mall 2228 town e blvd mesquite tx
hwy 271 & white street 901 s jefferson ave mt pleasant tx
lamar & loop 286 3855 ne loop 286 paris tx
i-27 & hwy 70 1301 i-27 north plainview tx
preston & hwy 121 8600 preston plano tx
coit and hwy 190 340 coit rd plano tx
collin creek mall 811 n central exwy plano tx
hwy 75 & park blvd 1881 central exwy plano tx
i-35 & red oak 502 n i-35 red oak tx
cherry & business 35 1205 hwy 35 n rockport tx
hwy 59 & hwy 36 27943 sw fwy rosenberg tx
59 & hwy 762 24406 sw fwy rosenburg tx
san pedro/bitters 13429 san pedro ave san antonio tx
rio grande & laurent 1310 e rio grande victoria tx
valley mills & waco dr 4300 w waco dr waco tx
green oaks & hwy 183 500 b hwy 183 w white settlement tx
us 287 & maurine 2009 maurine st wichita falls tx

The full list is here, compliments of Consumerist. When you run a business that is an extravagance beyond a .50c cup of coffee at IHOP during a downturn; you expect this kind of thing.

Word of caution for you elder techies out there. Those in the tech business who have no idea what an LP record is also have no recollection of living through a recession. They don’t remember gas lines, flat pay or half the cubicles being empty. The GenX/Yer’s are going to be a little jumpy. They won’t understand the change of landscape. Be kind and give them the guidance to get them through it.

Now why would a site that covers the broadband scene care about this? Speed. Cheaper development.

The latest kernel 2.2.26 has three items going for it —

1) Improvements in the KVM module. It now supports the base line for paravirtualization.

2) The native chipset speed in a virtual environment.

3) Preliminary support for 802.11s wireless mesh networking.

That means the boys in the labs are going to start looking at multicore multidrop routers not bound by single cpu threads. It also means that some other engineers will be working on a multicore multiband mesh wireless system in linux. Enough to test the bandwidth processor capabilities.

More at InfoQ.