XstreamHD live demonstration of their cutting edge technology at NAB show in Las Vegas

XstreamHD booth at NAB show

http://www.xstreamhd.com/NABshow.html

Report: HSPA Will Lead to LTE

A Frost & Sullivan report concludes that mobile operators will trend toward fully maximizing their high-speed packet access (HSPA) deployments before eventually deploying LTE.

The report comes amid an industry that paid a lot of attention to LTE at the recent CTIA 2009 trade show.

Citing skyrocketing data demands – six to 14 times more data being consumed over the past year – driven by flat-rate pricing, the report concludes that new networks are essential for continued revenue growth.

The report shows that average users download more than 5 GB per month, some as much as 9 GB to 11 GB.

“Next-generation wireless technologies such as 3G LTE and mobile WiMAX will eventually lead operators to move to an ‘open’ access, any client device connected, Internet model, with the advent of consumer electronic devices being embedded with 3G LTE technology,” notes Frost & Sullivan Program Manager Luke Thomas in the report.

Thomas stressed the importance of upgrading backhaul in a cost-effective manner, as each LTE base station “would require a minimum of 200-300 Mbps backhaul capacity.”

The report found that most mobile operators are considering high-capacity point-to-point microwave links and relay for backhaul, but also noted a growing interest in subsidizing femtocells as a way to reduce backhaul costs.

D.C. to Get First Crack at Free Mobile TV

Washington will be the first U.S. city to get free digital TV broadcasts for mobile devices like cell phones, laptop computers and in-car entertainment systems, broadcasters were set to announce today.

Broadcasts using new "mobile DTV" technology are expected to begin in late summer from five stations: local affiliates of CBS, NBC, PBS and Ion and one independent station owned by Fox.

The initial broadcasts will be identical to those beamed to TV sets, including the advertising.

It's unclear what devices might be available with the special receivers needed for the new signals. Cell phones are main candidates for the technology, but the wireless carriers have shown no enthusiasm, and the largest two have their own TV services, which require subscriptions.

However, Dell will be showing a prototype of a small laptop with a built-in mobile DTV receiver at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) trade show in Las Vegas this week. The computer maker joins cell phone makers LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics in supporting the technology. Kenwood is developing car-based receivers.

The companies backing the technology in the so-called Open Mobile Video Coalition said Washington was chosen as a test market because the city is full of tech-savvy viewers who pay attention to local news. Attention from politicians and regulators probably doesn't hurt either – the coalition has earlier pointed to the usefulness of free mobile TV broadcasts in case of emergencies and disasters like hurricanes.

Broadcasters plan to quickly start broadcasts in more than two dozen other cities by the end of the year, covering 39 percent of U.S. households. Among the target cities are New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and Atlanta.

HD Movies@ My Home: XstreamHD showcases innovative satellite technology at CES 2009

XstreamHD (based in McLean, VA) comes up with a winner! in this year CES 2009. XstreamHD marched ahead and the company showcased their new pro-receivers and RF remote control along with REV2 media servers and receivers that offers blue-ray quality 1080P video and unmatched 7.1 channels lossless DTS-master audio. The company had a big booth in CES South Hall at Las Vegas Convention Center and that clearly spells the seriousness with which XstreamHD is pursuing the home based digital entertainment technology. 

XStreamHD Media Servers utilized their custom ASIC that is specifically designed to support multiple simultaneous high bitrate streams. The ASIC supports dual GigE ports and uses hardware accelerators to transmit the IP streams. At CES, the XStreamHD Media Server demonstrated its ability to stream an 80Mbps MPEG2 main level/high profile 1080p movie at the same time it streamed another 1080p 40Mbps video stream rate movie along with several audio streams to other devices. The total aggregate stream exceeded 125Mbps! 

XStreamHD Media Server demonstrated at CES its ability to interoperate with six other DLNA client devices that included the Sony PS3, a Pioneer Kuro Plasma TV, a Samsung Plasma TV, a Dell notebook PC, a Phillips Internet radio, and a Denon networked audio system.

*** Disclaimer: This blog is purely based on the author's experience in telecommunications and wireless industry. It doesn't reflect the views of any other person, institution or organization whatsoever.

For Prospective CS Graduate Students: Umich, Ann Arbor

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Femtocells: making the economics of convergence work

October 22, 2008 — 11:29am ET | By Sangit Rawlley

Indoor telephony is under renewed attack. Emerging coverage enhancement solutions such as femtocells threaten to further erode the already declining market for fixed-line phones. But with adversity has come opportunity. Femtocells mitigate many of the historical challenges that lead to the failure of MVNO's set up to offer converged services and provide another opportunity for wireless and fixed line operators to work together.

The significance of having high quality voice telephony inside the house cannot be denied. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 76 percent of an average person's "awake hours" resides indoors. Of that time, 61 percent is spent in the home vs. a separate building.

Indoor telephony has traditionally been the stronghold of wireline and cable (fixed line) carriers. However, in the last few years cord-cutting has emerged as the primary threat for fixed line carriers. Declining mobile price is the key driver for this trend. According to CTIA, around 15.8 percent of U.S. households were wireless-only in 2007.

But there are limitations to using the cell phone inside the house. Bad indoor wireless coverage is one of the key barriers to cord-cutting.  According to a Harris Interactive survey, 62 percent of cell phone owners have done something special to improve signal reception in an attempt to make or receive a cell phone call at home. 30 percent said they used their fixed-line phone.

Today the question that is top of mind for all fixed line operators is how best to deal with femtocells. The situation is grimmer for operators such as British Telecom, Embarq, and Qwest that don't own wireless assets. Their past attempts to reduce cord cutting by offering wireline-wireless bundles and converged services through wireless wholesale (MVNO) deals have failed. 

But there is a glimmer of hope. Femtocells require a broadband connection to operate. Fixed line carriers can leverage this dependence of femtocells on DSL and cable in two ways--obstructive or constructive. The obstructive approach revolves around non-cooperation with wireless carriers and FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) marketing. Such tactics are not sustainable in the long term. The constructive approach is difficult, but if implemented correctly can reap long term benefits. This approach involves setting up mutually beneficial partnerships with wireless carriers to revive the convergence play. 

Google Introduces an iPhone Rival

SAN FRANCISCO — Google and T-Mobile unveiled their answer to the iPhone on Tuesday, pulling the wraps off a slick mobile device that combines a touch screen and a keyboard and is aimed at putting the Internet in the pockets of millions of cellphone users.

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The T-Mobile G1 will cost $179, $20 less than the iPhone.