Wireless Internet spec being drafted 
Physicist says micro fuel cells may soon revolutionize consumer electronics 
GE to launch digital exchange 
Broadcom buys optical chipmaker for US$1.2 billion 
WorldCom files for fixed wireless permission 
Building high-speed networks on the cheap 
Oscilloscopes plug into the internet 
Phone battle brewing between I-Mode and WAP 
GNOME Linux to attack Windows 
New credit-card technology uses sound waves to enforce security 
Wireless software makers to merge 
ITXC makes SNARCs available to licensed carriers 
eYak pours funding into low-cost way to make Net conference calls 
Mitel unveils smaller and cheaper DWDM components 
Apa Optics delivers 56-channel, low insertion loss DWDM 

Wireless Internet spec being drafted
Source:  Network World 

The Mobile Wireless Internet Forum (MWIF), an industry consortium, has drafted a preliminary list of requirements for a global, IP-based network to support wireless communications. The intent is to create ac layered architecture that separates transport, switching, services, and other functions. The overall objective is to help speed creation of a uniform net bringing together the different wireless technologies in use today and marrying them to an IP backbone. As equipment suppliers and carriers implement the specification, it should become easier to create, deploy and use new handheld wireless services.

The requirement draft and a second document that outlines a reference implementation of such a net are being voted on now. When the voting is completed and any necessary changes made, the documents will be funneled into a group of existing standards groups, including the 3GPP, 3GPP and IETF, for review and detailing as network standards.

Membership in MWIF, which was formally launched in February, includes Vodafone-AirTouch, 3Com, Cisco, Ericsson, IBM, Lucent, Microsoft, Nokia Telecommunications, Orange PCS, UUNET, and Verizon Wireless.

Physicist says micro fuel cells may soon revolutionize consumer electronics 
Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News 

Physicist Robert Hockaday, formerly of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, agrees it will be years before fuel cells are powering our cars and trucks, but he sees a more immediate opportunity with personal electronic devices. His Hockaday research team achieved a major breakthrough in February. In tests, a micro fuel cell had achieved an energy output three times greater than that of a standard lithium ion battery used in a cellular phone. The next step for the research team at Energy Related Devices Inc. in Los Alamos, N.M., is to incorporate the test cells into working prototype cell phones.

GE to launch digital exchange
Source: itworldcanada

Trying to build on its business of running private Internet marketplaces for companies, General Electric Co. (GE) will launch a new digital exchange that could become one of the largest on the Web.  Dubbed Express Marketplace, the network would allow participating companies to request quotations, track purchase orders and get bids on goods and services.  
The GE subsidiary that will oversee Express Marketplace, GE Global Exchange Services, already runs networks for 100,000 companies that trade via proprietary networks. Drawing those businesses into the new Express Marketplace would create one of the largest business-to-business exchanges.  GE's challenge is compounded because there are other technology companies also trying to get businesses linked to digital marketplaces. For example, Commerce One Inc. (CMRC) and Ariba Inc. (ARBA), two major b-to-b software vendors, aim their wares at large businesses like those that make up GE's customer base.

GE also must convince companies that its new exchange can handle the kinds of transactions they need to perform. Different industries have different requirements when it comes to ordering goods. For example, the electronics industry often makes orders using part numbers, whereas a manufacturer may order products using criteria like weight and size.  The Express Marketplace would appeal to a range of businesses, a spokesman said, because in addition to offering applications that cut across all industries, GE Global Exchange Services would offer customization for particular customers, if needed.

Broadcom buys optical chipmaker for US$1.2 billion
Source:  itworldcanada

Integrated circuit maker Broadcom Corp. continued a buying spree and has announced it will pay approximately US$1.2 billion in stock to acquire optical communications chip maker, NewPort Communications Inc.  NewPort Communications is a privately held company based in Irvine, Calif., that makes chips that allow bandwidth expansion. Broadcom's primary business is with integrated circuits that allow broadband digital transmission of voice, video and data. 
In a statement, Broadcom said the acquisition would provide the company with a broad offering of CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) optical communication technologies for the next generation of Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SONET/SDH) and 10-Gigabit Ethernet Networks.

It also will allow the company to offer optical communication OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and laser module suppliers with a variety of optical and Wide Area Network (WAN) products, such as transceivers, framers, communications processors and high-speed serial interface devices.

WorldCom files for fixed wireless permission
Source: Zdii
 
WorldCom Inc. said it filed for regulatory permission to offer fixed-wireless services in more than 60 markets in the United States as part of a push to transmit Internet, data and voice services as high speeds.  Fixed-wireless services send data, video and voices services through the air rather than over fiber optic cables or copper telephone wires.  WorldCom said it was testing fixed-wireless technology in five markets. It planned to launch the service commercially beginning in the fourth quarter of this year and continuing into early next year.

Fixed-wireless technology can be a cheaper alternative to providing communications service to rural areas or other markets that lack high-speed networks. WorldCom has said it would use a variety of technologies, in addition to fixed-wireless, to transmit high-speed services to its customers.  WorldCom's fixed wireless services will use multichannel, multipoint distribution service (MMDS) technology. That technology was used in the past to provide wireless cable television service.

Building high-speed networks on the cheap
Source: Comsoc

Large network equipment vendors continue to add advanced features to their products, but second-tier vendors are finding a large market for cheaper gear with fewer features. In response to the demand for inexpensive, high-speed gear, LAN switching vendors such as Network Peripherals, Allied Telesyn, and Hewlett-Packard are offering Layer 2 and Layer 3 switches below the industry's average prices. These offerings appeal to many customers who do not need the value-added services provided by larger vendors, such as quality of service and additional port density. Government and educational institutions, for example, are usually cost-conscious and more interested in bandwidth than advanced features. Enterprise customers spend as much on Layer 2 switches as they do on Layer 3, according to a recent International Data survey. 

In addition, more than 60 percent of the survey's respondents had no plans to implement advanced switch features such as Web caching and Layer 4 switching. One customer content with cheap, high-speed offerings is the South Pasadena School District in Pasadena, Calif. After implementing Allied Telesyn Layer 2 Fast and gigabit Ethernet switches, the district has more than enough bandwidth to connect its schools at high speeds. Still, experts say some enterprise customers need the extra features that large vendors offer, which include line trunking and link aggregation. 

Oscilloscopes plug into the internet
Source: Comsoc

The oscilloscope is already an important design data tool, but it will become even more important with the addition of standard network interfaces. Oscilloscopes such as the TDS 7000 digital oscilloscope from Tektronix offer such potential. As part of a network, these oscilloscopes provide a direct connection to all design team members, who can share data more easily, saving time and reducing errors. Email capability can widen the data network's scope to team members dispersed over a large area. Full connectivity via a standard Web browser will have the greatest impact on designers, who will have access to the Internet as well as peripherals they need to get the job done. A standard Windows interface on the oscilloscope will facilitate documentation and linkages to Windows-compatible hardware and software that can streamline and enhance many processes such as verification. 

Phone battle brewing between I-Mode and WAP
Source: Teledotcom

NTT Mobile Communications Network Inc. is expanding its i-mode data service technology beyond Japan, potentially sparking a showdown with WAP, analysts said.  Experts say the recent merger between Phone.com and Software.com Inc. will result in a challenge for NTT DoCoMo's i-mode. Bryan Prohm, senior analyst of wireless terminals and distribution for North and Latin America at Gartner Group Inc., said NTT DoCoMo wants to export i-mode technology into new markets--even those where consumers have yet to express much interest for wireless data services.  If wireless Internet is successful, he said, the logical partners for NTT DoCoMo would be companies like AT&T, SBC Communications Inc. or Sprint Corp., as well as overseas telecom giants such as Spain's Telefonica S.A.

But if WAP fails to gain the interest of consumers, Prohm said, NTT DoCoMo has to look at some other form of wireless Internet protocol to explore. Prohm said WAP is somewhat proprietary. But proprietary or not, the consumers' show of interest would determine its popularity: "The current format of WAP technology needs to evolve. It hasn't reached a point where it is flexible enough and able to accomplish what operators want."  VoiceStream Wireless Corp. is logically an ideal partner for NTT DoCoMo because it has yet to move into the WAP arena, said Adam Zawel, senior wireless analyst at The Yankee Group.

GNOME Linux to attack Windows
Source: Msnbc

A high-profile group of companies is expected to back the GNOME Linux interface as a serious competitor to Windows on desktop systems.  But if history is a guide, even the support of companies including Sun Microsystems Inc., Compaq Computer Corp. and IBM Corp. might not be enough to make a significant dent in the Windows world.  GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) is in a battle with KDE (K Desktop Environment) for dominance among Linux desktop interfaces, both aiming to make the underlying operating system more user-friendly.  GNOME already has momentum behind it. It is bundled with just about every major Linux distribution, as well as with some Unix flavors, including Berkeley Standard Distribution (BSD). And some open-source software developers also use GNOME as a software-development framework.

This week, according to a report published in The New York Times, a number of top computer hardware vendors are going to throw their weight behind GNOME as well.  Among the companies slated to announce their support for GNOME at a press conference Tuesday at LinuxWorld in San Jose, Calif., are Compaq, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM and Sun. The group will call itself the GNOME Foundation.  Compaq, HP and IBM are expected to say they will offer GNOME as the standard interface on the versions of Linux that they preload on Linux desktops, laptops and handhelds. Sun is rumored to be willing to make GNOME its default interface for its Solaris operating system over time.  

New credit-card technology uses sound waves to enforce security
Source: Msnbc

An Israeli start-up has created a bit of gadgetry that uses sound waves to address some of the biggest issues of e-commerce: fraud, privacy and convenience.  To demonstrate, Alan Sege of ComSense Technologies Ltd. holds up a bit of white plastic that looks like a credit card. The executive points the card at his beat-up Sony laptop computer. He pushes a small round circle on the card he calls a “Com Dot”, and the card emits a coded sound pitched so high the human ear can’t hear it. The computer’s microphone picks up the signal, and the card emits an audible chirp to let Mr. Sege know the transmission is complete.

The set-up, being unveiled by ComSense, also asks users for a password as a further security check. Then it can tap into a distant server computer over the Web to pull up confidential information that the user has provided, such as account numbers or address, making it easier to shop, trade securities or perform other online tasks. The system can even automatically fill in order forms when consumers shop on the Web.  ComSense hopes to have credit-card companies install in their cards the computer chip, tiny battery and speaker needed to make the technology work. It is pitching it to big U.S. credit-card companies, including Visa USA, and Internet services such as Lycos Inc., and is seeking patents on the system.

ComSense’s technology remains unproven. Visa says it is still testing it. And there are competing technologies such as “biometric” readers, which scan users’ fingers or eyes to prove that they are who they say they are.  Chris Christiansen, an analyst at International Data Corp., said another possible hurdle is ambient noise, which could drown out the card’s signal. But he said the benefits far outweigh this concern. He said the card also could confirm a user’s identity during telephone transactions, because the signal can be carried over phone wires or cellular phone waves, a crucial application as the Web goes wireless. “I thought it was pretty slick,” the IDC analyst concluded.

Wireless software makers to merge
Source: Spectrum

Phone.com Inc., Redwood City, Calif., and Software.com Inc., Santa Barbara, Calif., announced on 8 August that they plan to merge, forming a single, wireless Internet-access software company with a customer base of more than 140 major telecommunications service providers. Phone.com makes software based on the Wireless Application Protocol–a standard (except in the U.S.) that connects mobile phones and other wireless devices to the Internet. Its partner produces software that combines e-mail, voice mail, and paging messages. Each will have equal representation on the new company’s board.

ITXC makes SNARCs available to licensed carriers
Source: iLocus

A SNARC is specially configured, ITXC-owned and operated Internet telephony gateway equipment that is co-located at a licensed facilities-based carrier's premises. Initially, carriers used SNARCs only to originate international calls over its network.  Licensed facilities-based carriers can profit from Internet telephony by using a SNARC to terminate voice and fax calls. ITXC network is a source of global Internet telephony traffic to participating carriers. A SNARC provides a quick and easy method for carriers to increase revenues and expand market share without having to invest in equipment or develop Internet telephony expertise.

eYak pours funding into low-cost way to make Net conference calls
Source: Digitalmass

With another $60 million in venture funding in hand, Boston telecommunications start-up eYak Inc. is finally ready to tell the world what it's up to: a low-cost way of offering telephone conference calls through Internet technology.  eYak has made a long run in ''stealth mode,'' punctuated only by announcements that it landed former Federal Communications Commission chairman Reed Hundt for its advisory board and ex-New England Telephone chairman Paul C. O'Brien as a director.  

eYak's technology can handle calls at about one-fifth the cost of standard conferencing systems, which should allow carriers to slash prices substantially. In time, Friend said, arranging eYak casual conference calls - such as a chat among several family members - should cost no more than placing a long-distance call to one person now.  Fourteen-month-old eYak is using an Internet protocol system to connect callers to each other. The system can handle far more calls than traditional voice-circuit bridges and can offer innovative services such as ''streaming'' live recordings of calls to listeners' computers through their Web browsers.  The system can also support conference callers sharing images from their computer screens while they speak, through the eYak Web page, as well as other enhanced calling services.

Initially, most users of eYak will have their calls from the phone network converted through a Cisco Systems gateway device into Internet format for conferencing. But as more and more carriers build Internet-protocol data networks supporting voice, those calls can be fed directly into eYak and at lower cost.

Mitel unveils smaller and cheaper DWDM components
Source: Convergedigest

Mitel announced a new Echelle Grating fabrication technique that is expected to lead to higher-capacity, single-chip DWDM devices based on standard semiconductor materials.  Mitel said its breakthrough allows thick layers of glass (or silica) to be deposited on a silicon base, while ensuring a predictable refractive index.  Echelle Grating, rather than conventional Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG), allows light to reflect and then to propagate with extreme precision.  Mitel expects further advances in packaging will allow it to obtain much higher manufacturing yields than currently possible.  The new technology has been used to create a 40 channel multiplexing device conforming to the ITU-T grid and using 100 GHz channel spacing.  An 80-channel, 50 GHz device is also in development.  Mitel plans to launch a line of "LightRider" DWDM by early next year.   

Apa Optics delivers 56-channel, low insertion loss DWDM
Source:  Convergedigest

APA Optics shipped alpha versions of a 56-channel wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer.  The device offers an insertion loss of less than 5 decibels (dB) and polarization dependent loss (PDL) of less than 0.4 dB, which the company believes to be a new industry benchmark.