Silicon Investor - The NEW Frank Coluccio Technology Forum

[Genricxs] Nice summary. Thanks for sharing your takeaways. ...

Genricxs — 3/11/2025 7:03:10 PM

[Maurice Winn] Since so many countries have declared war on Russia Russia Russia, drooling lik...

Maurice Winn — 4/29/2022 5:42:29 PM

Since so many countries have declared war on Russia Russia Russia, drooling like Pavlov's dogs, with trade and other embargoes and attacks, of course Russia tries to internalise functions. Or trade with India, China and other more sensible people.

Mqurice

[Maurice Winn] I just caught up with the sad news, nearly 2 years late. What a great Silicon I...

Maurice Winn — 4/13/2022 3:57:10 PM

I just caught up with the sad news, nearly 2 years late. What a great Silicon Investor record Frank had.

Date Joined	Sep 4 1996	User Level	50
Posts	32087	Boards Moderated	1
PeopleMarks	227	Bans Issued	0
Ignored By	0	Bans Received	0

So many people marks and zero ignores. That's impressive.

People like him made Silicon Investor great, providing information which in bygone times would simply not be available. and certainly not with the opportunity to discuss, question and enlarge, with multiple knowledgeable people adding further value. What an amazing time in which to live.

In appreciation to Frank,
Mqurice

[elmatador] Russian government said it would only extend telecom operators’ licenses beyond ...

elmatador — 4/12/2022 1:01:30 AM

Russian government said it would only extend telecom operators’ licenses beyond 2023 if they used Russian equipment, according to Reuters.

https://www.sdxcentral.com/articles/news/ericsson-pulls-out-of-russia/2022/04/#:~:text=Ericsson%20is%20suspending%20its%20business,to%20a%20company%20press%20release.

[robertjames] Very informative !

robertjames — 10/17/2021 12:29:31 PM

[robertjames] Thank you for sharing this.

robertjames — 10/17/2021 12:28:16 PM

[joanadavidson] I definitely agree, Sir. Cultural problem is the main reason and organizations m...

joanadavidson — 8/27/2021 8:58:05 PM

I definitely agree, Sir. Cultural problem is the main reason and organizations must take actions to this.

Davidson

[Peter Ecclesine] All over the world regulators debate how much more spectrum for cellular, how mu...

Peter Ecclesine — 8/16/2021 7:47:29 AM

All over the world regulators debate how much more spectrum for cellular, how much more for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed device technologies.

Cellular culture is the problem, it is entitled to its fair share of everything.

dynamicspectrumalliance.org

Dynamic Spectrum Alliance resources
dynamicspectrumalliance.org

[elmatador] Telecoms innovation talk may be nothing but hot air A history of squandered op...

elmatador — 8/16/2021 12:38:12 AM

Telecoms innovation talk may be nothing but hot air

A history of squandered opportunity bodes ill for technology growth
Fildes AUGUST 13 2021

No expense was spared when Telefónica set up its London incubator a decade ago, as the Spanish telecoms group installed collaborative spaces, gaming pods and meeting rooms in the form of hot-air balloons. Staff from the company’s UK mobile network O2 were not even allowed in.

Telefónica Digital was dissolved after just two and a half years. But it stands as the sector’s boldest attempt to tap into start-up stardust.

Cash-rich telecoms companies with tens of millions of customers should be hothouses for innovation. But although the sector has been critical to the digital age, it has squandered the opportunity to be a tech trailblazer.

The industry has been exceptional at predicting the future but spectacularly bad at reaping the benefits. The first cloud storage, digital content, mobile payments and video conferencing services all bore telecoms brands and became highly lucrative ventures — for other companies.

The MP3 compression technology that drove the download market was invented by Telecom Italia staff. Three, the UK operator, pre-empted the era of YouTube and Spotify by launching successful video sharing and music platforms. Vodafone was ahead of the curve on mobile wallets and mobile commerce. Yet none paid off in extra profit.

Buying into the future hasn’t worked either. BT spied an opportunity to connect phone calls within apps when it bought promising US start up Ribbit in 2009. Ribbit quickly failed but rivals have blossomed. Twilio, for example, is now valued at $67bn — more than twice the current market value of BT.

The common theme on why these attempts to innovate fail is hierarchy. Telecoms companies are large, regulated, bureaucratic beasts that demand control and lack patience. Bright ideas are smothered at birth as boards have become risk averse.

That caution is evident at BT’s research labs. Adastral Park, which takes its name from the Latin per ardua ad astra (through adversity to the stars), is driven not by “moonshots” but “applied research”. That esoteric work may underpin huge advances in future telecoms networks but it is unlikely that BT’s consumers and investors will even notice.

It is a similar story at Bell Labs. The US research powerhouse, once the beating heart of then all-powerful AT&T, lays claim to inventing everything from transistors to information theory to the digital hearing aid. Yet author Douglas Coupland described finding a company under a “massive bell jar in which time has gone static” when he visited last decade.

A new generation of telecoms executives are once again talking up a big growth game in digital innovation based on 5G and full fibre. They paint a picture of networks at the heart of an even more connected world. Yet research & development spend sits between 1 per cent and 2 per cent of revenue at most large telecoms companies, according to MTN Consulting.

Even Telefónica relaunched a dedicated technology arm two years ago promising double-digit growth once again. As it tries to sell a stake in the business, the proceeds may tell us if the latest tech drive was worth the effort or just another case of hot air.

[Peter Ecclesine] Revisiting Wireless Internet Connectivity: 5G vs Wi-Fi 6 Herein we revisited th...

Peter Ecclesine — 3/17/2021 4:38:08 PM

Revisiting Wireless Internet Connectivity: 5G vs Wi-Fi 6

Herein we revisited the debate associated with wireless Internet connectivity by providing a new evaluation of the two main technologies involved in the provision of next generation wireless broadband: 5G and Wi-Fi 6. Our analysis highlights how the futures for 5G and Wi-Fi 6 needs to be understood within the larger context of how earlier generations of cellular and Wi-Fi technologies have shaped the evolution of wireless networking and what this may mean for the future.

sciencedirect.com

[Peter Ecclesine] Wi-Fi NOW Brazil 6 GHz - starts about 38 minutes in for 20 minutes - slides in E...

Peter Ecclesine — 3/4/2021 11:52:53 AM

Wi-Fi NOW Brazil 6 GHz - starts about 38 minutes in for 20 minutes - slides in English, speaker in Portugese, questions in English Klaus conducts the discussion

wifinowglobal.com <- registration required.

[elmatador] Yes. He broke his wrist and had to to get the bones screwed back into place

elmatador — 2/1/2021 9:47:14 AM

[Peter Ecclesine] Yes, we were on video conf with Claus last week to discuss a 6 GHz workshop. He...

Peter Ecclesine — 2/1/2021 7:28:30 AM

Yes, we were on video conf with Claus last week to discuss a 6 GHz workshop. He had slipped on ice the day before and was waiting minor surgery. Wi-Fi NOW does market promotion where opportunity presents - e.g., April 24, 2020 in Washington DC. Right now Regions 1 and 2 are presenting opportunities.

[elmatador] Good stuff. Have you met the author of the article Claus Hetting CEO of Wi-Fi NO...

elmatador — 2/1/2021 2:10:07 AM

Good stuff.
Have you met the author of the article Claus Hetting CEO of Wi-Fi NOW?

[Peter Ecclesine] The big amendments, 11ac, 11ax, 11be take 5-7 years 11ac started in 2008, 11ax s...

Peter Ecclesine — 1/31/2021 9:27:14 PM

The big amendments, 11ac, 11ax, 11be take 5-7 years
11ac started in 2008, 11ax started in 2014, 11be started in 2019

ieee802.org

WiFi Alliance does an early release approval before the amendment is published, then an r2
a couple of years later with whatever options become popular.

Getting a 2000 person year project over the finish line is hard, as many pull away to the next big project.

Look at start and RevCom and SB approval timespans on your favorite amendments.

Little ones like 11j Japan, 11y 3650 MHz, 11af TVWS take 2-3 years, depending on Korea Inc or other
opposing blocks.

petere

[engineer] interesting Peter that the 802.11ax is finally approved, but has been in chipset...

engineer — 1/31/2021 9:06:25 PM

interesting Peter that the 802.11ax is finally approved, but has been in chipsets for more than 3 years. I did not realize that it was not a fully "approved" standard until now.

Thanks for that.

[Peter Ecclesine] We met with FCC OET and WTB to discuss next steps in using FCC ULS data to prote...

Peter Ecclesine — 1/31/2021 9:02:10 PM

We met with FCC OET and WTB to discuss next steps in using FCC ULS data to
protect 6 GHz incumbents
ecfsapi.fcc.gov

and answer questions on the TR-1008
ecfsapi.fcc.gov

I am in a group that is putting the 6 GHz band in harness, much like the 5 GHz band was put
in harness in the early 2000s.

1200 MHz has a lot of uses we cannot foresee.

Wi-Fi Now is useful to say the obvious, the toothpaste is coming out of the tube.

802.11ax was approve January 26 and will be published soon, after IEEE Std 802.11-2020 is published in mid-February.

[elmatador] Wi-Fi proponent Jessica Rosenworcel to lead FCC as Acting Chairwoman January 24...

elmatador — 1/31/2021 2:26:07 AM

Wi-Fi proponent Jessica Rosenworcel to lead FCC as Acting Chairwoman

January 24, 2021 | Breaking News | by Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman

By Claus Hetting, Wi-Fi NOW CEO & Chairman

On Thursday of last week the new US administration picked 8-year commissioner veteran Jessica Rosenworcel to succeed Ajit Pai at the helm of the FCC. For now Ms Rosenworcel will lead the FCC as Acting Chairwoman. Jessica Rosenworcel has been a passionate Wi-Fi proponent for her entire FCC career.

We suspected it would happen – and frankly some of us have been silently cheering it on – then on Thursday it finally did: Long-time Wi-Fi proponent and 8-year FCC veteran Jessica Rosenworcel has been selected by the new US administration to succeed Ajit Pai at the helm of the world’s most powerful telecom regulatory body, the Federal Communications Commission.

Enjoying this story?Leave your email here and we'll get you all the latest Wi-Fi news.

Ms Rosenworcel has been designated ‘Acting Chairwoman’ for now but it is not unreasonable to expect that she may eventually be confirmed for the permanent FCC chairmanship of the Biden administration. There are no specific rules as to how US administrations choose their FCC chairpersons and previous chairman Ajit Pai was also selected from among presiding FCC commissioners by the Trump administration at the time .

Above: Jessica Rosenworcel – today Acting Chairwoman of the FCC – being interviewed by Wi-Fi NOW CEO Claus Hetting at Wi-Fi NOW USA 2016 in Washington, D.C.For now the Wi-Fi industry will be more than delighted that one huge Wi-Fi proponent – in the form of Ajit Pai – has been replaced by another to head the FCC. Ms Rosenworcel has consistently been an outspoken and fervent supporter of more spectrum and more Wi-Fi-friendly regulation including spearheading the effort to release the 5.9 GHz band and strongly supporting Ajit Pai’s drive to release the full 6 GHz band to unlicensed use.

Ms Rosenworcel is a strong advocate of connecting all Americans with broadband services and has been particularly vocal on the need to finally close the ‘homework gap’ giving all children across the US access to the Internet connectivity they need for schooling and education. She’s also a big supporter of upgrading the US federal government’s widely successful E-rate program (in existence since 1996) intended to make broadband services more affordable for schools and libraries across the nation.

Ms Rosenworcel has been a frequent speaker at Wi-Fi NOW events starting at our inaugural US event in Washington DC in 2016 and most recently at the virtual Wi-Fi World Congress this past October ( see the interview here).

[elmatador] Microsoft raises the stakes in telecom fight against AWS and Google IAIN MORRIS...

elmatador — 9/29/2020 1:14:22 PM

Microsoft raises the stakes in telecom fight against AWS and Google

IAIN MORRIS, International Editor 9/29/2020

Good bye telcos ! Hello Big Tech!

A graphic in Microsoft's latest blog about its 5G ambitions neatly encapsulates the Windows inventor's telecom sprawl.

Its long fingers now reach into nearly every corner of the market, beckoning communications service providers (CSPs) to enter its embrace.

Cloud solutions? Goes without saying. Network functions? Check, after this year's takeovers of Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch. Need an edge platform? Microsoft can bring that by simply extending the Azure cloud into new locations.

It even has an interconnect offer to advertise.

"They seem to think they've got it all covered," says James Crawshaw, a principal analyst with Omdia.

Azure for operators – ticking most of the boxes

Source: Microsoft

Microsoft is not the only Internet giant on the telecom prowl. Both Amazon (through AWS) and Google have been stalking the CSP neighborhood, luring operators into cloudy partnerships.

Some telcos have joined hands with a hyperscaler to serve enterprise customers. Others have been convinced to run their back-office and IT services from a public cloud.

But neither Amazon nor Google has gone as far as Microsoft.

"This is the boldest, most coherent pitch to telecom by a public cloud player to date, by a distance," says Gabriel Brown, a principal analyst with Heavy Reading.

"AWS and Google are in the mix but haven't communicated anything like this level of ambition."

Going after the network
What really distinguishes Microsoft from its two rivals is the former's keen interest in network functions, says Brown.

"They are really targeting the carrier network itself."

An operator could, in theory, run a packet core developed by Affirmed Networks entirely through the Azure public cloud.

It would be kissing off a critical part of its network, entrusting its security to Azure. But Microsoft could be a better home for it in straitened times, especially with the demands of 5G.

No one has done it, though, and many would be horrified even to consider awarding custody of network functions to Microsoft.

For that reason, Microsoft is desperate to look placatory.

"Recognizing that not everything will move to the public cloud, we will meet operators where they are – whether at the enterprise edge, the network edge, or in the cloud," it says in what Brown describes as a "cleverly worded" blog.

For the software giant, the immediate opportunity probably lies in enterprise and the Internet of Things.

"Where it makes sense is in private networks," says Crawshaw.

A telco might have little interest in expanding its data center to accommodate smaller firms with their own private networks, he explains.

"That business might only last a year, so you host the packet core for those customers in Azure."

The risk in this enterprise sector is that Microsoft becomes a telco rival instead of a telco partner.

Armed with Affirmed, Metaswitch and any other network suppliers it acquires, Microsoft might see little need for telco involvement, especially if a customer has its own spectrum.

The CSP could be left with the role of dumb pipe, providing basic connectivity – a fate many are determined to avoid.

But it may be too late to start worrying about Microsoft as an enterprise competitor.

"That horse has already bolted," says Brown. "Microsoft is an enterprise company – it is not coming onto turf it did not already own – and cloud connectivity has already taken over from WANs [wide area networks]."

Crawshaw also thinks the concern is somewhat overblown.

"Telcos are good channel partners and have field technicians who can get antennas pointing in the right direction," he says.

"Microsoft won't look to completely disintermediate telcos. They will just look to suck up the high-value bits and leave telcos to do the grunt work."

Only the brave
Once operators have seen Azure-hosted functions at play in the private network sector, some brave or destitute telco will eventually decide a main core network that lives in the private cloud is simply too much trouble.

At that point, it outsources management, depreciates its server equipment and fires 90% of its data center staff, says Crawshaw.

If the move translates into beefier margins, others could flock to the public cloud like Walmart shoppers on Black Friday.

But who would take the plunge?

"At the moment, and probably for the foreseeable future, most operators of reasonable size are not going to want to put core network functions on a third-party public cloud," says Brown.

"In some cases, there is visceral opposition to doing that."

The likeliest candidate, in his view, is a mobile virtual network operator, or a telco entering a new geographical region.

Want to know more about 5G? Check out our dedicated 5G content channel here on Light Reading.

Until then, one area of the CSP market remains a Microsoft-free zone, according to the software giant's graphic.

Active post-takeover in packet core, and with its own lineup of voice and other applications, Microsoft still has no role in the radio access network (RAN).

But Rakuten, the Internet firm building a fourth mobile network in Japan, owns a majority stake in Altiostar, which develops RAN software. And it has now bundled Altiostar into its own telco cloud platform and made this available to other firms.

Could Microsoft buy a rival such as Mavenir or Parallel Wireless and do likewise?

It is feasible but unlikely, says Brown.

"I can't see them wanting to get into the classic mobile RAN infrastructure market. There is too much hard work and headcount and too many processes they are not familiar with."

Crawshaw agrees the hardware hassle would be off-putting.

"Obviously they don't want to get into the antennas and all that gubbins, but the software part could make sense."

In its blog, Microsoft does call out the radio access network as an example of a function it could support – not necessarily through an acquisition but conceivably in partnership with a specialist such as Samsung.

A takeover, though, would make its graphic look complete.

Related posts:

[Peter Ecclesine] Draft FCC U-NII device testing KDB August 14, 2020 [- Low Power Indoor devices ...

Peter Ecclesine — 8/15/2020 12:00:52 AM

Draft FCC U-NII device testing KDB August 14, 2020 [- Low Power Indoor devices in 4Q2020]

Publication: 987594

Keyword/Subject: U-NII6 GHz, U-NII5, U-NII6,U-NII7,U-NII8, U-NII5-8,5.925-7.125 GHz band,15E

First Category:Unlicensed Service Rules and Procedures

Second Category: U-NII devices-15.401

987594 D01 General Requirements. Form 731 and supporting information requirements for all types of devices.

987594 D02 EMC Measurement. Test report, exhibits and RF Measurement Procedures for demonstrating: EIRP, Bandwidth, Channel Mask, Out of Band Emissions, Contention Based Protocol (Listen Before Talk), Automatic Power Control(APC ) as applicable to 6 GHz devices.

987594 D03 Q&A General Questions and Answers.

987594 D04 AFC demonstration requirements.This attachment is not currently available. Updated guidance will be published in a phase 2.

[TimF] Chinese bank forced western companies to install malware-laced tax software Gol...

TimF — 6/30/2020 7:04:32 PM

Chinese bank forced western companies to install malware-laced tax software

GoldenSpy backdoor trojan found in a Chinese bank's official tax software, which the bank has been forcing western companies to install.

A Chinese bank has forced at least two western companies to install malware-laced tax software on their systems, cyber-security firm Trustwave said in a report published today.

The two companies are a UK-based technology/software vendor and a major financial institution, both of which had recently opened offices in China.

"Discussions with our client revealed that [the malware] was part of their bank's required tax software," Trustwave said today.

"They informed us that upon opening operations in China, their local Chinese bank required that they install a software package called Intelligent Tax produced by the Golden Tax Department of Aisino Corporation, for paying local taxes."
The "GoldenSpy" backdoor

Trustwave, who was providing cyber-security services for the UK software vendor, said it identified the malware after observing suspicious network requests originating its customer's network.

In a report published today, Trustwave said it analyzed the bank's tax software. Turstwave said the software worked as advertised, allowing its customer to pay local taxes, but that it also installed a hidden backdoor.

The security firm says this backdoor, which Trustwave codenamed GoldenSpy and said it ran with SYSTEM-level access, allowed a remote attacker to connect to the infected system and run Windows commands, or upload and install other software.

But many types of software have remote-access features for debugging services. However, Trustwave said it also identified features that are more commonly found in malware and don't have legitimate uses anywhere else. For example:

GoldenSpy installs two identical versions of itself, both as persistent autostart services. If either stops running, it will respawn its counterpart. Furthermore, it utilizes an exeprotector module that monitors for the deletion of either iteration of itself. If deleted, it will download and execute a new version. Effectively, this triple-layer protection makes it exceedingly difficult to remove this file from an infected system.

The Intelligent Tax software's uninstall feature will not uninstall GoldenSpy. It leaves GoldenSpy running as an open backdoor into the environment, even after the tax software is fully removed.

GoldenSpy is not downloaded and installed until a full two hours after the tax software installation process is completed. When it finally downloads and installs, it does so silently, with no notification on the system. This long delay is highly unusual and a method to hide from the victim's notice.

GoldenSpy does not contact the tax software's network infrastructure (i-xinnuo[.]com), rather it reaches out to ningzhidata[.]com, a domain known to host other variations of GoldenSpy malware. After the first three attempts to contact its command and control server, it randomizes beacon times. This is a known method to avoid network security technologies designed to identify beaconing malware.

GoldenSpy operates with SYSTEM level privileges, making it highly dangerous and capable of executing any software on the system. This includes additional malware or Windows administrative tools to conduct reconnaissance, create new users, escalate privileges, etc.

State hackers or malicious insider?

But despite spotting the hidden backdoor inside the Aisino Intelligent Tax Software, Trustwave wasn't able to determine how it got there.

Trustwave said it wasn't able to determine if the backdoor was developed by China's government hackers, secretly added by one of the bank's rogue employees, or created by someone at Aisino Corporation.

It was also unclear if Chinese intelligence might have forced the bank or the Aisino Corporation into adding the malware to their official software so they could spy on a foreign company, or if this was an incident where hackers were purely interested into their own financial gain.

But while some questions remain unanswered, in the meantime, Trustwave is sounding the alarm for any other company doing business in China that has installed the same software.

"We believe that every corporation operating in China or using the Aisino Intelligent Tax Software should consider this incident a potential threat and should engage in threat hunting, containment, and remediation countermeasures, as outlined in our technical report," Trustwave said.

Trustwave didn't name the bank. ZDNet has sent the Aisino Corporation a request for comment about Trustwave's findings and we'll update if the software vendor decides to reply.

zdnet.com

[elmatador] After recent acquisition of Affirmed Networks Microsoft acquires Metaswitch Thi...

elmatador — 5/20/2020 2:40:01 PM

After recent acquisition of Affirmed Networks Microsoft acquires Metaswitch

This announcement builds on the computing giant’s recent acquisition of Affirmed Networks, with Metaswitch’s portfolio of high-performance, cloud-native communications software further expanding its range of offerings available for the telecommunications industry.

fibre-systems.com

[elmatador] Oh No ! One of the greatest minds in SI. I had opportunity to get to know Frank...

elmatador — 5/20/2020 2:37:25 PM

Oh No !
One of the greatest minds in SI.

I had opportunity to get to know Frank and have very good discussions in with him way back in the access Thread, whose precise name I can't recall.

RIP Frank.

[Peter Ecclesine] linkedin.com will be noted on Linkedin

Peter Ecclesine — 5/19/2020 9:31:25 AM

[aladin] Peter, Could you post the link to the article? Very sad indeed. John

aladin — 5/19/2020 9:04:11 AM

[Peter Ecclesine] Sad News I read today on the Gordon Cook list 1a. ...

Peter Ecclesine — 5/19/2020 7:35:04 AM

Sad News

I read today on the Gordon Cook list

1a. Re: Frank Coluccio passed away last week
From: Grahame Lynch
Date: Tue, 19 May 2020 00:35:52 EDT
That's very sad news.

When I took over the editor's seat at America's Network in 1999, Frank was a fantastic supporter of ours, regularly quoting our analysis on his Silicon Investor page (if I recall correctly) and kickstarting discussions. The comments he facilitated were tremendously valuable feedback to us at a time when the climate was rather febrile due to the dot com boom.

[Peter Ecclesine] The FCC voted 5-0 to approve 1200 MHz for unlicensed uses docs.fcc.gov para 203...

Peter Ecclesine — 4/25/2020 7:55:56 AM

The FCC voted 5-0 to approve 1200 MHz for unlicensed uses
docs.fcc.gov

para 203-206 dismiss requests to license to cellular
para 207-215 reject mobile use for now - retaining a lever in the 5.9 GHz proceeding ;-)
para 216-218 discuss RigNet, order prohibits 6 GHz use on oil platforms
para 219-222 reject giving UWB devices new regulatory standing
para 223-226 reject Qualcomm's synchronous operation proposal
para 227-228 decline to require digital identifying information

[Peter Ecclesine] fcc.gov CHAIRMAN PAI PROPOSES NEW RULES FOR THE 6 GHz BAND, UNLEASHING 1,200 ME...

Peter Ecclesine — 4/1/2020 2:44:04 PM

fcc.gov

CHAIRMAN PAI PROPOSES NEW RULES FOR THE 6 GHz BAND, UNLEASHING 1,200 MEGAHERTZ FOR UNLICENSED USE

Draft Rules Would Provide a Boost to Wi-Fi and Other Unlicensed Uses

While Protecting Incumbent Services in the Band

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2020—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today circulated draft rules permitting unlicensed devices to operate in the 6 GHz band. The proposed rules would make 1,200 megahertz of spectrum available for unlicensed use. Unlicensed devices would share this spectrum with incumbent licensed services under rules that are crafted to protect those licensed services and to enable both unlicensed and licensed operations to thrive throughout the band. The Chairman’s draft rules will be voted on by the Commission at the FCC’s Open Meeting on April 23.

“From Wi-Fi routers to home appliances, Americans’ everyday use of devices that connect to the Internet over unlicensed spectrum has exploded,” said Chairman Pai. “That trend will only continue. Cisco projects that nearly 60% of global mobile data traffic will be off-loaded to Wi-Fi by 2022. To accommodate that increase in Wi-Fi demand, the FCC is aiming to increase the supply of Wi-Fi spectrum with our boldest initiative yet: making the entire 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use. By doing this, we would effectively increase the amount of spectrum available for Wi-Fi almost by a factor of five. This would be a huge benefit to consumers and innovators across the nation. It would be another step toward increasing the capacity of our country’s networks. And it would help advance even further our leadership in next generation wireless technologies, including 5G.”

If adopted, the draft Report and Order would authorize two different types of unlicensed operations: standard-power in 850-megahertz of the band and indoor low-power operations over the full 1,200-megahertz available in the 6 GHz band. An automated frequency coordination system would prevent standard power access points from operating where they could cause interference to incumbent services.

A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposes to permit very low-power devices to operate across the 6 GHz band, to support high data rate applications including high-performance, wearable, augmented-reality and virtual-reality devices. Specifically, the Further Notice would seek comment on making a contiguous 1,200-megahertz block of spectrum available for the development of new and innovative high-speed, short-range devices and on power levels and other technical and operational measures to avoid causing interference to incumbent services.

[Peter Ecclesine] Opinion: Why economic data, indicators and forecasts don’t mean much in the coro...

Peter Ecclesine — 4/1/2020 10:23:04 AM

Opinion: Why economic data, indicators and forecasts don’t mean much in the corona storm By Pierre Briançon, Published: April 1, 2020 at 7:34 a.m. ET MarketWatch

marketwatch.com

How deep will the world recession be this year? Don’t look at current economic forecasts for any guide. The only certainty is that measures of containment to fight the coronavirus pandemic, with lockdowns and a halt of economic activity in most western countries, will shrink gross domestic product in most of the world. By how much? These days, your guess is as good as mine.

The main reason is that “uncertainty” is no longer one of those potential risks envisioned by economists to caution about their own forecast. Uncertainty isn’t a marginal danger hovering over the economy, as the threats of trade wars or Brexit were when mentioned only a few weeks ago. Uncertainty is now the economy itself. In this context, the only accurate forecast is: “it depends.”

It depends, first, on the length of the lockdowns. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, whose economic studies are among the most reliable, estimated this week that each month of containment costs any given country some 2 percentage points of growth. A three-month lockdown — say, from mid-March to mid-June — would cost 6% of GDP. Europe was expected to grow less than 1.5% this year in the last pre-virus forecasts. If the OECD is right, that means Europe’s economy would shrink this year by about 4.5%.

<>

[Elroy Jetson] US Broadband Holding Up Under WFH Strain, Speedtest Finds - pcmag.com With muc...

Elroy Jetson — 4/1/2020 8:46:02 AM

US Broadband Holding Up Under WFH Strain, Speedtest Finds - pcmag.com

With much of America and Canada now working and schooling from home, broadband networks are dealing well with the strain, according to new stats from Ookla Speedtest.

[aladin] Trump signs broadband mapping law; FCC chief calls for funding to support implem...

aladin — 3/25/2020 10:21:27 AM

Trump signs broadband mapping law; FCC chief calls for funding to support implementation. From WRAL Techwire....

Looks like a census of broadband availability nationwide.

[aladin] Elroy, That only measures speed to their PoP. Most of the issues come from how...

aladin — 3/20/2020 3:54:59 PM

Elroy,

That only measures speed to their PoP. Most of the issues come from how people connect.

Companies setup their DMZ's with Tier 1 or low cost bulk providers - AT&T, Verizon, Century Link, Cogent , GTI etc. But the employees are on MSO's like Cox, Spectrum, Comcast, Fios etc.

The cross connects are flooded by Amazon, Netflix etc. So a lot of chatter on NANOG is about VPN's not working well.

The solution proposed is more cross connects, but these don't generate revenue for the IXC.

The real solution is to have firms peer their VPN structure with the MSO's.

John

[Elroy Jetson] Our broadband speed in Los Angeles seems unaffected, even though everyone is wor...

Elroy Jetson — 3/20/2020 2:54:25 PM

Our broadband speed in Los Angeles seems unaffected, even though everyone is working from home today.

Our package guarantees 400 /20

[elmatador] Our Internet Isn’t Ready for Coronavirus Many people are having to work and lear...

elmatador — 3/20/2020 2:35:34 PM

Our Internet Isn’t Ready for Coronavirus
Many people are having to work and learn from home. Residential broadband networks might not be able to keep up.

By Josephine Wolff
Dr. Wolff is an assistant professor at Tufts University and a contributing opinion writer.
March 17, 2020

The morning after my university announced classes would be moved online because of the coronavirus, the power went out on campus. It was restored just a few hours later, but the outage was a stark reminder of how dependent we are on our electrical and online infrastructure as more and more of us are moving to remote learning and work.

Just as our public health system appears unable to cope with the spread of the coronavirus, our residential broadband, video conferencing platforms and VPNs are about to face unprecedented strain. That strain will have serious consequences, not just for the performance of our broadband networks but also for student access to education and the security of corporate data and networks.

Many organizations, including my own, are counting on video conferencing tools to replace in-person interactions. Companies concerned about proprietary business information will also be relying on virtual private networks to protect their employees’ remote work activities, meaning that VPN servers will bear a significant increase in traffic. And all of us working or learning from home will have to rely on residential broadband networks to provide access to these tools and services.

The United States is in much better shape to handle this increased online activity than other countries. In 2011, the Federal Communications Commission began collecting extensive data on the performance of residential broadband networks and found that most service providers are generally providing customers with the speeds they advertise. Reassuringly, most service providers that the F.C.C. tracked do not see a huge falloff in performance during peak hours, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., when online traffic typically increases to its highest volumes in residential areas.

But these results don’t take into account the performance effects of relying on wireless networks (the F.C.C. data is collected directly from wired, physical residential connections) or channeling traffic through corporate VPNs. And we don’t yet know how the volume of internet traffic generated by so many people working from home will compare with the traffic typically seen during the evening, when people are at home streaming movies or browsing social media.

The performance issues might be worse in rural areas, where internet service is already less reliable than it is in big cities. Roughly three million children in the United States do not have internet access at home, which means that schools in poor, rural areas may face much greater obstacles trying to provide remote learning to students than those in urban or more affluent areas.

For colleges and universities (like my own) that are planning to offer remote instruction to thousands of students all over the country and the world, the issue will not just be how reliable internet service around campus is, but also whether our students, spread out across the globe, will have access to sufficient bandwidth to participate in video-streamed classes without constant interruptions and delays.

On top of performance concerns, there are also new online security issues, including phishing campaigns that appear to come from the World Health Organization or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with malicious attachments purporting to contain important information about the spread of the coronavirus.

More generally, the increase in remote work may create new opportunities for hackers to infiltrate corporate networks, especially since the growing number of remote connections will make it harder for companies to detect those intrusions when they occur. And organizations that do not have remote work processes in place may find themselves rushing to adapt and failing to take important security precautions to protect the confidentiality of their remote interactions.

Unfortunately, improving the quality and availability of broadband isn’t something that can be done overnight. In the long term, in order for working from home to be a viable emergency response to situations like these, we will need to invest more heavily in residential broadband than we previously thought necessary.

In the short term, we need to rethink how technology can best be used to support remote work and education efforts. This could mean relying less on the potential of video conferencing technologies to recreate in-person classrooms and meetings, and instead exploring how lower-bandwidth, asynchronous technologies — such as message boards, emails and recorded lectures — can be used more effectively. The future of working from home may be more low-tech than we imagined.

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[Elroy Jetson] Work from home schemes fail in shambolic UK as most mobile networks go down incl...

Elroy Jetson — 3/17/2020 8:04:53 AM

Work from home schemes fail in shambolic UK as most mobile networks go down including Vodafone, O2, 3, Virgin and EE.

[Peter Ecclesine] Hi Elmatador Another link to your 2018 post linkedin.com

Peter Ecclesine — 3/2/2020 7:45:17 AM

[elmatador] Nokia CEO resigns The writing was on the wall but Rajeev slept at the wheel. ...

elmatador — 3/2/2020 3:08:59 AM

Nokia CEO resigns

The writing was on the wall but Rajeev slept at the wheel.

Trump Gives Motivation for Cisco to Buy Ericsson
linkedin.com

Nokia shares were lifted last week after Bloomberg News reported that the Finnish telecom network equipment maker was considering asset sales and mergers.

[Peter Ecclesine] It looks like the EC Radio Spectrum Policy Group sees opportunity RSPG20-005 r...

Peter Ecclesine — 2/14/2020 9:10:00 AM

It looks like the EC Radio Spectrum Policy Group sees opportunity

RSPG20-005 rspg-spectrum.eu

Page 12 New Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP)

Scope of RSPG activity
The RSPG will develop an opinion contributing to a new multiannual RSPP taking into account the latest technological and regulatory developments and Union policy objectives, including the need to support Gigabit connectivity and climate neutrality targets. The new RSPP should apply up to 2030 and cover various sectors and Union policies using spectrum.
To this end and with regard to the Request for an Opinion on an RSPP by the Commission, the RSPG will consider the following topics:
- making available at least 12 GHz of spectrum below 100 GHz to promote innovative wireless services (including WiFi and 5G and beyond);
- concrete coordinated actions to facilitate the take-up of shared spectrum use;
- the positive impact of technological innovation on efficient spectrum use;
- network evolution and spectrum needs of terrestrial broadcasting and PMSE;
- specific SMEs needs for spectrum;
- approaches to improve environmental sustainability in relation to spectrum authorisation, management and use.
- Improve the visibility of measures to ensure coherence between harmonised standards (RED) and spectrum regulatory framework, and
- opportunities for coordination between civilian and military use of spectrum,

[Peter Ecclesine] Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of ar...

Peter Ecclesine — 2/14/2020 7:56:35 AM

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found here.
ft.com

"Cisco is already working with Japanese ecommerce company Rakuten on building a mobile network based on the new [OpenRAN] technology, with US start-up Altiostar supplying the key software at the heart of the system. Most mobile operators, however, are set to upgrade their existing networks to prepare for 5G, rather than build networks like this from the ground up."

[Elroy Jetson] There'd better be a pay-off at the end of the "playing hard to get". I own Cisc...

Elroy Jetson — 2/14/2020 4:14:34 AM

There'd better be a pay-off at the end of the "playing hard to get".

I own Cisco shares and have been getting very little respect. Just a 3% dividend and a bunch of drama.

[elmatador] Cisco is playing hard to get... Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of Cisco Syst...

elmatador — 2/14/2020 1:49:30 AM

Cisco is playing hard to get... Chuck Robbins, the chief executive of Cisco Systems, ruled out taking control Nokia and Ericsson, a blow to the Trump administration’s hopes of creating a champion to counter Huawei

linkedin.com

[Peter Ecclesine] About measuring RF exposure above 6 GHz: The revised IEEE C95.1 has been publi...

Peter Ecclesine — 2/5/2020 5:22:36 PM

About measuring RF exposure above 6 GHz:
The revised IEEE C95.1 has been published which includes revised limits above 6GHz.

We do have some test guidance from FCC

petere

[Peter Ecclesine] Hi Elroy, The Mobile Manufacturers Forum is engaged on RF safety, especially ...

Peter Ecclesine — 2/5/2020 8:25:36 AM

Hi Elroy,

The Mobile Manufacturers Forum is engaged on RF safety, especially the newer GHz frequencies.

emfhealth.info

A new SAR standard above 6 GHz is expected in March.

The mm frequency cellphones know which antennas are close to the person, and put more energy into antennas that are no shrouded by the person.

petere

[Peter Ecclesine] Hi Elmat, The PlanetAnalog article on iW modulation took me back two decades...

Peter Ecclesine — 2/5/2020 8:18:04 AM

Hi Elmat,

The PlanetAnalog article on iW modulation took me back two decades to xG, a Florida based radio modulation whose demonstration involved a bus ride from the base of the tower to a "distant" receive site, no cellphones allowed. Needless to say, the line of sight distance between tower and receive sight was much less than the distance the bus traveled around the plantation.

The article compares iW at 3 GHz to QAM at 28 GHz, which inherently is
69.5 dB pathloss to 88.9 dB pathloss, a difference of 19.4 dB due to frequency alone.

linuxfromscratch.org

It is good to see software defined radios in the wild, but I take the claim of "reducing the need for bit checking and extreme transmission power levels" with a grain of salt as production Wi-Fi does more with low transmit power levels.

IEEE 802.11ax features 1024 QAM up to eight spatial streams

cisco.com

802.11ax and 5G cannot flop, but what is promised can change to align with what is delivered.

petere

[Elroy Jetson] One of the most dangerous aspects of the newer GHz frequencies used for the 802....

Elroy Jetson — 2/5/2020 3:48:59 AM

One of the most dangerous aspects of the newer GHz frequencies used for the 802.11ad WiGig and 5G cell phone networks is their energy is unable to penetrate the human body.

Some of the GHz waves bounce off your skin and are scattered, while some are converted into heat similar to sunlight - but at much lower power levels.

As a result there's a great danger that these GHz frequencies will never reach your phone or the transmission tower.

[elmatador] Will 5G flop? Are we seeing the ISDN of the 21st century? planetanalog.com

elmatador — 2/5/2020 3:33:42 AM

[elmatador] Axial aka Jim Kayne was a good member of this forum and I have several discussio...

elmatador — 2/5/2020 3:33:13 AM

Axial aka Jim Kayne was a good member of this forum and I have several discussions with him.

May his soul rest in peace.

[TimF] Netgear Signed TLS Cert Private Key Disclosure gist.github.com Leaving your adm...

TimF — 1/20/2020 8:27:18 PM

Netgear Signed TLS Cert Private Key Disclosure
gist.github.com

Leaving your admin interface's TLS cert and private key in your router firmware in 2020? Just Netgear things
Finding sparks debate over bug disclosure – and how do you secure a local gateway's web control panel
By Shaun Nichols in San Francisco 20 Jan 2020
theregister.co.uk

[P2V] Thank You, Frank. Jim and I had a great many conversations about a common i...

P2V — 12/30/2019 8:55:41 AM

Thank You, Frank.

Jim and I had a great many conversations about a common interest in a fledgling , but failed

Canadian company that we had high hopes for.

I developed a great respect for his knowledge and interest, and above all, his integrity and kindness.

I certainly will miss him.

M

[Peter Ecclesine] One history of the Clipper Chip and the perils of creating weak keys that take d...

Peter Ecclesine — 12/23/2019 8:46:08 AM

One history of the Clipper Chip and the perils of creating weak keys that take days of testing to reveal weakness

en.wikipedia.org

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