Building a communications network to facilitate a smart grid energy network will require more than one networking technology, and utilities and vendors are looking at hybrid powerline communications (PLC) and wireless networks to meet the task, said executives at the HomePlug Powerline Alliance technology conference Tuesday. “We're using what we call a dual approach,” said Gary Stuebing, a strategic planning manager for Duke Energy. “When we start looking at over-the-air technologies, we decided we're going to use Wi-Fi,” he said. “Our long-range approach is for PLC technologies, because we're going to need both."
Dish Network expects to get FCC approval in “relatively short order” for its acquisitions of TerreStar and DBSD, moving it closer to starting to build out a national wireless network, Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said Monday. The FCC comment period ended Nov. 3 and if Dish gets commission approval, it could close on the purchases within 60 days, analysts said. Dish last week agreed to pay $114 million to Sprint to settle a legal battle tied to TerreStar and DBSD, it said Monday in an SEC filing. Sprint claimed it was owed $220 million by TerreStar and DBSD, and the settlement resolves the claims (CD Nov 7 p1), Dish said.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Sprint is considering selling WiMAX devices beyond its commitment to do so through 2012, as it forges toward the more broadly accepted LTE technology for 4G wireless broadband, CEO Dan Hesse said. Speaking at the Sprint Open Solutions Conference for developers late last week, he didn’t elaborate on the possibility of sticking longer than promised with handsets or other hardware that can use both 3G and WiMAX.
Prepaid carriers MetroPCS and Leap Wireless are making deploying LTE networks and services a top priority as competition in the prepaid space increases. MetroPCS’s Q3 profit fell 10 percent year-over-year to $69 million as subscriber growth slowed in the quarter. Leap Wireless lost $69 million, an improvement from a $536.3 million loss in the prior year.
Easier site access, better optimization and handoff technology and more spectrum are critical for universal deployment of small cellsite technologies like femtocell, Wi-Fi and distributed antenna systems (DAS), speakers said during an FCC forum Friday. Small site technology, which was initially used to improve indoor coverage, could play an important role in LTE deployment, they said.
Joe Rostock, ex-Verizon, becomes ATIS vice president-chief technologist … Lionsgate names Lawrence Szabo, ex-MGM, executive vice president-North America TV Sales … Michael Davidson, ex-U.S. Army, joins PCTel board … Chris Bowick, ex-Cox and Scientific-Atlanta, joins itaas advisory board … New at Association of Cable Communicators: President Rosa Gatti, ESPN; First Vice President Anthony Surratt, Time Warner; Second Vice President Annie Howell, Crown Media; Secretary Catherine Frymark, Discovery; Treasurer Thomas Larsen, Mediacom; At-Large Misty Skedgell, Turner Broadcasting … ABC Owned TV Stations Group promotes Carla Carpenter to senior vice president-digital media … Lobbyist Registrations: Semiconductor Industry Association, Peck, Madigan, Jones & Stewart and Tiber Creek Health Strategies, effective Sept. 1 … LightSquared, Podesta Group, effective Sept. 1.
The FCC should consider Boeing’s Timing and Location (BTL) technology as a new prospective location technology, Boeing said in comments to the FCC (http://xrl.us/bmfevj). Boeing was responding to the FCC’s request for location technologies that work in difficult environments. BTL uses Iridium’s low-earth orbit satellites to provide location service either by assisting GPS receivers, finding location with Iridium’s service alone, or using a hybrid of GPS and Iridium signals when fewer than four GPS satellites are in view, said Boeing. Boeing has been working on BTL chips with manufacturers, which are expected to begin full-scale production this year, said the company. Iridium’s constellation is already modified to offer the service. The BTL system is expected to by online in 2012, said Boeing.
Transition to a Next Generation 911 system, technical solutions like call prioritization and rerouting, procedure and policy changes are answers to 911 overloading issues, speakers said during the 911 Industry Alliance’s 911 workshop Wednesday. But many solutions have issues like funding that need to be addressed, they said.
Comments on the FCC’s rulemaking notice on closed captioning rules for IP-delivered video programming are due Oct. 19, a public notice said. Replies are due Oct. 28. FCC staff is already getting industry input on the item. Boxee executives told Media Bureau staff that because of developments in chipsets, relying on HTML to render closed captions on videos would be “the best move,” an ex parte notice said. “This will give flexibility for the chip vendor to implement standard codec support into the browser and will give the player developer the flexibility to layout captions as needed,” the notice said.
The no. 2 U.S. radio broadcaster is starting to test an FM transmission technology that backers say may improve reception for analog listeners in areas with hills, mountains, skyscrapers and other obstructing terrain. The supporters and an executive who’s sitting out the test said the single sideband (SSB) suppressed carrier technology may eventually help reception of digital radio. There’s skepticism among some executives that the type of modulation will help get HD Radio chips in more consumer electronics.