Qualcomm launched a family of smartphone chipsets that have media features and have been optimized for the next generation of mobile broadband, the company said. The chips will support handsets with Android, Brew, Symbian, and Windows Mobile operating systems, and will potentially enable some advanced media features like 12-megapixel cameras, 720p video recording, and 3-D gaming. Qualcomm said devices using the chipsets could hit the market by the end of 2010. The chip manufacturer is sampling the mobile data modem chipsets, and the multi-mode chips can support 3G and LTE networks, it said.
The FCC sought comments on Intel’s request for a waiver from a rule requiring IEEE 1394 interfaces on all HD-capable set-top boxes. Intel says its CE3100 and CE4100 system-on-a- chip processors offer a better home-networking system than the IEEE standard. Comments are due Nov. 30, replies Dec. 10.
Technological improvements in DBSD North America’s mobile satellite services has allowed for the “intensive and efficient use of spectrum” that the FCC seeks to encourage, DBSD said in comments Thursday. They responded to a notice of inquiry about improving the wireless communications market. The company said improvement of its antennas, satellite beam technology and mobile satellite systems (MSS)/ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) platform have allowed DBSD to adapt to changing service needs and support interaction with terrestrial systems. The company said it’s working with Qualcomm to demonstrate that satellite- communications technology can be integrated into a regular cellular chipset. The new chips, expected to be available in 2010, will help the company compete against other MSS operators, including TerreStar and SkyTerra. DBSD met Thursday with members of the FCC’s International Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology, and Broadband Task Force to give a presentation on the company’s MSS and ATC systems, it said in an ex parte filing the next day.
Time Warner Cable approaches upcoming retransmission consent talks with broadcasters and their networks with an eye toward partnerships, CEO Glenn Britt told investors Thursday. “You can look at this work negatively and say we have a static or shrinking pool of economics and we're all going to squabble about that and it’s a zero sum game … and quite frankly it’s what killed the music business.” Partnerships can be forged around new technologies and business opportunities, he said. “And there’s plenty of money for everybody if we behave that way.”
Technical experts worried about the FCC’s net neutrality rulemaking should take a breath and stop saying “they can imagine a case” in which rules could harm innovation, FCC Chief Technologist Jon Peha said Monday at an Information Technology Innovation Foundation event on Capitol Hill. He largely kept quiet as engineers involved in the Internet’s development said FCC rules could slow network investment, especially in wireless, and could prevent consumers from allotting bandwidth to their favorite applications. The legitimacy of a browser whose maker’s executives recently spoke out for neutrality was questioned because of its bandwidth settings.
Intel is stepping up its broadband push by partnering with carriers, manufacturers and nonprofits to create discounted programs for the underprivileged, Eric Greenman, service provider marketing manager, told us. The chip maker is also teaming with the government, the WiMAX Forum and WiMAX operator Digital Bridge to accelerate WiMAX deployment, he said. Intel is pushing a three-way partnership among the government, original equipment manufacturers including Dell and Lenova, and broadband service providers, Greenman said. The company isn’t shy on supporting the broadband stimulus program, he said, noting it’s backing a discount PC/service bundling program for those who are poor as part of a stimulus application in the first round. The hardware discount would be substantial as it could be economically challenging to purchase computer hardware for many first-time broadband subscribers in unserved and underserved areas, he said. Narrowing the broadband gap is a high priority for Intel, Greenman said. The company is “absolutely looking forward to supporting more state, local and private sector’s efforts” to improve broadband availability and adoption, he said.
TV broadcasters entered a “new era” with the adoption of an industrywide mobile DTV standard (CD Oct 16 p8) executives told reporters Friday at an event marking the adoption of the new technology. On a bus driving around Washington and Arlington, Va., industry executives proclaimed success in a fast-paced standards setting process and predicted an explosion of video services on mobile and handheld devices. Vendors pitched their devices and transmission systems. The mobile DTV service held up well during the ride, despite rain, which sometimes causes problems with RF reception. The devices showed a clear picture, but required a small telescoping antenna for reception. Five local stations were broadcasting mobile DTV signals -- some but not all of the broadcasters in Washington.
After years of promise and many false starts, satellite- based phones and broadband services are poised to gain subscribers because of ever-faster connection speeds, speakers said at the Content and Communication World (CCW) conference in New York. With Viasat’s proposed acquisition of hardware customer and broadband service provider WildBlue and TerreStar preparing to launch its Genius smartphone with AT&T Mobility in Q1, the satellite industry is aiming to take a piece of the market from terrestrial-based rivals, they said.
GENEVA -- Government, business and individual users have to step up their efforts to boost cybersecurity, executives said during a ITU Telecom World forum. Governments need to give cybersecurity the same attention they give roads and other services, said CEO Carlos Moreira of Wisekey. Tens of billions more devices are now being added to the “primitive technology” that was designed for something else, he said, referring to the Web’s nuclear research origins.
A draft notice of inquiry on children’s media now before FCC members mostly asks questions set up in the commission’s August report to Congress on parental controls (CD Sept 1 p1), FCC and industry officials said. The report listed 10 issues to be explored in the inquiry, most related to the V- chip and other types of parental controls. The draft notice on the eighth floor asks about ways to improve parental controls and mentions the Children’s Television Act, commission officials said.