Motorola sees non-phone consumer devices as a potential gold mine, following service providers like Sprint Nextel that plan to connect gadgets beyond phones. The manufacturer plans to embed its WiMAX, HSPA and LTE data cards into consumer electronics, the company said Tuesday. For manufacturers looking to embrace embedded wireless business, certification and testing are critical, analysts said.
The coming federal cybersecurity coordinator will have “regular access” to President Barack Obama and sit on the National Security Council and the National Economic Council, Obama said in a White House ceremony Friday making public his cyberspace policy review. The telecom and Internet security industries, and business in general, breathed a collective sigh of relief as Obama promised not to “dictate” cybersecurity standards. Some groups warned, though, that many policies hadn’t been outlined and worried that their development may not be done openly enough.
The NTIA and the RUS should balance the needs to stimulate broadband supply and demand in giving out grants and loans, Intel Executive Vice President Sean Maloney said in an interview. Calling WiMAX a broadband technology that makes efficient use of spectrum and uses an all-IP network, he said he hopes the technology will help the U.S., which lags in GSM and 3G, take the lead in 4G.
Broadcasters face several challenges before they can introduce mobile DTV services, said Jerald Fritz, Allbritton general counsel. Challenges include working out the mobile rights for the programming that stations distribute from networks and syndicators, even if the service is as simple as a free-to-air simulcast of the station’s main programming, he told a BIA Advisory Services conference. “Anytime there is money involved, if the network sees it or the syndicator sees it, they're going to want a piece of it.” Having enough receivers in the hands of consumers is another challenge, he said. Ultimately, one of the wireless carriers will be interested in including a mobile DTV receiver in their phones, said Anne Schelle, Open Mobile Video Coalition CEO. “I think you are going to see a cell carrier step in and want to offer this as an add-on to what they already offer in terms of mobile video.” Apple devices could also be platforms for mobile DTV, most likely through an accessory that attaches to either device, Schelle said. She said OMVC has talked with Apple and its iPod division has liked the idea of a free-to-air service. “They would be interested, I think, in an accessory,” she said. “I don’t think they are interested in incorporating a chip right now, but they love accessories, so maybe that’s the way to go.”
Members of Congress have been very receptive to a push by radio broadcasters to put FM receivers in mobile phones, said Emmis Chairman Jeff Smulyan. “People have been incredibly supportive,” he said after touring congressional offices Thursday. Putting FM chips into phones would help carriers fulfill emergency alert goals and help stations regain some cache with young listeners, he told the BIA Advisory Services conference. Congress can help by facilitating discussion between broadcasters and carriers, who have traditionally resisted the idea of putting the chips in phones, Smulyan said. “I don’t think a bill has to be passed.” Smulyan is pushing analog FM chips rather than HD Radio receivers for mobile phones because they are far cheaper. While an HD Radio receiver could cost as much as $10-$12 per phone, an analog chip is less than 50 cents, he said. “We want to make the simplest, easiest case,” Smulyan said. “HD is coming but we don’t want to complicate the issue.”
A Washington coalition lining up rivals of AT&T and Verizon may soon reveal itself, industry sources close to the matter told us Friday. Coalition organizers are hoping to unite independent wireless companies, competitive local exchange carriers, Google, consumer groups and other historical foes of the big phone companies, sources said. A special-access revamp will be the group’s top priority, at least at first, they said.
Qualcomm said it’s putting off the release of Q1 financial results while the company works on “a global settlement of all disputes” with Broadcom. There’s no guarantee a settlement will be reached, but if it is, the deal will affect financial results, Qualcomm said. The chip maker rescheduled its earnings conference call on April 27. The chip companies have been locked for years in patent fights over digital video, EV-DO technologies and other products.
Preliminary filings for the first quarter show lobbying spending about even with last year’s for the communications sector, despite the economic downturn. Energy, health and financial firms were listed among top spenders by CQ’s Political Moneyline. The communications sector had the third-highest overall spending, behind finance and health, following the past few years’ pattern. Not all data has been uploaded to congressional Web sites yet. The reporting deadline was Monday.
LAS VEGAS -- A backlog of perhaps several hundred TV license renewals persists at the FCC (CD Feb 8 p3/07) because the stations are the subjects of old indecency complaints and the commission is awaiting rulings on several court cases, industry lawyers said Monday. Speakers on an NAB panel complained that some licenses have been held up for years. They said the FCC has asked licensees that needed renewals to sell stations to agree to let the FCC take enforcement action for an indefinite time in exchange for clearance. Under acting Chairman Michael Copps, the period is down to two years, they said.
Adobe plans to put its Flash technology on additional TVs, DVD players and other Internet-connected devices, as expected. “Flash technology-based applications will allow users to quickly switch between television programming and Web content,” the company said. Major partners include Comcast, Broadcom, Intel, Netflix, New York Times Co., NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics. “We are working closely with Adobe to integrate the optimized Flash runtime with tru2way technology,” said Labeeb Ismail, Comcast vice president of technology.