Europe wants operators to share their spectrum

Gigaom

Wireless spectrum is running out, and those who own it must play nicely with others who want it. At least, that’s according to the European Commission, which is hoping to avoid a spectrum crunch.

The bloc’s digital agenda commissioner on Monday published a number of ideas under which existing license holders would have to share some of their spectrum…

“Innovators could … apply for access,” according to Neelie Kroes’ communication (release). “Incumbent spectrum holders could use their resources more efficiently by sharing them on a contractual basis.”

She wants national communication regulators to draw up an inventory of “beneficial sharing opportunities” (BSOs) in spectrum bands.

The idea appears to center on encouraging license holders to sub-let their spectrum – a practise which operators in some, though not all, countries already undertake. Kroes is keen for a continent-wide approach, and says the idea is “based on the need to…

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Despite speculation Apple’s iPhone 5 will come with NFC Digital Wallet

MyRetailCloud Blog

Recently the speculation about the inclusion of Near Field Communications (NFC) in Apple’s iPhone 5 switched from “Yes it is definitely In” to “No it’s definitely Out“.  I believe there is a strong case to support Apple including NFC in the iPhone 5 based on Apple doing things a little differently.

The original speculation was driven by a photograph of a partly assembled iPhone 5 front panel with what looked very much like an NFC chip installed (see picture).  

Later, further analysis of the photographs and the iPhone 5 construction came out with the view that NFC could not be included because the metal back of the new iPhone wouldn’t allow enough room for the NFC antenna and because of power consumption concerns in conjunction with the new LTE 4G comms technology that will be in the phone.  See article here.

However, this is Apple so “Think…

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Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot

ltecellular

The Sierra Wireless 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot is the first cellular mobile router on the market that supports all three of Sprint’s data networks: 4G LTE, 4G WiMax, and 3G; among these, 4G WiMAX is (for now) unique to Sprint. That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to have superfast Internet connection everywhere, however, since that depends on the carrier’s coverage are. And in my real-world testing, Sprint’s 4G coverage wasn’t as ubiquitous as I would like.

The Tri-Fi Hotspot, though quite small, is rather bulky compared with its peers. To make up for that it offers stellar battery life and a very well-designed LCD screen that shows loads of information at a quick glance. Costing around $100 (after rebates and with a two-year contract), the router isn’t too expensive, either. (It is expensive, however, at $350 if you want to buy it without a contract.) What might cause you to…

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