Tuesday, June 30, 2009
When Nick Carter ask me to blog occasionally for Accel-Networks, I was thrilled! I'm a proponent of ubiquitous Internet access and it's ability to bring about change in the world-- just look at the difference it's made in Iran! Blogging for a company that provides fixed wireless broadband would give me an excuse to keep up with the public policy issues surrounding connectivity.

I read through some of Nick's posts and I particularly liked the blog describing Internet access as vital services on par with water and gas. I also enjoyed Nick's blog about countries leapfrogging over our hard-wired infrastructure and why wireless is the better option for the broadband stimulus monies. I agree with most of Nick's blogs, but it dawned on me that my blogging style would be vastly different than his - I border on the evangelical about ubiquitous connectivity. I've been referred to as a "Social Media Architect," a "Viral Marketing Guru" and a "Twitter Ninja" but I consider myself to be an Internet Infrastructure Geek. Isaac Asimov once said, "I don't fear computers, I fear the lack of them" and I fear the lack of connectivity for those devices.

As a twitter ninja it's been fascinating to follow the election debacle in Iran on twitter and other social media platforms. The ability to communicate globally from the grassroots level is making it difficult for Iran's repressive regime to dictate the flow of information. As I watched this six minute video chronicling the protests on YouTube, I noticed a recurring image => cell phones.

Out of the dozen or so cell phone images in the video only 1 person was using it as a telephone, all others were using it as a video-camera or a text messaging device and it was apparent that all the images were taken with, you guessed it, a cell phone. Communication hardware - e.g. cell-phones and computers - that connect to the global Internet infrastructure are evolutionary game changers, and according to Dr. Thomas Ho (Professor of Emerging Technologies at Purdue University) there are currently 3 BILLION devices out there.

I hope readers of this blog will be patient with me as I learn more about Accel-Networks, the connectivity options they provide, and their layer two security options. I welcome comments which encourage healthy debate on public policy issues surrounding connectivity and its potential to change the world. So thanks, Nick, for the opportunity to don my infrastructure geek hat once again.

Amy Stark, Founder and CLO for Stark ReAlity, Inc.

Labels: "Internet infrastructure", Internet "fixed wireless broadband"

posted by Amy Stark at 4:17 PM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, June 23, 2009
With gas getting more and more expensive these days, it's no wonder people drive less. But, don't c-store's make oodles and gobs off that pricey petrol? Well, if the cost breakdown that I've seen on stickers at the pump is correct, the retailer's share is slim-to-none. In fact, their are bigger problems for a c-store's bottom line than just their small share of fuel sales. When people buy less gas, they buy less inside, as well.

It should come as no surprise to many in the retail industry that fuel pumps aren't the business, they're just the bait. If you have a captive audience for even 60-seconds during a fill-up while kids in the back scream for a pop and the slushy poster is right outside their window... you can guess who typically wins this battle. The lifeblood of a convenience store is in food sales, not gas.

So what happens when people buy less gas? According to the Research and Markets Convenience Stores US 2009 report, sales have been trailing off since 2006. Why? Some possible causes include not only reduced gas consumption, but also shorter trips, less cross-country drives, which ultimately lead to fewer pit stops with a van-load of cabin-fever kids.

Stores today have to find more ways to make food service a strategic differentiator. Successful stores in our area have begun to create an atmosphere and experience that defies the typical gas-n-go we're all used to. Free wi-fi, higher-quality food, eat-in areas... all this amounts to one thing: changing the bait. When gas no longer brings them in, something has to. Convenience stores today have to become convenient for more than just drivers.

Labels: Convenience Stores, Economy, Wi-Fi

posted by Unknown at 6:08 AM Link to this Article  1 Comments

Tuesday, June 16, 2009
As Britain unveiled its plans this week to stay competitive with the rest of the world in regards to broadband speed and availability across the islands (sorry, Ireland, it is plural), Gordon Brown reported that "The internet is as vital as water and gas." Brown compares the infrastructure of roads and bridges built in the 19th century Industrial Revolution with the infrastructure of cable and towers being built today.

I'm not sure how the leap is made from bridges and roads to water and gas, but I do agree with Brown's assessment of broadband's importance to growth in the 21st century. Here on our side of the pond, we're realizing the same about our own future. Much attention has been given to the role of Fixed Wireless Broadband infrastructuree for rural internet access, both on this blog and elsewhere.

So how do we compare with Britain's stance in the broadband race? Well, first, I'd like to point out one interesting observation made by Brown: "The private sector is rightly leading the way and investing significant sums." Not to engage in political debate, but I would hardly say that the stimulus funds channeled from the government through our private companies qualifies as private investment.

However, Brown goes on to cite several needed advancements in Britain that the U.S. has already stepped out on. First, the FCC's release of a large spectrum for wireless use. Brown also emphasizes copper and fiber optic networks over fixed wireless broadband. I believe that the U.S. will be far better suited competitively as we invest in untethered networks with more scalability.

Whoever is in the lead, one thing is clear, it is a race. The nation that emerges in the 21st century as having the best and most reliable broadband access will--just as with railways at the turn of the last century--gain a distinct advantage in the world economy.

Labels: Economy, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, Rural Broadband, Stimulus

posted by Unknown at 7:12 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, June 9, 2009
We reported several months ago on this Broadband Stimulus Package, all the promise of growth and a new era of broadband leadership in America, and of course, the opportunity to chime in about wireless broadband. Well, several readers on Wired.com have chimed in, but unfortunately not through the proper channels.

It seems that most of the formal feedback requests have been completed by the telecom providers that can afford to pay someone to chase the paper trail required for submission. The more casual readers, however, have resorted to the more casual feedback system: comments.

And yet, though there may seem to be no bridge between the formalities of Capital Hill and the "new-fangled blog thingies" on the Internet, Wired.com has spanned the gap. In a formal submission to the FCC, Wired sifted through the chaff and assembled the top comments from their blog(s) into one coherent document for the FCC to review. You can read the FCC submission here.

The problem, of course, is that the comments don't amount to a cohesive message. There's conflicting ideas, not the least of which is the devotion to terrestrial networks (fiber optics and copper cables) and of course, Fixed Wireless Broadband like wimax, 3G, and 4G. So, whose voice will be louder? Have you weighed in yet? Download the form.

Labels: Broadband, FCC, Fixed Wireless Broadband, NTIA, Rural Broadband Access, Stimulus

posted by Unknown at 8:27 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Several weeks ago, we reported through various posts about the scuttle over Obama's multi-billion dollar stimulus plan to increase broadband availability across the nation. Not surprisingly, Accel's position: go wireless! You can read about this in our previous post Internet for Everyone: The Technology That Can Make It Happen.

When I opened my news today, I was pleased to read a headline very familiar to me: Opinion: Mobile technology, not broadband, is the way to connect America. Now, it didn't take long to realize we use slightly different nomenclature. You see, I would consider a fixed wireless broadband solution as indeed a broadband solution. Of course, what this author meant by the term was what we might distinguish as "terrestrial networks." Nonetheless, the article went on to comment:

"When it comes to deciding where to put our money, we should actually be following in the footsteps of the developing world. Countries like India and China are using mobile technologies to leapfrog much more expensive wired and wireless infrastructure investments. Over 60 percent of all people on the planet have access to cell phones, while only 20 percent have computers or are connected to the Internet."

This couldn't be more accurate. Last year, I visited Indonesia. As I sat on a remote island in a village barely equipped with electricity, I checked my email on a GSM fixed wireless broadband connection. Why? Just as columnist Paul Lamb pointed out above, it's incomparably cheaper to build cell towers than lay cable.

The only question, then, is whether the goal of the broadband stimulus plan here in the U.S. is to save money... or to spend money [grin].

Labels: Fixed Wireless Broadband, NTIA, Rural Broadband Access, Stimulus, WCAI

posted by Unknown at 5:23 AM Link to this Article  0 Comments

Monday, June 1, 2009
No, that doesn't mean we'll be reading about 6G soon, although the nomenclature can get very confusing. AT&T announced aggressive plans to roll out new wireless broadband technology that can double the current 3.6 Mbps speeds to 7.2 Mbps. In a press release last week, AT&T stated "The upgrade to High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) 7.2 technology is part of AT&T’s plan for continued investments to deliver the nation’s best mobile broadband experience."

I felt this was a timely follow up to last weeks article. Fixed Wireless Broadband Speeds Need Infrastructure Not Broadband. While Telstra is busy offering modems with speeds boasting 21 Mbps, AT&T is still working to make 7 possible on their networks.

In Addition, AT&T has increased the spectrum range devoted to 3G, expanding it's available coverage for wireless broadband service.

Labels: ATT, Broadband, Fixed Wireless Broadband

posted by Unknown at 6:28 AM Link to this Article  1 Comments