RoW Update

Alliance MP to introduce bill on antenna tower sitingCanadian Alliance MP Gary Lunn plans to introduce a private member’s bill on antenna tower siting issues in the House of Commons after the house returns from the summer recess. Lunn made the comments in a written submission to the National Antenna Tower Review, which is currently seeking input from Canadians in the form of an e-town hall on a variety of issues surrounding the contentious matter. Lunn’s comments can be found at www.antennareview.ca. The antenna review is nearly two weeks old and appears to be garnering some interest from Canadians. While there have been approximately 1,500 page hits in total on the various discussion forum subjects in the e-town hall, fewer than 50 interveners have posted submissions thus far.SAMSys Technologies receives another RFID patentThe U.S. Patent Office has granted Toronto-based SAMSys Technologies Inc. a patent covering a radio frequency identification (RFID) system that is designed to interact with a number of RFID tags, regardless of frequency or protocol, through an innovative RFID reader architecture. This concept of using a single reader to “read” the information off several tags regardless of the frequency they operate in has gained general industry acceptance. The company notes in a news release that its patent architecture “seamlessly facilitates the coexistence of multiple tag types developed under fast-evolving, non-parallel standards and operating at differing frequencies.” To date, SAMSys has received two patents covering its reader technology. This latest patent was filed in 2000 as part of a series relating to the company’s technology.Wi-Fi becomes necessity for business travelersNearly three-quarters of business travelers believe that Wi-Fi can give them a communications advantage over their competition, according to a new survey released by Intel Corp. The survey notes that only 10% of business travelers have used the technology, but 90% of them believe that they will use wireless computing in the future. “While business travelers predictably identified airports (77%), hotels (76%) and airplanes (60%) as the places where they need hotspots, they also expressed a desire to have wireless Internet access in automobiles, trains and hospitals,” reads an Intel news release. The fact that business travelers express an interest in using Wi-Fi on trains is good news for both Bell Canada and Telus, which are currently testing Wi-Fi on trains.More details on the survey and Intel’s free hotspot promotion can be found at www.intel.com/unwire.RIM offers security upgrade for BlackBerryResearch in Motion Ltd. is now offering a secure multipurpose Internet mail extensions (S/MIME) support package for its popular Java-based BlackBerry wireless device. This software upgrade meets important purchasing requirements for commercial and government customers. “S/MIME is an email-system independent, Internet standards-based protocol that uses public key cryptography to provider writer-to-reader security features such as authentication and confidentiality message integrity,” reads a news release. “IT departments in both corporate and government organizations can now install this straightforward software upgrade to wirelessly extend their existing S/MIME email infrastructure while maintaining both sender-to-recipient encryption and a simple and fast interface for users,” RIM’s COO Don Morrison said in a media release.INTERNATIONAL NEWSVerizon throws down gauntlet to competitors over LNPVerizon Wireless has issued an open challenge to its competitors to reveal what they have done to ready themselves for the upcoming government-imposed deadline to implement wireless local number portability (LNP). Verizon, the largest wireless operator in the United States and the only one to now openly support wireless LNP, gave up the battle against the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) earlier this year over the implementation of the service. The company contends that while it is hurrying to get its network ready for the November 24 deadline to introduce wireless LNP, its competitors continue to wage a legal battle against the service. “The lobbying and legal resources being used by our competitors to derail or delay number portability should come to an immediate end, and that energy should be re-directed to ensuring that they are ready to let their customers change service providers with their wireless numbers,” Mark Tuller, VP and general counsel of Verizon, said in a news release. Other wireless operators dispute Verizon’s claim that they are working against the FCC. In an article published by U.S. trade publication Wireless Week, an unidentified source said, “all we’re asking is the FCC clarify some of the points about LNP that will make it effective for consumers. We accept the fact that the deadline is approaching.”Wireless industry unveils consumer codeThe U.S. wireless industry gathered in Washington D.C. last week for the unveiling of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association’s (CTIA) consumer code. The CTIA spelled out the 10 points that all major wireless operators have agreed to follow as part of a voluntary system that will provide consumers with information to help them make better and more informed choices in selecting wireless services. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Michael Powell commended the CTIA and the wireless industry for making an effort to standardize industry practices. “Ultimately, voluntary efforts, like the code, are not only good for consumers; they are good for business too by improving the customer experience and encouraging subscription,” he said in a statement. FCC commissioner Kathleen Abernathy agreed with Powell. “The competitive nature of the wireless industry has prompted this action as a means of responding to consumer demands for increased information regarding rates and terms of service.“At the end of the day, the industry’s willingness to adopt a voluntary code of conduct avoids the need for costly regulatory oversight while delivering greater value to wireless customers,” she said in a statement.Cometa speeds up hotspot deploymentCometa Networks, a joint venture launched by IBM Corp., AT&T Wireless and others, is speeding up its deployment of hotspots across the United States and recently said that it will turn on 250 more, according to CNET News.com. The company hopes that by significantly expanding the number of hotspot locations, it will attract more carriers and service providers to piggyback on its hotspot backbone. An official announcement will be made at the WSA Tech Future 2003 conference on September 16. Cometa plans to have 100 new hotspots running by September 25 and the remaining 150 by the end of the year. Service providers such as Sprint PCS, iPass and AT&T will determine the prices for the services when they make their announcements in the coming weeks.

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News | September 15, 2003

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CRTC considers requiring service providers make customers aware of complaints body more quickly

UPDATED: Bell looking at ‘streamlining’ its brands, with focus on internet & mobility bundling under Bell name

Telecoms want CRTC to adjust service outage reporting, notification requirements

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