Review of the 070 personal numbering range | Ofcom
Ofcom has published a review on the 070 numbering range known as Personal Numbering Services (PNS).
In 2005 there were a large number of complaints about PNS due to abuse by number holders (mainly scams to mobile numbers). Ofcom originally wanted to migrate 070 numbers to an 06 range, but this was decided again due to confusing and that systems such as alarm systems utilised 070 numbers.
070 were put under regulatory control from PhonepayPlus (formally ICSTIS) and measures such as delayed payments to number holders has significantly reduced the number of consumer complaints.
Ofcom will support and monitor the enforcement program by PhonepayPlus (who have made 10 adjudications and fines totalling £625,000 since May 2008.
Communications providers will have to publish their 070 tariffs prominently and make them easy to understand for consumers.
PNS providers who sub-allocated numbers to other operators will have to carry out due diligence of the sub-allocation operator.
Though this is a step in the right direction, it would have been beneficial to end-users to move the number range so 07 was only used by mobile operators - but it would have been a logistical nightmare to move alarm systems and other services out of the 070 number range.
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28 Şubat 2009 Cumartesi
27 Şubat 2009 Cuma
Fund it Frog - Go shopping in a good cause!
Fund it Frog - Go shopping in a good cause!
Fund it frog are referral site, they have affiliate deals with various shopping sites and by shopping with those sites, they pass on a fee back to Fund it Frog who then pass on half to the charities involved.
This way the user isn't paying anything extra, the affiliate shopping site is just paying a referral fee which helps a good cause.
Anyone Internet shopping should have a look at Fund it Frog, it doesn't cost them anything - but just by shopping (which they'd do anyway) they give money to charity.
It's all so simple that it should work, good luck to the Fund it Frog team!!!
Fund it frog are referral site, they have affiliate deals with various shopping sites and by shopping with those sites, they pass on a fee back to Fund it Frog who then pass on half to the charities involved.
This way the user isn't paying anything extra, the affiliate shopping site is just paying a referral fee which helps a good cause.
Anyone Internet shopping should have a look at Fund it Frog, it doesn't cost them anything - but just by shopping (which they'd do anyway) they give money to charity.
It's all so simple that it should work, good luck to the Fund it Frog team!!!
25 Şubat 2009 Çarşamba
Obama's budget proposal requires companies to buy permits for GHG emissions above cap
On energy policy, Mr. Obama’s budget will show new revenues by 2012 from his proposal to require companies to buy permits from the government for greenhouse gas emissions above a certain cap. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the permits would raise up to $300 billion a year by 2020.
21 Şubat 2009 Cumartesi
Harmonised European numbers for services of social value: Allocation and charging arrangements for 116 numbers in the UK | Ofcom
Harmonised European numbers for services of social value: Allocation and charging arrangements for 116 numbers in the UK | Ofcom
Ofcom under direction from the European Commission is planning to allocate he number range starting 116 followed by 3 digits.
The first 116 numbers to be reserved by the Commission are 116000 for hotlines for missing children, 116111 for child helplines and 116123 for emotional support helplines.
Ofcom has to amend the national numbering plan and hopes to make them available in Sep 2009.
Ofcom under direction from the European Commission is planning to allocate he number range starting 116 followed by 3 digits.
The first 116 numbers to be reserved by the Commission are 116000 for hotlines for missing children, 116111 for child helplines and 116123 for emotional support helplines.
Ofcom has to amend the national numbering plan and hopes to make them available in Sep 2009.
18 Şubat 2009 Çarşamba
Nortel cant die
Nortel will still be here in 10 years - or at least some incarnation of Nortel. It's extremely unlikely that they'll die.
Nortel are so ingrained in the large telcos that they cant die. They manufacture switches, not the kind you sit on your desk that have a few Ethernet cables plugged in, but telephony switches - the kind that have thousands of customers plugged into. There are thousands (if not tens of thousands) of these telephony switches in lots of networks and they're not the kind of thing you can replace easily.
As a telecoms provider with Nortel switches that you've paid millions of dollars for, you need them to be there. You also want to ensure they'll be supported for the next 10 years or so. When a CPU board fails, you want to know it's going to be replaced and someone needs to ensure any software bugs are fixed.
So though Nortel might be going through a bit of a bad patch, even if the company per se goes under, Nortel will still be there and their spirit at least will live on, just maybe consumed by another company - Nortel's systems are alive and well and will be for the for a while - if they aren't then don't try making a telephone call for a while.
Nortel are so ingrained in the large telcos that they cant die. They manufacture switches, not the kind you sit on your desk that have a few Ethernet cables plugged in, but telephony switches - the kind that have thousands of customers plugged into. There are thousands (if not tens of thousands) of these telephony switches in lots of networks and they're not the kind of thing you can replace easily.
As a telecoms provider with Nortel switches that you've paid millions of dollars for, you need them to be there. You also want to ensure they'll be supported for the next 10 years or so. When a CPU board fails, you want to know it's going to be replaced and someone needs to ensure any software bugs are fixed.
So though Nortel might be going through a bit of a bad patch, even if the company per se goes under, Nortel will still be there and their spirit at least will live on, just maybe consumed by another company - Nortel's systems are alive and well and will be for the for a while - if they aren't then don't try making a telephone call for a while.
Why Android is scary
Android is an open source operating system based on Linux that runs on phones, mobile internet devices etc. It comes under the auspices of the Open Handset Alliance, but it's really Google.
Android of course isn't completely open source, it cant be (more on that later). Lots of Android is open source including the application layer bits and a lot of the core too. Google do try and make the open bits easily available and those bits can be accessed via source code.
The bits that will not be open sourced are the low level drivers, the bits that "talk" GSM (or CDMA or 3G), the baseband bits. They cant be. In order for a phone to be certified it has to go through an approval process (which in the US means going through FCC approval). Part of the approval is ensuring the network bits are certified and that means users cant play with them. It's amazing what a handset can do to a basestation or network if you know what stuff to send it. Mobile Network Operators don't want users being able to reconfigure bits of the network.
The big issue for operators and Android is people hacking it and accessing the bits they shouldn't. Most of the low level stuff is protected, but if a user can become "root" or the superuser they have access to most of the operating system and potentially have the ability to modify parts of the OS they normally wouldn't be able to. The G1 has already been hacked giving people a root shell.
Having access to the low level parts of the OS is scary, not for the users but for the operators. They don't want you messing with the network or playing with the network protocols. It's really a big issue for them.
Most phone operating systems offer the same control, Symbian only exposes the upper layers as does Windows Mobile. This is even more apparent in the iPhone where the SDK just lets you develop application on top of the OS.
Android's open sourceness may actually be it's downfall in terms of slow adoption by MNOs.
Android of course isn't completely open source, it cant be (more on that later). Lots of Android is open source including the application layer bits and a lot of the core too. Google do try and make the open bits easily available and those bits can be accessed via source code.
The bits that will not be open sourced are the low level drivers, the bits that "talk" GSM (or CDMA or 3G), the baseband bits. They cant be. In order for a phone to be certified it has to go through an approval process (which in the US means going through FCC approval). Part of the approval is ensuring the network bits are certified and that means users cant play with them. It's amazing what a handset can do to a basestation or network if you know what stuff to send it. Mobile Network Operators don't want users being able to reconfigure bits of the network.
The big issue for operators and Android is people hacking it and accessing the bits they shouldn't. Most of the low level stuff is protected, but if a user can become "root" or the superuser they have access to most of the operating system and potentially have the ability to modify parts of the OS they normally wouldn't be able to. The G1 has already been hacked giving people a root shell.
Having access to the low level parts of the OS is scary, not for the users but for the operators. They don't want you messing with the network or playing with the network protocols. It's really a big issue for them.
Most phone operating systems offer the same control, Symbian only exposes the upper layers as does Windows Mobile. This is even more apparent in the iPhone where the SDK just lets you develop application on top of the OS.
Android's open sourceness may actually be it's downfall in terms of slow adoption by MNOs.
16 Şubat 2009 Pazartesi
3G Rollout obligations | Ofcom
3G Rollout obligations | Ofcom
Ofcom is satisfied that the 3G Mobile Network Operators have met their obligations of reaching 80% population coverage by December 2008.
Ofcom is expecting that the networks will maintain their coverage. If the networks combine infrastructure they may actually exceed their obligations.
Ofcom is satisfied that the 3G Mobile Network Operators have met their obligations of reaching 80% population coverage by December 2008.
Ofcom is expecting that the networks will maintain their coverage. If the networks combine infrastructure they may actually exceed their obligations.
Digital dividend: cognitive access | Ofcom
Digital dividend: cognitive access | Ofcom
Ofcom are holding a consultation on the use of cognitive devices which can be used on a license exempt basis.
There are two forms of cognitive devices, one that "scans" the spectrum and looks for unused channels which the device will then pick and use, while scanning for interference. The second type use geolocation and pick channels based on their location - devices must be accurate to 100m.
The consultation closes on 1st may 2009.
Ofcom are holding a consultation on the use of cognitive devices which can be used on a license exempt basis.
There are two forms of cognitive devices, one that "scans" the spectrum and looks for unused channels which the device will then pick and use, while scanning for interference. The second type use geolocation and pick channels based on their location - devices must be accurate to 100m.
The consultation closes on 1st may 2009.
Hay Systems Ltd :: HSL 2.75G Femtocell
Hay Systems Ltd :: HSL 2.75G Femtocell
Hayes Systems have announced a femtocell which connects to a LAN and provides 2.75G services (GSM/GPRS/E.D.G.E) and supports data rates up to 414Kb/s.
No prices have been announced but this can be used for in-building data and voice services (assuming spectrum is available).
A developers version is available, now someone just needs to port the GSM stack on to Asterisk and there's a real threat to the MNOs.
Hayes Systems have announced a femtocell which connects to a LAN and provides 2.75G services (GSM/GPRS/E.D.G.E) and supports data rates up to 414Kb/s.
No prices have been announced but this can be used for in-building data and voice services (assuming spectrum is available).
A developers version is available, now someone just needs to port the GSM stack on to Asterisk and there's a real threat to the MNOs.
Barcelona - not crowded for MWC
It seems that people are reporting that the number of attendees is down this year and the usually crowded Mobile World Congress isn't.
Ian Wood reports that vendors are saying that stand crew are also down (cut to half what they were last year).
Though MWC does have a reputation of stands mainly selling to other stands ... this year it seems there's opportunities for the general public to get a look in.
Ian Wood reports that vendors are saying that stand crew are also down (cut to half what they were last year).
Though MWC does have a reputation of stands mainly selling to other stands ... this year it seems there's opportunities for the general public to get a look in.
15 Şubat 2009 Pazar
Dispute between Mapesbury Communications and T-Mobile about mobile termination rates | Ofcom
Dispute between Mapesbury Communications and T-Mobile about mobile termination rates | Ofcom
MCom wanted 7.2ppm termination rates and T-Mobile wanted to pay 1.2ppm.
Ofcom have determined that MCom should be paid 4.4ppm termination rate. As MCom and T-Mobile utilise BT as a transit provider, BT will terminate to 4.4ppm to MCom and charge a transit charge to T-Mobile on top of the 4.4ppm.
MCom may have to change various pricing structures to make the new payments work.
MCom are offering low power localised GSM services, initially in Newham.
MCom wanted 7.2ppm termination rates and T-Mobile wanted to pay 1.2ppm.
Ofcom have determined that MCom should be paid 4.4ppm termination rate. As MCom and T-Mobile utilise BT as a transit provider, BT will terminate to 4.4ppm to MCom and charge a transit charge to T-Mobile on top of the 4.4ppm.
MCom may have to change various pricing structures to make the new payments work.
MCom are offering low power localised GSM services, initially in Newham.
Application of spectrum liberalisation and trading to the mobile sector | Ofcom
Application of spectrum liberalisation and trading to the mobile sector | Ofcom
Ofcom wishes to liberalise the spectrum in the 900, 1800 and 2100MHz bands.
Currently O2 and Vodafone license the 900MHz band for 2G GSM services, 1800MHz is used by PCN GSM service and 2100MHz for 3G services.
Under the new regime, Ofcom will allow the bands for any purpose, but it's expected the operators will use the GSM bands for 3G use, the spectrum will also be tradable.
As part of the re-organisation Ofcom want O2 and Vodafone to release 2 x 5MHz of spectrum that will be re-auctioned, O2 and Vodafone will be given at least a year's notice to move out of the bands.
Any interested parties should comment to Ofcom by 1st 2009.
Ofcom wishes to liberalise the spectrum in the 900, 1800 and 2100MHz bands.
Currently O2 and Vodafone license the 900MHz band for 2G GSM services, 1800MHz is used by PCN GSM service and 2100MHz for 3G services.
Under the new regime, Ofcom will allow the bands for any purpose, but it's expected the operators will use the GSM bands for 3G use, the spectrum will also be tradable.
As part of the re-organisation Ofcom want O2 and Vodafone to release 2 x 5MHz of spectrum that will be re-auctioned, O2 and Vodafone will be given at least a year's notice to move out of the bands.
Any interested parties should comment to Ofcom by 1st 2009.
12 Şubat 2009 Perşembe
11 Şubat 2009 Çarşamba
8 Şubat 2009 Pazar
Stephen Fry tops Twitter (well almost) | Mobile Industry Review
Stephen Fry tops Twitter (well almost) | Mobile Industry Review
This article was written (by my good self) on Saturday 7th Feb and Stephen Fry @stephenfry had somewhat over 100,00 users. As of Sunday 9th of Feb 2009 at 4pm he has 152,375 followers. Obama has 246,262. 3rd place goes to CNN with 144,643 and poor Kevin Rose (of Digg/Rev3/etc) only has 102,051.
OK so Stephen Fry is now 2nd in the Twitter ranks, but it's the speed at which he's got there which is surprising.
Obama has been going for 1.9 years (i.e. about 693 days) which is about 355 new followers per day. Kevin Rose (and the publicity machine of Diggnation etc) has achieved his following in about 766 days which is 133 followers per day.
Mr Fry has achieved an average of 733 new followers every day since joining Twitter. His stats are completely skewed of course since he gained at least 50,000 during the weekend following his appearance on Jonathan Ross @wossy a few weeks ago (who is now on 69,871 followers which means he's getting 998 new followers per day). Philip Schofield @schofe) is also climbing up the ranks fast (though only with 42,542 followers).
Since Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross and Philip Schofield are pretty much British institutions, does this mean that UK Twitter use is increasing as dramatically?
The other side of this is how does Twitter hope to make any kind of money? They have raised VC, the number of users is increasing dramatically, but so are the costs. Just delivering Stephen Fry's tweets must require lots of infrastructure and hardware. Are they gearing up for a sale? Who could buy them? Personally I'd guess the only possible suitor is Vodafone who could bring back SMS for tweets and roll the system out to Asia where everyone is used to sending stuff by SMS and would pay for it. Vodafone are probably big and ugly enough to pull it off.
This article was written (by my good self) on Saturday 7th Feb and Stephen Fry @stephenfry had somewhat over 100,00 users. As of Sunday 9th of Feb 2009 at 4pm he has 152,375 followers. Obama has 246,262. 3rd place goes to CNN with 144,643 and poor Kevin Rose (of Digg/Rev3/etc) only has 102,051.
OK so Stephen Fry is now 2nd in the Twitter ranks, but it's the speed at which he's got there which is surprising.
Obama has been going for 1.9 years (i.e. about 693 days) which is about 355 new followers per day. Kevin Rose (and the publicity machine of Diggnation etc) has achieved his following in about 766 days which is 133 followers per day.
Mr Fry has achieved an average of 733 new followers every day since joining Twitter. His stats are completely skewed of course since he gained at least 50,000 during the weekend following his appearance on Jonathan Ross @wossy a few weeks ago (who is now on 69,871 followers which means he's getting 998 new followers per day). Philip Schofield @schofe) is also climbing up the ranks fast (though only with 42,542 followers).
Since Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross and Philip Schofield are pretty much British institutions, does this mean that UK Twitter use is increasing as dramatically?
The other side of this is how does Twitter hope to make any kind of money? They have raised VC, the number of users is increasing dramatically, but so are the costs. Just delivering Stephen Fry's tweets must require lots of infrastructure and hardware. Are they gearing up for a sale? Who could buy them? Personally I'd guess the only possible suitor is Vodafone who could bring back SMS for tweets and roll the system out to Asia where everyone is used to sending stuff by SMS and would pay for it. Vodafone are probably big and ugly enough to pull it off.
Extending Premium Rate Services Regulation to 087 Numbers | Ofcom
Extending Premium Rate Services Regulation to 087 Numbers | Ofcom
Ofcom has confirmed that PhonePayPlus will regulate calls to 0871 and 0872 numbers that are charged above 5p per minute up to 10p per minute, 09 numbers from 5 through 10p per minute will also come uder PhonePayPlus regulation.
This will come into force on August 1st 2009. Consumers using these numbers should: -
* be better informed about the price of calls.
* be able to complain about excessively long call waiting times.
* be better protected from scams.
Ofcom has confirmed that PhonePayPlus will regulate calls to 0871 and 0872 numbers that are charged above 5p per minute up to 10p per minute, 09 numbers from 5 through 10p per minute will also come uder PhonePayPlus regulation.
This will come into force on August 1st 2009. Consumers using these numbers should: -
* be better informed about the price of calls.
* be able to complain about excessively long call waiting times.
* be better protected from scams.
Digital dividend: clearing the 800 MHz band | Ofcom
Digital dividend: clearing the 800 MHz band | Ofcom
Ofcom is holding a consultation on what's being called the 800MHz band. Some parts of the band are expected to become free after Digital Switch Over (DSO) in 2012.
Ofcom were planning to release 112MHz of spectrum after DSO comprising of: -
* a smaller, upper band of 48 MHz at 806-854 MHz (channels 63-68)
* a larger, lower band of 64 MHz between 550 MHz and 630 MHz (channels 31-35, 37 and 39-40)
This has subsequently been increased to 128MHz by clearing out channel 36 used by aeronautical radar and channel 38 by radioastronomy.
Many countries in Eurpoe have followed the UK's lead and are making spectrum available, but they are proposing to open up more spectrum in the 800MHz band comprising of 72 MHz at 790 - 862 MHz – channels 61 - 69.
After DSO channels 61 and 62 were expected to be used by DTT (digital terrestrial television) and channel 69 for programme-making and special events (PMSE), mainly wireless microphones. However Ofcom has valued the released spectrum at around £2 - 3bn and wants to move DDT and PMSE to channels 38 - 40).
Ofcom believes that the costs of clearing channels 61, 62 and 69 will be modest compared to the benefits. They estimate it will cost around £90-200m. These costs could be met by new licensees in the 800 MHz band and/or the Government.
By moving DDT from those bands, users will have to retune their digital set-top boxes (or they may lose EPG information), however that should only take a few minutes and shouldn't cause a major impact.
By making the spectrum available, innovative new services could run in the 800MHz band such as wireless broadband or new mobile services. It is in the best interests of the UK that Ofcom are allowed to proceed with this plan (800MHz has very good building penetration so blanket wireless coverage of an area is possible as per current TV coverage).
The consultation closes on April 20th 2009.
Ofcom is holding a consultation on what's being called the 800MHz band. Some parts of the band are expected to become free after Digital Switch Over (DSO) in 2012.
Ofcom were planning to release 112MHz of spectrum after DSO comprising of: -
* a smaller, upper band of 48 MHz at 806-854 MHz (channels 63-68)
* a larger, lower band of 64 MHz between 550 MHz and 630 MHz (channels 31-35, 37 and 39-40)
This has subsequently been increased to 128MHz by clearing out channel 36 used by aeronautical radar and channel 38 by radioastronomy.
Many countries in Eurpoe have followed the UK's lead and are making spectrum available, but they are proposing to open up more spectrum in the 800MHz band comprising of 72 MHz at 790 - 862 MHz – channels 61 - 69.
After DSO channels 61 and 62 were expected to be used by DTT (digital terrestrial television) and channel 69 for programme-making and special events (PMSE), mainly wireless microphones. However Ofcom has valued the released spectrum at around £2 - 3bn and wants to move DDT and PMSE to channels 38 - 40).
Ofcom believes that the costs of clearing channels 61, 62 and 69 will be modest compared to the benefits. They estimate it will cost around £90-200m. These costs could be met by new licensees in the 800 MHz band and/or the Government.
By moving DDT from those bands, users will have to retune their digital set-top boxes (or they may lose EPG information), however that should only take a few minutes and shouldn't cause a major impact.
By making the spectrum available, innovative new services could run in the 800MHz band such as wireless broadband or new mobile services. It is in the best interests of the UK that Ofcom are allowed to proceed with this plan (800MHz has very good building penetration so blanket wireless coverage of an area is possible as per current TV coverage).
The consultation closes on April 20th 2009.
6 Şubat 2009 Cuma
2 Şubat 2009 Pazartesi
Pepsi tests the carbon footprint of orange juice
The International Herald Tribune via LN Publisher, 23 January 2009 - How much does your morning glass of orange juice contribute to global warming? PepsiCo, which owns the Tropicana brand, decided to try to answer that question. It figured that as public concern grows about the fate of the planet, companies will find themselves under pressure to perform such calculations. Orange juice seemed like a good case study.