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On the flip side, I have suggested that those in the two-way radio industry should start attending CTIA Wireless to learn more about commercial capabilities. Even though they share wireless as their communications media, there are many differences between the two industries and it would be beneficial for all to learn about these differences. For example, commercial customers are accustomed to cell systems and devices with power output at 500 milliwatts or so while public safety uses high-power devices--mobile units usually have power levels of 50 to 100 watts and handheld radios transmit at about 5 watts. This means that there are necessarily many differences in the two basic system designs.

One educational session I am leading is about next-generation technologies. The two presenters, one on WiMAX and the other on LTE, will be talking about how very different these systems are and how those involved in the two-way radio business will have to learn to plan and build their systems differently going forward. There is a common thread between the two industries in that one of the ways they are solving their interoperability problems today is by using IP as a common platform to tie different types of radio systems together. Some of these systems even provide for a commercial operator's push-to-talk offering to be able to bridge back into public-safety networks using IP devices.

I have been providing consulting and educational services to both industries for many years, and I find it interesting to see this transition taking place. Even though radio (wireless) is the common bond, the two industry segments speak different jargons. In the commercial world, for example, we talk about Frequency Division Duplex that makes up the bulk of our networks, and Time Division Duplex that most WiMAX systems use. These two phrases have no meaning in the world of two-way radio, but if you said to a public-safety communications professional that the system was a half-duplex repeater system or that it was based on simplex or tactical radio channels, he or she would understand exactly what you were saying.

Not only do the two industries need to learn from each other and work together, they need to learn enough about each other's language to be able to translate what they are saying into something the other industry can relate to. Commercial companies that are attending IWCE are learning about this different world and those involved in the two-way radio business attending CTIA Wireless will become more conversant with the world of commercial devices and systems. The result will be better communications capabilities for the first responders, something that has been an issue for more than 30 years and is finally receiving public attention only after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

Andrew M. Seybold is an authority on technology and trends shaping the world of wireless mobility. A respected analyst, consultant, commentator, author and active participant in industry trade organizations, his views have influenced strategies and shaped initiatives for telecom, mobile computing and wireless industry leaders worldwide. www.andrewseybold.com. Don't miss the Andrew Seybold Wireless University on Monday, March 22, 2010, at CTIA Wireless 2010, Las Vegas, Nev.

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This week, only two weeks before the big CTIA Wireless 2010 event, I will be in Las Vegas for a very different type of show--the International Wireless Communication Expo, for the two-way radio industry that includes public safety and two-way radio customers, dealers and vendors. For the past few years, IWCE has also been drawing companies such as AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and other commercial vendors and network operators. The reasons for this are many and reflect the fact that these two very different worlds are coming together.

The Federal Communications Commission and other agencies within the federal government are trying to help the public-safety community with its interoperability issues. This entire interoperability issue is foreign to those in the commercial wireless side of the business so let me try to put it in perspective. Suppose our cell phones worked only on a single radio band. Since most operators are using several bands (850 MHz, 1900 MHz, AWS and soon 700 MHz), we would have to carry several phones to be able to use cellular everywhere we went. In its most basic terms, this is the issue for first responders today. Their systems are spread out across many different bands of the radio spectrum and even with many vehicles equipped with two or more radios, they have problems communicating among departments.

Having spectrum that is adjacent to the new 700 MHz commercial spectrum would mean the public-safety community would be able to use commercial networks while it builds a nationwide broadband network of its own. Further, since the public-safety network will be using LTE, the same technology as commercial operators in this band, public-safety equipment should be widely available and less expensive than it is today. As outrageous as it sounds, each public-safety private network two-way radio costs between $1,000 and $2,500 today, so the cost of outfitting an average patrol car with two radios and a laptop computer with broadband capabilities can run as high as $10,000!

So IWCE, as well as the two-way radio industry, is undergoing a number of changes. Commercial network operators want to work with this sector to assist in making the transition to broadband, and they certainly would like more public safety and other two-way radio customers on their networks. Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent will be there along with some device vendors, mostly to talk to two-way radio users to gain a better understanding of how different public-safety devices need to be and what the opportunities are...Continued

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The world's handset makers are looking forward to a stronger year in 2010 than they had in 2009. ABI Research's Michael Morgan checks out the world's 10 largest branded cell phone makers in the fourth quarter of 2009, providing sales data as well as insight into their strategy and competitive position in the market. Special feature

LG released its first phone running Google's Android platform in its home market of South Korea, part of a broader effort to strengthen its smartphone portfolio worldwide.

The device, called the LG-KH5200, is the second Android phone to hit the Korean market, and will be sold for around $573 through KT. SK Telecom, the country's top operator, recently launched the Motorola-made Motoroi, which also runs on Android. The LG device has a sliding Qwerty keyboard, 3-inch touchscreen and 5-megapixel camera.

LG has said that roughly half of the smartphones it releases this year will run Android, though it also will remain committed to Microsoft's Windows platform for phones. LG has so far taken a backseat to competitors in the smartphone arena, but is aiming to make a major push on that front this year. The company wants to command double-digit smartphone market share by 2012.

Samsung, LG's South Korean rival, also is planning a major smartphone push this year. Samsung said it plans to triple its smartphone sales this year as part of its effort to increase its overall handset sales by 19 percent.

For more:
- see this Reuters article
- see this Yonhap News article

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Verizon Wireless threw its support behind the FCC's effort to craft a nationwide, interoperable public-safety broadband network, but reiterated its opposition to a key provision of the plan.

"The nation's police officers, firefighters and EMS technicians must have access to advanced broadband capabilities and networks that will ensure a high level of reliability and priority," Tom Tauke, Verizon's executive vice president for public affairs, policy and communication, said in a statement. "The (FCC) chairman's proposal would promote such a nationwide network by funding the deployment and operation of regional public-safety broadband networks, providing a national framework to ensure these networks are interoperable across the country, and enabling public safety to partner with commercial providers to leverage the considerable investments already made in commercial infrastructure."

Last month, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the agency's broadband plan will call on Congress to allocate $12 billion to $16 billion over 10 years to fund the network. Importantly, he also said the plan would call for a re-auction of the D Block of the 700 MHz spectrum band, and said public-safety agencies should have access to all of the 700 MHz band, not just the D Block.

That stance is at odds with Verizon's position; the carrier has repeatedly called for scrapping the D-Block auction process and instead giving the spectrum directly to public-safety agencies. Tauke said Verizon's position on that point has not changed. AT&T also supports that position, as does the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, a key public-safety organization. Both Verizon and AT&T are going to launch LTE networks in the 700 MHz band.

Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA, which did not participate in 2008's 700 MHz spectrum auction, have endorsed Genachowski's proposal wholeheartedly.

For more:
- see this release

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Ahead of the FCC's official release of its national broadband plan, key parts of the initiative are drawing intense opposition, particularly from broadcasters leery about giving up spectrum and lawmakers concerned by the plan's cost.

The FCC has been doling out morsels of information about the plan ahead of its March 17 release date. One key provision, a "Mobile Future Auction," is a spectrum auction that would allow current licensees, including broadcasters, to voluntarily give up spectrum in exchange for a share of auction proceeds. That is one element of a plan to free up 500 MHz of spectrum over the next decade for mobile broadband use. The wireless industry, including the CTIA, has applauded the plan's vision. However, broadcasters are worried the voluntary aspect of the plan may become mandatory.

Not surprisingly, the FCC has acknowledged the challenges it faces in implementing the effort. "If it were easy, [this reform] would have been done a long time ago," Blair Levin, the head of the FCC's broadband plan task force, said in an interview with BusinessWeek. Levin said many broadcasters have told the FCC they will sell their spectrum, but if not enough do, the FCC will have to take another look at the plan.

The National Association of Broadcasters trade group last month offered a generally downbeat view of the FCC's plan. "As a one-to-many transmission medium, broadcasters are ready to make the case that we are far and away the most efficient users of spectrum in today's communications marketplace," said NAB Executive Vice President of Media Relations Dennis Wharton. "We look forward to working with policymakers to help expand the roll out of broadband without threatening the future of free and local television, mindful of the fact that local TV stations just returned more than a quarter of our spectrum following our transition to digital."

The plan's price tag--which includes $12 billion to $16 billion in funding for a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders--is also drawing criticism. Congress already has approved $7.2 billion in stimulus spending for broadband, and may be loathe to tack on additional spending in an election year.

For more:
- see this BusinessWeek article

Related Articles:
FCC considering spectrum for free wireless broadband
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AT&T Mobility scored a coup by being Apple's only U.S. wireless partner for the iPad, but rival Verizon Wireless isn't about to let that stand in the way of a potential market opportunity, according to a leaked internal Verizon document.

According to the leaked memo, which first appeared on the blog Engadget, Verizon sees the launch of the WiFi-enabled iPad on April 3 as an opportunity to sign customers up for a MiFi device and its attendant Verizon data plan. The memo includes talking points for Verizon sales representatives intended to make sure potential customers are aware that the WiFi version of the iPad is not exclusive to AT&T, and that customers will need to pay more for the 3G-enabled version of the iPad. The memo also takes a shot at AT&T, noting, "Why pay more for the 3G version and get 3G service on an overloaded network with limited coverage?"

AT&T's 3G service plans for the iPad include a $14.99 per month plan for 250 MB and an unlimited data plan for $29.99 per month. The services will be prepaid, allowing users to cancel at any time, and will include access to AT&T's WiFi network.

A Verizon spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.

The impetus behind Verizon's plans may lie in comments made last week by AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson. Speaking at an analyst conference, Stephenson predicted iPad users would primarily rely on WiFi and not AT&T's cellular network. "We think it's going to be a largely WiFi-driven product," he said. AT&T has around 20,000 WiFi hotspots across the country.

Of course, Verizon is not the only carrier that could benefit from users looking for a mobile hotspot product for their iPad. Sprint Nextel's Overdrive 3G/4G device connects to Clearwire's mobile WiMAX network and broadcasts a WiFi hotspot for up to five devices.

For more:
- see this Engagdet post
- see this Silicon Alley Insider article

Related Articles:
AT&T chief: Industry moving toward usage-based pricing
Apple unveils tablet, dubbed iPad, starting at $500
Verizon's answer to WiFi: MiFi
Sprint debuts Overdrive, mobile WiMAX hotspot

Metro fiber comeback story Abovenet (ABVT: chart, news) reported its Q4 earnings this morning, closing the book on what was one of the few unequivocally positive stories amidst the economic turmoil of 2009.  Revenues, EBITDA, and capex were all inline with guidance and perhaps slightly above analyst expectations.  Earnings per share of $7.96 included a huge non-cash income tax benefit, probably due to advance recognition of NOLs – GAAP can be strange sometimes.  Here is a quick table putting their results in context. … [visit site to read more]

It has become painfully clear that smartphones are where the growth is in the handset market. Evidence of this is seemingly everywhere:

• IDC reports the converged mobile device market (translation: smartphones) grew nearly 30 percent year over year in 2009, and will continue to gain momentum this year.
• Qualcomm's CEO Paul Jacobs sees the smartphone market splitting into a high-end segment and a low-end one--a trend that is rapidly eroding the market for feature phones.
• And a survey last year by the Yankee Group found that around 43 percent of U.S. consumers plan to go "smart" with their next mobile device.

But do these signs mean there is room in the smartphone market for new vendors? Recent news out of Palm and Garmin indicate the smartphone playground isn't necessarily the profit panacea one would expect. Specifically, Palm said it now expects full-year revenue to be "well below" its previous estimate of between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion, while Garmin said it has so far been "disappointed" with sales of its nuvifone products. Those stumbles could give Dell, Acer, LG and other hopefuls pause as they ramp up their own smartphone efforts.

"Instead of, 'If you build it, they will come,' it's turned into, 'If you build it, will they come?" noted IDC's smartphone analyst Ramon Llamas.

However, both Garmin and Palm faced challenges unique to them, Llamas said. Palm's marketing efforts so far have targeted the "Valentine's Day" crowd instead of more traditional smartphone early adopters (meaning, young men), Llamas explained, while Garmin suffered from a scarcity of promotion and an ecosystem that relied too heavily on interest in mapping and directions.

CCS Insight analyst John Jackson largely agreed. "We knew that Palm would launch the Pre into the teeth of new flagship products (or revs of products in Apple's case) from Apple, RIM, HTC and others," he said. "The same is true for Garmin, compounded by the issue of Google (and now Nokia) basically undermining the navigation proposition with freeware. Without a portfolio, a limited number of stock-keeping units (one in Garmin's case and basically two in Palm's case) are that much more likely to get lost in the mix. Apple is the exception, but that success story is well known at this point."

However, Garmin and Palm's troubles don't necessarily foreshadow across-the-board failures by others hoping to break into a smartphone market dominated by Nokia, Research In Motion, HTC and Apple. Llamas said emerging vendors must foster an ecosystem and promote their devices as on-the-cusp innovations rather than also-rans--tough goals, but doable. The availability of Android, Symbian and Windows can give manufacturers a step up.

"In a sense, the 'smartphone' market is just the new phone market," contended Jackson. "It's huge, but that hardly means you can stroll on in and make money. The traditional mobile phone market has always been tough sledding for new entrants. The availability of Android and other open/open source software platforms doesn't fundamentally change this. Vendors need scale and a degree of differentiation if they are to have any shot at achieving decent margins over time."

That said, though, I think it's clear that the newest batch of smartphone aspirants--which stretches from Dell, Acer and LG to Aava Mobile, Else Mobile, modu, Anydata, General Mobile, ZTE, Saygus and a host of others--face a steep road in their bid to separate themselves from the likes of BlackBerry and iPhone. After all, failed efforts like the Sendo X, the Sierra Wireless Voq and the Neonode N2 show just how difficult it is out there. --Mike

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