Tech News July 16, 2012
Carriers resisting FCC slug on international cables Great idea, let’s tax the Internet!
Back in April, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed revising how contributions are made to America’s Universal Service Fund (USF), suggesting drawing international cable operators into the fund’s ambit.…
Tech News July 14, 2012
RIM: What’s all the ‘bleeding’ fuss about BlackBerry developers? Denies that app hackers are fleeing the platform
Alec Saunders, RIM’s VP of developer relations, wishes the press and analyst community would get its “bleeding” story straight about the BlackBerry developer community.…
Small ISPs to Steelie Neelie: ‘You’ve turned your back on us’ Euro commish changes tune over telco copper price spanking
Brussels’ vice-president Neelie ‘Steelie’ Kroes has confirmed that telco incumbents in Europe will not be reprimanded for using copper pricing as a barrier to rolling out fibre networks.…
Fake sarnie shop’s big fake Likes leave Facebook looking flaky Lies, damn Likes and statistics
A fake business set up on Facebook by the BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones received thousands of fake endorsements – and Facebook …
Tech News July 13, 2012
Viasat lands NBN Co satellite tender Hundreds of new jobs and satellite dishes set to follow
In a move sure to spark another round of Australian supplier angst, US corporate and military satellite provider ViaSat Inc has secured NBN Co’s coveted regional satellite tender, valued at an initial $AU280 million.…
Russia hands out 4G licences in an instant See, Ofcom, it can be done
The Russian regulator has skipped over all that auction nonsense to award 4G licences to the four network operators, denying licences to three others, but then Russia has had 4G for years.…
Move over Raspberry Pi, give kids a Radio Ham Pi – minister Hobbyists spark an interest in electronics
Schoolchildren should be given simple radio kits to build so …
O2 network problems stretch into second day
The network problems that hit thousands of O2 customers have continued into a second day.
However the company said its 2G network had now been restored and that customers should now be able to make and receive calls.
The widespread issues began “at lunchtime” on Wednesday which meant many lost voice and data services.
No timescale has been given for when the network will be fully back up and running.
In a message published at 08:00 GMT on its network status site, O2 said: “We can confirm that our 2G network service has now been restored. Customers who were affected should now be able to make and receive calls.
“Our 3G service is starting to restore and customers should expect to see a gradual return of data services …
Tech News July 12, 2012
Vodafone NZ swoops on TelstraClear Goes full service for AUD$660m
Telstra is shedding its struggling investment in New Zealand, TelstraClear, for $NZ840 million ($AU660 million) to rival Vodafone New Zealand.…
Telco industry slapped with new consumer rules Watchdog to stamp out bill shock and shonky tactics
The long-awaited telecommunications consumer protection (TCP) code, designed to push Australian telcos to clean up their terrible track record, has been adopted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.…
Google pushing Jelly Bean updates to Android devices Or one device, anyway, with three more to come
Google is pushing out the Android 4.1 “Jelly Bean” upgrade on Wednesday, but only to customers who have the unlocked version of the Samsung-built Galaxy Nexus mobile.…
Tech News July 11, 2012
Smartphone-wielding Obamaniacs trounce Romney in poll If only iPhone and Android users could vote, November 6 would be a rout
With the US presidential election less than four months away, it’s high time for the opening of the Silly Season™ of polls and surveys – such as the one released by mobile marketing and advertising firm Velti, which claims that if only iPhone and Android-device owners could vote, Barack Obama would trounce Mitt Romney in a landslide.…
Aluratek, Coby license Microsoft patents for Android Device makers join majority of Android vendors in paying tribute to Redmond
Two more makers of Android-powered devices have signed patent-licensing agreements with Microsoft, proving yet again that Windows Phone doesn’t need to match Android’s sales for Microsoft to eat …
Tech News July 10, 2012
Chinese smartphone shipments outstripping feature phones All aboard the mobile internet
China is celebrating another technology milestone after claiming that smartphone shipments in the world’s biggest mobile market have now exceeded feature phone shipments, although analysts have their doubts.…
UK judge hands Samsung win for being ‘not as cool’ as iPad Apple’s ‘understated and extreme simplicity’ works against it
A UK judge has handed Samsung a victory in its court battle with Apple over design similarities between its Galaxy Tab line and the Cupertinian iPad – but for a reason sure to rankle the Korean manufacturer’s design department.…
UN deploys ITU to seek FRAND patent peace treaty Takes time off from world-domination plans
The International Telecommunications Union – the communications arm of the United Nations …
Tech News July 7, 2012
‘Amazon plans iPhone-killing Android mobe’ – report Might use mega-Chinese contractor Foxconn for the build
It was only a matter of time before rumours started circulating that Amazon wanted to build a smartphone, since every tech firm worth their salt these days has to be rumoured to be taking on either the iPhone or the iPad.…
NatWest seeks volunteers to bonk with their iPhones Hurry, only 1,000 NFC payment cases up for grabs
NatWest is asking volunteers to test its pay-by-bonk service on their iPhones, and is looking for 1,000 of its customers willing to wrap their iPhone in an iCarte case with embedded NFC.…
Behind every great athlete is a nervous network engineer A short history of Olympics communications
London Olympics Had there been …
Tech News July 6, 2012
Huawai teams with Aussie investors to launch APAC cable Quest Telecom set to be Asia’s latest submarine cable guys
Quest Telecom, the Hong Kong based subsidiary of Australian diversified investment outfit Quest Investments, has signed an MoU with Huawei Marine Networks to develop and launch integrated submarine optic cable systems throughout the Asia Pacific.…
Ex-France Telecom CEO probed over staff suicide spate Supremo quizzed in court after union cried foul
Former France Telecom chief executive Didier Lombard is under investigation following a spate of staff suicides at his firm in 2008 and 2009.…
BT broadband packs up again – second big outage in a fortnight ‘We’re really sorry’, sniffs enormous telco
Updated BT has once again suffered what appears to be a major network …