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The Telecom Digest for January 26, 2011
Volume 30 : Issue 25 : "text" Format
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====== 29 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:20:53 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: The Inside Story of How Facebook Responded to Tunisian Hacks
Message-ID: <p06240829c9640d875de7@[10.0.1.2]>
The Inside Story of How Facebook Responded to Tunisian Hacks
By Alexis Madrigal
The Atlantic
January 24, 2011
It was on Christmas Day that Facebook's Chief Security Officer Joe
Sullivan first noticed strange things going on in Tunisia. Reports
started to trickle in that political-protest pages were being hacked.
"We were getting anecdotal reports saying, 'It looks like someone
logged into my account and deleted it,'" Sullivan said.
For Tunisians, it was another run-in with Ammar, the nickname they've
given to the authorities that censor the country's Internet. They'd
come to expect it.
In the days after the holiday, Sullivan's security team started to
take a closer look at the data, but it wasn't entirely clear what was
happening. In the US, they could look to see if different IP
addresses, which identify particular nodes on the network, were
accessing the same account. But in Tunisia, the addresses are
commonly reassigned. The evidence that accounts were being hacked
remained anecdotal. Facebook's security team couldn't prove something
was wrong in the data. It wasn't until after the new year that the
shocking truth emerged:
Ammar was in the process of stealing an entire country's worth of passwords.
...
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/print/2011/01/the-inside-story-of-how-facebook-responded-to-tunisian-hacks/70044/
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 11:34:32 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: For Funerals Too Far, Mourners Gather on the Web
Message-ID: <p0624082cc964ab9eaf58@[10.0.1.2]>
For Funerals Too Far, Mourners Gather on the Web
By LAURA M. HOLSON
The New York Times
January 24, 2011
In an age of commemorating birthdays, weddings and anniversaries on
Facebook and Twitter, it was perhaps inevitable that live
Web-streaming funerals for friends and loved ones would be next.
It is no surprise that the deaths of celebrities, like Michael
Jackson, or honored political figures, like the United States
diplomat Richard Holbrooke, are promoted as international Web events.
So, too, was the memorial service for the six people killed Jan. 8 in
Tucson, which had thousands of viewers on the Web.
But now the once-private funerals and memorials of less-noted
citizens are also going online.
Several software companies have created easy-to-use programs to help
funeral homes cater to bereaved families. FuneralOne a one-stop shop
for online memorials that is based in St. Clair, Mich., has seen the
number of funeral homes offering Webcasts increase to 1,053 in 2010,
from 126 in 2008 (it also sells digital tribute DVDs).
During that same period, Event by Wire, a competitor in Half Moon
Bay, Calif., watched the number of funeral homes live-streaming
services jump to 300 from 80. And this month, the Service Corporation
International in Houston, which owns 2,000 funeral homes and
cemeteries, including the venerable Frank E. Campbell funeral chapel
on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, said it was conducting a pilot
Webcasting program at 16 of its funeral homes.
Traveling to funerals was once an important family rite, but with
greater secularity and a mobile population increasingly disconnected
from original hometowns, watching a funeral online can seem better
than not going to a funeral at all. Social media, too, have redrawn
the communal barriers of what is acceptable when relating to parents,
siblings, friends and acquaintances.
...
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/fashion/25death.html
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:57:15 -0600
From: John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: T-Mobile mulls sale of tower assets
Message-ID: <AANLkTinketApiB+SriRL=8C9KqkDncdJ2H5_oeOBy6Tw@mail.gmail.com>
T-Mobile USA Inc.'s (DTEGY) tower assets are likely to get interest
from the top three tower companies as T-Mobile's tower assets are in
good locations nationwide and have an operator (T-Mobile) already
located on them, said tower expert Jim Fryer, president of Fryer
Marketing and Media.
Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann said in published reports that the
global operator could sell non-strategic assets like towers if it
needed to raise more capital for T-Mobile. T-Mobile lags behind the
other nationwide carriers in spectrum assets and the company needs
more spectrum if it wants to build out an LTE network. The operator
said it is considering partnerships to help its spectrum portfolio.
T-Mobile is the nation's fifth-largest tower company with about 7,000
towers in its stable. The company owns strategic assets in California
and the Northeast corridor, two regions of the country where it is
often difficult to build towers. T-Mobile counts nearly 700 towers in
the San Francisco Bay area, close to 2,000 in southern California and
close to 700 in the Northeast region of the country.
Fryer noted that managing towers "Comes with a lot of headaches" as
companies have to deal with local planning and zoning issues, as well
as comply with federal regulations covering everything from bird
flight paths to lighting - issues that T-Mobile may not consider its
core business. American Tower Corp., Crown Castle International Corp.
and SBA Communications Inc. could conceivably buy T-Mobile's assets,
depending on how they measure up against their own tower assets.
Sprint Nextel Corp. sold 3,300 towers for $670 million to TowerCo
L.L.C., in 2008 as a way to free up cash for the operator.
T-Mobile has set up its tower business as a separate business, even
actively seeking collocation opportunities with competitors.
Link: http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20110120/INFRASTRUCTURE/110129995/-1/t-mobile-mulls-sale-of-tower-assets
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:57:56 -0600
From: John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: T-Mobile USA targeting No. 3
Message-ID: <AANLkTikkjyKPtfMVKNmOJQ9nRyMoRG7UZP6aDT51YtKb@mail.gmail.com>
T-Mobile USA Inc. (DTEGY) is looking to put its recent tumultuous past
behind it and move aggressively forward with ambitious plans to jump
past current rival Sprint Nextel Corp. as the nation's third largest
operator.
During an investor conference today in New York City, T-Mobile USA set
out long-term goals that will see the carrier increase revenues, save
money and grow its customer base. The carrier wants to increase annual
revenues by $3 billion over the next three years while at the same
time reducing operating costs by $1 billion per year by 2013. In
addition, the carrier is looking to jumpstart its customer growth
across all market segments in hopes of becoming a solid No. 3 in the
market.
The carrier said its revenue growth plans would come from its
aptly-named "Grow" program where the carrier plans to reinvigorate its
position as providing customers with the greatest value in mobile data
and smart phone services. Much of that growth will be based on the
carrier's controversially named "4G" network that T-Mobile USA said in
combination with new data plans and smart phones would allow the
carrier to grow service revenues that have stagnated over the past
couple of years.
As for its network operations, T-Mobile USA said it was moving
aggressively to upgrade its current HSPA+ network with technology to
allow for theoretical download speeds of up to 42 megabits per second.
The carrier noted the upgrade would allow the carrier to provide
network speeds comparable with the latest LTE networks currently being
deployed.
In support of those network plans, T-Mobile USA noted that it was
beginning to look at refarming possibilities for its legacy 1.9 GHz
spectrum assets that are currently being used to support its
GSM/GPRS/EDGE network to, in turn, help bolster the 1.7/2.1 GHz
spectrum being used for its HSPA+ offering. The carrier said that with
almost one-third of its customer base having moved over to devices
using its HSPA+ network it was looking to start transitioning some of
those spectrum assets beginning in the 2012 time frame. T-Mobile USA
added that it would also stop selling 2G only devices.
The carrier also plans to begin rolling out HSPA+ smart phones at
price points "well below" $100 this summer as well as plans to bring
back an Android-based Sidekick-branded device.
While T-Mobile USA's management went out of its way to point out that
it had sufficient spectrum headroom to support both the technology
upgrades and growth, it was also continuing to look at alternatives
for acquiring new spectrum or partnering with other operators to offer
true 4G services.
Deutsche Telekom is exploring various options to acquire additional
spectrum and reduce the gap regarding economies of scale compared with
its larger competitors, including partnering with other companies, the
company noted in a statement.
Those options include upcoming spectrum auctions for both the 700 MHz
D-Block licenses as well as 1.7/2.1 MHz auctions. In addition,
T-Mobile USA continues to be linked with potential network partners
Clearwire Corp. and LightSquared.
At a macro level, T-Mobile USA said it plans to increase the coverage
of its network to 290 million potential customers covered through a
combination of macro and micro technologies. At a macro level the
carrier said it would increase the overall scale of its network by
adding nearly 5,000 new cell sites and the addition of more efficient
radio head technologies. These new cell sites and updated towers would
allow the carrier to cut down on roaming charges that it currently
pays to its rivals.
To help support the deployment of high-speed data services, T-Mobile
USA said it plans to have fiber backhaul running to 87% of its HSPA+
towers by the third quarter of this year.
At a micro level, the carrier said it would begin working on
distributed antenna system and in-building technologies as well as
bolster its Wi-Fi initiatives for consumers. That Wi-Fi bolstering
will include a greater number of devices that can seamlessly switch
between cellular and local area wireless networks, an easier user
interface and by including free usage of services for consumers using
a Wi-Fi connection.
As for growing its customer base T-Mobile USA said it would continue
to focus on customer service areas in an attempt to help cut down on
customer churn. The carrier noted that throughout the past year,
postpaid churn remained well above the 2% level and that it plans to
cut that to below that mark to help turn around its lumpy customer
growth results.
The carrier is also planning to continue its aggressive advertising
campaign targeting its network advantages compared with its larger
rivals AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless in an attempt to win mind
share from consumers.
Link: http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20110120/CARRIERS/110129996/-1/t-mobile-usa-targeting-no-3
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:58:45 -0600
From: John Mayson <john@mayson.us>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Sony Ericsson files lawsuit against Clearwire over 'swirl'
Message-ID: <AANLkTi=Oxf334aHYN0PQutyhjwYAcYue1REixV6ffkpW@mail.gmail.com>
Sony Ericsson has taken exception to Clearwire Corp. (CLWR) logo,
filing a lawsuit late last week in a Virginian court alleging
trademark infringement from Clearwire's use of a "sphere with swirl
logo" that it claims is similar to Sony Ericsson's logo.
In its lawsuit, Sony Ericsson claims it has spent millions of dollars
in advertising and sponsorship around its "recognized sphere with
green swirls and silver/white logos", and that Clearwire's swirl logos
are "confusingly similar to Sony Ericsson's sphere with swirl
registered trademarks".
The claim also notes that in 2009 Clearwire attempted to trademark a
reversed color image of their currnent logo, but was rebuffed. The
similarities came to a head last year when Clearwire announced plans
to begin selling smart phones that would be in direct competition with
Sony Ericsson's own attempts to sell similar devices. Clearwire has
since delayed its smart phone plans until later this year.
"Use of the infringing sphere with swirl logo on the announced smart
phone will further exacerbate that confusion", Sony Ericsson notes in
its lawsuit. "Unless enjoined, defendants' current and announced
conduct will confuse consumers and cause irreparable harm to Sony
Ericsson".
Link: http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20110119/CARRIERS/110119933/-1/sony-ericsson-files-lawsuit-against-clearwire-over-swirl
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:16:12 -0600
From: Hudson Leighton <hudsonl@skypoint.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Sounds like ...
Message-ID: <hudsonl-D1B022.09161125012011@news.isp.giganews.com>
In article <94F2AED55FE64999804931193EC05D06@meng.lab.emc.com>,
"Bob Goudreau" <BobGoudreau@nc.rr.com> wrote:
> Joseph Singer <joeofseattle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Unfortunately many people must have been dosing [sic] off in school when
> > it was explained to them that even though several words may sound alike
> > they do have distinctive different meanings among them such as to/too,
> > your/you're, there, their, they're.
>
> Depends on what substance they were being "dosed" with, I guess. :-)
>
> But I suppose dozing might also explain it.
>
> Bob Goudreau
> Cary, NC
Pare a pair of pears with a pareing knife
-Hudson
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