29 Years of the Digest ... founded August 21, 1981

Classified Ads
TD Extra News

Add this Digest to your personal   or  

  The Telecom Digest for January 26, 2011
Volume 30 : Issue 25 : "text" Format

Messages in this Issue:

The Inside Story of How Facebook Responded to Tunisian Hacks (Monty Solomon)
For Funerals Too Far, Mourners Gather on the Web(Monty Solomon)
T-Mobile mulls sale of tower assets(John Mayson)
T-Mobile USA targeting No. 3(John Mayson)
Sony Ericsson files lawsuit against Clearwire over 'swirl'(John Mayson)
Re: Sounds like ...(Hudson Leighton)


====== 29 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet.  All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and
the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are
included in the fair use quote.  By using -any name or email address-
included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the
email.

               ===========================

Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without explicit written consent.  Chain letters,
viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome.

We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime.   Geoffrey Welsh

               ===========================

See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer, and other stuff of interest.

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
TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecom- munications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to Usenet, where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. The Telecom Digest is moderated by Bill Horne. Contact information: Bill Horne Telecom Digest 43 Deerfield Road Sharon MA 02067-2301 781-784-7287 bill at horne dot net Subscribe: telecom-request@telecom-digest.org?body=subscribe telecom Unsubscribe: telecom-request@telecom-digest.org?body=unsubscribe telecom This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Copyright (C) 2009 TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
End of The Telecom Digest (6 messages)

Return to Archives ** Older Issues