GENEVA -- An ITU study group preliminarily approved a new specification, reference materials and guidelines for telecom gear electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Coverage includes broadband services and home networking, officials said.
Exports to China
GENEVA -- An ITU study group (SG) gave preliminary approval to new specifications for in-service fiber testing, test methods for small count fiber cables, fiber in the home, optical branching components, and using RFID to track network components,.
SK Telecom and China Unicom signed a handset procurement deal, according to the Financial Times Wed. It reported that Samsung, Motorola and LG are in talks for both carriers to order 300,000-500,000 each of 6 mid-to-high end handset models.
The Global VSAT Forum said there’s a worldwide threat to the extended C-band frequencies of 3.4-3.7 GHz, used by satellite operators but increasingly targeted for wireless broadband. The group said the ITU is examining use of the band for advanced wireless services including 4G. “Obviously this band is in use by the satellite services community for FSS services, feeder links and MSS services,” the forum said: “Where WiMAX services have been introduced, there have been significant interference issues and services interruptions for satellite ground stations and their related services… Interruptions have occurred in Bolivia, in the Caribbean, China, Russia, throughout Africa and they have been particularly disruptive in Hong Kong, Australia, Fiji and Indonesia.” The group plans a special meeting Fri. in D.C. at the U. Club to take up the matter.
GENEVA -- After broad debate this week at a WIPO meeting here, it remains unclear whether WIPO will convene a 2007 diplomatic conference to finish talks on broadcasters’ rights.
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs is worried about the IEEE process, not only for the recently controversial 802.20 certification, but other standards as well, he told Communications Daily after speaking in D.C. Wed. Speaking about the next generation of wireless broadband innovations, he discussed policy issues that may arise. His IEEE comments after the speech were significantly less optimistic than the rest of his outlook on the wireless industry.
U.S. leadership in the information sector could be overshadowed by China soon if it doesn’t act quickly to “renew the culture of entrepreneurship that has been at the heart of American economic success,” ex-FCC Chmn. Reed Hundt said in a new book, In China’s Shadow: The Crisis of American Entrepreneurship. The book recommends: (1) Changing laws and regulation “to encourage start-ups and entry into new areas by existing firms.” (2) Allowing more open and collaborative R&D. (3) Altering “the architecture of leadership” to give entrepreneurs, workers and consumers more influence on policies. “Bolstered by large government support for technical education, a lawless disregard for intellectual property rights, and a favorable exchange rate, Chinese entrepreneurs are aiming at the single biggest pinata of wealth in the global economy, the American information sector,” Hundt wrote. The book’s warning isn’t limited to the information business: “China is launching millions of firms into global competition with American firms… In one or two generations, the United States may find that China leads the world economy and historians then will trace the pattern of causation to actions taken and not taken now.” The book will be issued Oct. 16 by Yale University Press.
China Telecom is close to selling a stake of itself to a foreign investor, according to Chinese financial paper The Standard. The report said NTT DoCoMo, Verizon and France Telecom are the strongest suitors while Deutsche Telekom and Singapore Telecom are also in the mix. The companies are likely waiting until a confusing 3G licensing controversy in the country is resolved, the paper said.
Stopping net neutrality legislation is central to helping U.S. telcos and ISPs compete against Chinese counterparts, an economist said at a TeleConsensus and U.S. Chamber of Commerce forum Fri. The cable system needs competition and innovation, said John Rutledge, acting pres. of Mundell International U. Business School in Beijing, who used to be an adviser to the Bush Administration on tax policy.
S. Korea joined the EU Galileo satellite navigation project, EU officials said Mon. The agreement came during the EU-South Korea summit over the weekend, officials said. Set for operation in 2010, Galileo is intended to rival the U.S. GPS system. The system price tag, now $4.8 billion, has the EU seeking financial partners. China and Israel have signed on, with talks underway with Ukraine, India and Morocco, the EU has said. Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Malaysia, Canada and Australia also have expressed interest in Galileo.