There is one thread that underlies thinking and business strategy at firms as disparate as Google, Netflix and Microsoft, namely Moore’s Law. Even if communications does not scale in the same way as memory and processing, Moore’s Law underpins progress on the communications front, at least in terms of signal compression, the power of network elements and cost of those elements and systems built on those building blocks.   As Intel CEO Paul Otellini tells [...]

As part of many announcements at Google’s I/O Conference this week, the company announced that they’d now allow video chat via Google Hangouts across platforms and devices (and ultimately, it appears SMS will be integrated as well). That is, unless you’re on AT&T. AT&T’s LTE network is being hailed as the fastest LTE network currently available, yet Slash Gear reports that when users try to make a video chat call on the AT&T network using [...]

BT appears to have changed its mind about the retail mobile market. Having won 4G spectrum (2×15 MHz of FDD and 20 MHz of TDD 2.6GHz spectrum), BT suggested it would not build a national retail network but use the 4G spectrum as a way to augment its fixed network operations. Now BT says it will launch its own retail 4G network. The thinking is that BT will source wholesale mobile connectivity from one of [...]

While there’s absolutely no doubt that Google Fiber has been a positive thing for the industry, critics have singled out two problems with Google’s ultra-fast offering. One, the company backed off of open access promises that would have allowed multiple companies to come in and truly compete over the infrastructure. Two, whereas old franchise models aimed for uniformity (the very reason many of you even have cable at this moment) Google’s deployment model heavily celebrates [...]

“The total worldwide telecom market grew by 3.2 percent during 2012, and IDC is forecasting growth of 3.4 percent during the 2013 time frame, with the market settling into a steady growth rate of about 3.2 percent during the forecast time frame,” according to Courtney Munroe, GVP, Worldwide Telecommunications, Mobility, and Network Infrastructure, IDC. But those service provider revenues will be unevenly distributed. What is not so clear from those global statistics is the actual [...]

Last week reports emerged that ESPN has at least been in talks to take AT&T up on their idea of cap-exempt content contracts. In short, AT&T has been pitching content companies on the idea of paying AT&T a toll that would allow users of their specific content to bypass user caps. While AT&T has been promoting this idea as consumer friendly, it’s really just a new twist on AT&T’s long-standing efforts to force content companies [...]

It hasn’t happened yet, but it is predictable that, at some point, concerns will be raised about the extent of coverage of gigabit access networks in the United States. One might argue that is a fair public policy concern, but also a concern that some might argue has to be secondary to promoting the building of gigabit networks as widely as possible. Even within its own chosen cities, Google Fiber builds first in neighborhoods where [...]

Canipre is a Canadian company that helps runs anti-piracy campaigns, and is helping Voltage Pictures in their efforts to extort money out of pirates using settlement-o-matic mass lawsuits. They’ve most recently been helping Voltage target easier marks like Canadian ISP TekSavvy. As such, it’s interesting to note that this week a company so concerned about propriety has been accused of using other people’s photos on their website without proper attribution. “Our collective goal is not [...]

The new version of Google Maps will personalize and customize map detail for each user.  When users set “Home” and “Work” locations, star favorite places, write reviews and share with friends, every Google Map instance automatically will include such details within the mapping experience.  The new “carousel” gathers all Google Maps imagery in one spot enabling users to fly through cities, walk canyon trails, climb mountains, and even swim the oceans, Google says.  And on a WebGL-enabled browser, like Google Chrome, [...]

ISPs which in the past had historically improved in Netflix performance because of faster speeds, are now finding themselves falling in Netflix’s new monthly streaming ISP rankings because they’re not signing up for Netflix’s CDN network. As noted recently, Netflix stated they’d start offering users “Super HD” and 3D streams — if their ISP signed up for Netflix’s new Open Connect Content Delivery Network. As expected many bigger ISPs, most of whom have had neutrality [...]