China officially tops one billion mobile subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei just can't catch a break -- first the US blocks it from being a part of its first responder wireless network, and now, Australia is following suit. According to the Australian Financial Review, the Shenzhen-based outfit has been barred from tendering contracts for the country's A$43 billion National Broadband Network on the advice of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization. Alexander Downer, of Huawei's Australian board directors, called the situation "ridiculous," postulating that "the whole concept of Huawei being involved in cyber-warfare is based on the company being Chinese." This isn't the first time Huawei has had to combat suspicions of espionage, last year the outfit assured the US government that a "thorough investigation will prove that Huawei is a normal commercial institution and nothing more." Cheer up, Huawei, the smartphone market still loves you.

Huawei hardware won't be part of National Broadband Network, says Australia originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot on the heels of our own reporting of cables in the South Pacific (or the lack thereof), in flies a report that at least two new undersea cables are being planned for the arctic. According to New Scientist, a pair of lengthy fiber optic wires will be laid through the Northwest Passage above North America, connecting Japan to the United Kingdom. Moreover, a third cable is planned along the Russian coastline, with the longest of these links to purportedly become "the world's longest single stretch of optical fiber." A number of outfits are on the list to help out, and when complete, the latency between Tokyo and London should be reduced between 168ms and 230ms. The cost for such luxury? An estimated $600 million to $1.5 billion for each line. In other words, totally worth it.

New undersea cables planned for arctic passageways, frozen gamers dream of lower pings originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"We only have dial-up here. You'd be shocked at the speeds. [Laughs.] But it's okay -- as long as I can send and reply to email, I'm fine with it."

Those were the words spoken to me just weeks ago by the absolutely precious owner of Litia Sini Beach Resort on the extreme southeastern tip of Upolu. For those unaware, that's Samoa's most populous island (~135,000 people) -- a sliver of lush, mountainous land dropped almost perfectly in the center of the Pacific Ocean. I chuckled a bit upon hearing it, immediately realizing that I had a connection in the palm of my hand that was 20, 30, perhaps even 40 times quicker than what this business owner was relying on. She paused, as if to collect her thoughts before going into a familiar spiel about the resort's amenities, and then drew my attention to the display of her laptop.

"It's still a draft for now, but this is the new tsunami evacuation plan that we're working on. Soon, we'll have this in each fale. It's taking a bit of time to get right, as the drawings are actually done in New Zealand."

I nodded my head in understanding, immediately thinking that this must be in reaction to the catastrophic tsunami of September 2009, caused by a magnitude 8.1 submarine earthquake that hit barely 100 miles from the very spot I was sitting. It was the largest quake of 2009. The entire resort was leveled. Dozens upon dozens were killed. And here we were, over two full years later, and the evacuation schematics are still in "draft."

Continue reading Bringing wireless to the disconnected: internet tales from the South Pacific

Bringing wireless to the disconnected: internet tales from the South Pacific originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon Wireless is making good on that name, aiming to rid your home of those ugly, ugly wires. The carrier wants to substitute them with the not-exactly-subtle, bucket-sized antenna you can see on the left. Its HomeFusion service aims to replace DSL-connected domiciles, with Verizon reckoning its own wireless broadband can offer up better upload and download speeds. According to the Washington Post, the hardware will set potential customers back around $200, but installation costs will be included in the service. The entry-level $60 per month package will net you just 10GB of data, with HomeFusion currently readied for launch in Dallas and Birmingham later this month. Users will be able to connect up to 50 different devices and Verizon intends to roll out the wireless internet package as far as its LTE network tendrils can reach. Plans go up to the dizzying heights of 30GB for $120 per month, with additional gigabytes charged at $10 a pop. For anyone in broadband-unfriendly homes looking for a step up in internet speed, you may want to start looking for somewhere to hide hang that antenna...

Continue reading Verizon launches 'faster than wired' broadband for the home

Verizon launches 'faster than wired' broadband for the home originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in November, the European Commission, European Parliament and its member states agreed on plans to repurpose their 800MHz frequency bands for 4G mobile networks. Today, that decision has been officially approved. The Radio Spectrum Policy Programme (RSPP) has been set up to coordinate the use of this spectrum for fourth-generation services across the continent. Currently, 800MHz is used for analog television, but the new ruling gives member nations until the 1st of January 2013 to switch over to digital and authorize the band for its new role. Those nations dragging their heels can obtain an exemption, but mobile operators will be eager to see the spectrum freed up before then if possible. Swedish politician Gunnar Hökmark, who pushed for the legislation, hopes that it could lead to the EU having the fastest mobile broadband worldwide. Just don't tell AT&T.

European Parliament approves January 2013 deadline for 4G spectrum free up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you've been relying on a satellite modem for your daily dose of the Internet, you're probably all too familiar with sub-1Mbps download speeds and an overall painful experience. That's exactly why we've been so impressed with ViaSat and its new 12Mbps down, 3Mbps up Exede residential satellite broadband product. Yesterday, we journeyed deep into Camp Pendleton near San Diego to test out those 12/3Mbps speeds on the go-anywhere SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable, and now we're back to play around with the enterprise setup's more stationary sibling, the SurfBeam 2 Pro. The modem functions in much the same way as ViaSat's less-expensive household version, though there's a bit more horsepower under the hood.

The sample we saw at the company's Carlsbad, CA headquarters is also provisioned for faster service, delivering throughput in excess of 40Mbps down, letting you transfer files from the web at speeds you'd typically only be able to meet with a fiber connection. That may be a bit excessive for regular web use, but if you need to download software, movies or other large files in remote areas, that extra speed will likely be more than welcome. Join us past the break for a quick look a Exede, followed by a demo of the enterprise version and its 40Mbps downloads.

Continue reading Satellite web surfing at 40Mbps with ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro (video)

Satellite web surfing at 40Mbps with ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's no power outlet, land-based internet connection or even a decent cell signal in sight, yet we're posting this live, at fast broadband speeds. We're miles deep into Camp Pendleton, connected to ViaSat's SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable mobile satellite transceiver and sending data to and from ViaSat-1 located more than 20,000 miles above our heads. SurfBeam 2 wasn't designed for us to kick back and surf the web in the middle of nowhere at speeds that we could barely achieve while tethered to a cable connection just a few years ago, but we're doing just that, with ViaSat's roughly $20,000 go-anywhere satellite broadband rig. We first heard about Pro Portable last month at CES, which the company is marketing towards military, emergency management personnel and even broadcasters -- that's right, the sat truck of the future fits inside a hand-carry suitcase, and sends HD video from the world's most remote locations right back to broadcast centers at record speed, nearly eliminating that lag that makes certain CNN reports painful to watch.

Pro Portable really can go anywhere -- disassembled, it fits inside a fairly modest suitcase, but screw it together and you have a full-size dish. There's also a four-port Ethernet router and an optional battery pack, which provides up to four hours of juice. Think of it as Exede broadband for far-off-the-grid types. Sadly, Pro Portable isn't priced low enough to make its way into your on-the-go blogger kit, but it costs a small fraction of the million dollars you can spend on a sat truck, which rents for thousands of dollars a day. It's also far more transportable and discrete, offering consistent 12 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds nearly anywhere in North America. How can SurfBeam 2 hold up during a bandwidth-intensive HD upload? See for yourself just past the break -- our 230MB hands-on video made its way from the ground to space and back to Viddler in just shy of 13 minutes, and our Skype video call looked fantastic, without any noticeable lag.

Continue reading Live from Camp Pendleton with ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable (video)

Live from Camp Pendleton with ViaSat SurfBeam 2 Pro Portable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If everyone needs the internet, then poor kids need it more -- since so much learning material is dependent on technology. Comcast teamed up with the FCC to produce Internet Essentials: a $10 a month broadband plan and $150 computers to get the nation's poorest families online. Six months later, the program's been a colossal success, leading to the company adding some sweeteners: eligibility is being relaxed to include any family who qualifies for discounted lunches (swelling the catchment group by a further 300,000). It's also doubling the speed of the available connection: 3 Mbps down and 768 Kbps up and is allowing community groups to bulk-buy packages to directly supply the most impecunious households. It's also pairing up with the "connect to compete" initiative to reduce computer costs, enrich digital literacy materials and connect those outside of Comcast's core service areas. You can head on down to our source link to read the extended report and see how families are benefiting from a little corporate good deed.

Comcast's Internet Essentials program expanding as digital literacy project soars originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK pay TV service Sky has just announced its quarterly results, and despite adding 100,000 subscribers as well as notching its "highest ever first-half adjusted operating profit" it will launch a new internet TV service, available to anyone in the country with a broadband connection. Sky describes the new over the top (OTT) service as being aimed at the 13 million UK households who don't currently subscribe to pay TV, with access available via "PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, games console or connected TV." Initially, it will offer Sky Movies on demand joined by sports and entertainment options later, with access based on either monthly unlimited subscription or "pay-as-you-go" pricing. As far as the company's basic services, it will continue to develop its existing Sky Go product for standard pay-TV subscribers and zeebox iPad companion app, although this seems to initially be a worth competitor for things like Lovefilm and recent UK entrant Netflix. We have plenty of questions about what it will offer cord-cutters and cord-nevers in the UK when it launches in the first half of this year, we should find out more on the earnings call shortly. Until then, hit the PDF link for more detailed financial breakdowns, or check out the IPTV service press release after the break.

Update: Still waiting for Sky Go on Android? The company mentioned during its presentation that the app will finally arrive on Google's platform in February, starting with Samsung Galaxy and HTC handsets. It will also have new channels, including Sky 1, Sky Living and Sky Arts, plus, of course, the new Sky Sports F1 HD channel. The company is also expanding its broadband reach, with plans to cover a million more homes by June 2013, and add a Sky Broadband Unlimited Fibre option. For 20 a month, it offers 40 megabit download speed with no usage caps based on BT Fibre.

Continue reading Sky will launch an internet based TV service in the UK in the first half of 2012

Sky will launch an internet based TV service in the UK in the first half of 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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