Speakers: Smart meter sector needs help from regulators

May 6, 2008 1:57 PM, By Glenn Bischoff

ORLANDO--Currently, smart meter penetration nationwide is less than 5%, and use of the intelligent devices won’t proliferate—and consumers won’t reap their full benefits—until regulators change the way they think. So said two speakers yesterday at the Utilities Telecom Council’s annual conference...

MA-COM announces availability of high-power 4.9 GHz WiMAX solution

May 6, 2008 11:32 AM, By Donny Jackson

Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM yesterday announced the availability of new high-power, 4.9 GHz WiMAX base stations and subscriber stations that are designed to be used by utilities and public-safety agencies...

Trilliant, Motorola partner on wireless meter reading system

May 6, 2008 11:22 AM, By Mary Rose Roberts

Trilliant, a provider of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) based on open standards, and Motorola announced that they have co-developed an advanced meter communications solutions for iDEN public and private utility customers...

Court rules against Sprint Nextel in rebanding case

May 4, 2008 7:21 PM, By Donny Jackson

Sprint Nextel will have to vacate its interleaved spectrum in the 800 MHz band by June 26 as part of the rebanding process, a federal appeals court ruled Friday in a decision that is expected to cost the nation’s third-largest carrier at least $1 billion...

Court tells FCC to revisit BPL rules

May 2, 2008 12:10 PM, By Donny Jackson

FCC commissioners need to do a better job justifying the agency’s rules governing broadband-over-power-line (BPL) emission levels, according to a federal appeals court...

Motorola announces availability of point-to-point offering

Apr 30, 2008 12:49 PM, By Donny Jackson

Motorola this week announced the availability of its PTP 500 series of wireless Ethernet bridges, which are designed to complement the vendor giant’s existing point-to-point portfolio...

Scrapping of ‘virtual’ border fence just rumor, DHS says

Apr 30, 2008 12:16 PM, By Mary Rose Roberts

A $20 million, 28-mile prototype (P-28) ‘virtual’ fence built by Boeing Co. developed to thwart illegal immigration along the Mexico-U.S. border hasn’t met border control agents’ needs, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported. However, the federal government has no plans to scrap the program as recently reported by the mainstream press, said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Laura Keehner...

Probe clears Cyren Call in D Block failure

Apr 28, 2008 12:22 PM, By Donny Jackson

Much-discussed spectrum-lease payments made to potential D Block bidders prior to the 700 MHz auction were not the primary reason the 700 MHz spectrum swath failed to attract a bid that met the FCC’s reserve price, according to a report revealing the findings of a federal investigation of the matter...

Aruba unveils software-upgradeable 802.11 access points

Apr 25, 2008 2:28 PM, By Glenn Bischoff

Aruba Networks this week unveiled a line of 802.11 a/b/g remote access points that can be upgraded to 802.11n functionality via downloadable software...

New York begins operational tests for statewide system

Apr 22, 2008 6:17 PM, By Donny Jackson

Major operational testing of the first portion of the New York Statewide Wireless Network (SWN) has begun and will continue through the end of the month, with the results promising to be closely monitored by state officials and network vendor Tyco Electronics’ M/A-COM...

Florida EMS deploys wireless solution for mission-critical communications

Apr 22, 2008 11:18 AM, By Mary Rose Roberts

The Lake-Sumter (Fla.) Emergency Medical Services announced today that it has deployed Novatel Wireless’ Merlin PC720 modems and Junxion Box routers to bolster the effectiveness of its wireless, in-vehicle emergency response systems that connect ambulances to the county’s EMS communications center via Sprint’s network...

O’Brien: PSST pursuing D Block consortium

Apr 18, 2008 12:18 PM, By Donny Jackson

Public safety’s commercial partner for a nationwide 700 MHz wireless broadband network likely will consist of several operators, with the two largest U.S. carriers probably not participating, the head of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust’s (PSST) lead advisor said yesterday...

Federal Signal unveils public-safety suite

Apr 17, 2008 2:26 PM, By Mary Rose Roberts

Federal Signal’s Safety and Security Systems Group announced a suite of interoperability systems that support public emergency-warning systems as well as first-responder mobile data applications...

House hearing focuses on D Block

Apr 15, 2008 6:29 PM, By Donny Jackson

A House subcommittee today expressed frustration that the 700 MHz auction failed to produce a winning D Block bidder that would partner with the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) to build a nationwide broadband network for public safety, but there was little consensus regarding what the next step should be...

Cistera Networks deploys LMR recording application

Apr 14, 2008 2:10 PM, By Mary Rose Roberts

Cistera Networks announced that is has successfully completed the first deployment of its ConvergenceServer, which features the company’s LMRRecord application engine designed for the Cisco IP Interoperability and Collaboration System (IPICS) 2.0....

FCC approves rules for wireless text alerts

Apr 11, 2008 12:10 PM, By Donny Jackson

FCC commissioners this week approved an order to establish a program for commercial wireless carriers to deliver text-message alerts and critical information to their customers during disasters or other emergencies, although many questions remain regarding its implementation...

NATE works to expand 'culture of safety'

Apr 11, 2008 11:41 AM, By Glenn Bischoff

National Association of Tower Erectors, or NATE, Executive Director Patrick Howey said this week that the organization is working to develop a “culture of safety” throughout the tower industry that includes both tower workers and tower owners. As part of the effort, the organization reissued its checklist of recommended procedures designed to make tower workers safer...

Motorola escapes proxy fight, names Dorman as chairman

Apr 10, 2008 6:03 PM, By Donny Jackson

Embattled wireless equipment vendor Motorola this week made moves to shuffle its board of directors, nominating two allies of influential shareholder Carl Icahn to the board and naming former AT&T executive David Dorman as its non-executive chairman...

PSST, Cyren Call refute allegations

Apr 4, 2008 2:02 PM, By Donny Jackson

Officials for the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) and PSST advisor Cyren Call acknowledged that representatives of potential D Block bidders were told that a spectrum-lease arrangement would be part of the deal but refuted reports regarding the terms cited in various Internet blogs....

Firetide introduces tri-band mesh infrastructure

Apr 3, 2008 2:34 PM, By Mary Rose Roberts

Los Gatos, Calif.-based Firetide this week unveiled the tri-band capability of its HotPoint access points and HotClient client premises equipment to expand the functionality of its mesh nodes....