The FCC Auction of the 700MHz Spectrum

On January 24 hotspot streamyx bidding begins for what has been described by the FCC and others as "beachfront property": the 700 MHz band of the electromagnetic spectrum. These Ultra High Frequencies are what is now known as channels 52 through 69 on broadband providers reviews television dial, and are mandated by the FCC to become available on February 19th 2009, as television broadcast networks switch from analog to Digital TV. The auction has drawn 266 applicants and is expected to dump upwards of 15 billion dollars into the U.S. Treasury.

The hype leading up to the auction has spurred coalitions of strange bedfellows, pitted free marketers against proponents of open source, and brought the Net Neutrality debate to the wireless arena. Some say that the auction has the potential to reshape the face of telecommunications in the U.S. as setup broadband diverse stream of participants, including Google, Qualcom, Cox Communications, EchoStar, the Public Broadcasting Service, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, challenge cellular giants AT&T and Verizon head on for a swath of this oceanfront spectrum. So what's all the fuss, and why so much interest in this piece of radio real estate?

The 700MHz band of spectrum has a unique set of properties and capabilities that telekom malaysia not been available to the market since, well, since television took to the airwaves. Able to penetrate deep into buildings and travel 4 times farther than its peer frequencies, the FCC, as well as many commercial interests, see a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a nationwide wireless broadband network covering metropolitan and rural regions across the country, turning the have nots into the haves, and virtually eliminating the Digital Divide in the U.S..

The United States seriously lags other industrialized countries in broadband coverage, largely due to its geographic immensity, and it has become a priority of the FCC and Congress to remedy the situation utilizing the ever evolving medium of wireless technology. By opening up the bidding to a diverse array of business interests, the possibility of introducing a third pipe to compete with cable and DSL would benefit consumers both economically and choice wise. Additionally, part of the spectrum to be auctioned is reserved for emergency services (i.e. homeland security), an idea spurred by the disastrous lack of communication between first responders in the terrorist attacks of 9-11.

Reality Check

While we all can see the benefit of being able to walk deep into a building without dropping a call, just how robust is the 700MHz band, and how well suited is it for full blown broadband Internet access and all that that implies? There are some who say this band of spectrum is great for coverage and penetration, but it lacks sufficient bandwidth for a robust wireless broadband solution.

Another consideration is which technology the winning bidders will choose to implement. Will they use todays existing 3G technologies, or jump right in with the next generation. We know now that Verizon will be using the Third Generation Partnership Project's (3GPP) LTE (Long Term Evolution) for its next gen network, a standard expected to be ready for deployment in 2010. Also ready for deployment in 2010 will be the 3GPP2's UMB standard.

WiMax will take some tweaking to work in the 700MHz band, but with Sprint Nextel owning 90MHz of the 2.5MHz band, that performance in the 700 band would be hard to match, should they decide to go ahead with their WiMax project.

Vendors and equipment manufactures say go ahead and deploy todays 3G technologies and upgrade later. Both streamyx vista CDMA and CDMA EV-DO still have some life left and would fit into the FCC's plan nicely.

Whoever the winners are, and terminate streamyx technology they use, one only has to look at the evolution of the WiFi standard as it goes through its b, g, and now n revisions, to see how technology improves as the tail wags the dog.

Just in case it doesn't work out, the White Spaces Coalition is already pushing to use the empty "white space" frequencies between channels in the 2MHz to 698MHz range for broadband access, with speeds topping out at 80Mbps...but that's another story.

Author Michael Talbert is a certified systems engineer and web designer with over 8 years experience in the industry, and is currently managing editor of VoIP-Facts.net. For more information on VoIP and Unified Communications, visit the website VoIP-Facts, or the VoIP Blog for up to date industry news and commentary.

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The Other Extra Features Of Prepaid Phone Cards

Many consumers today who either don't have a home phone or need to make calls when away from home, prepaid phone cards offer customers convenience, ease of use streamyx slowdown savings.

While there broadband services many phone cards to choose from, speedtest broadband all are aware that not all cards are created equal, streamyx hotspot login some cards may be error-free. In order to get a deeper look jaring my how prepaid phone cards operate, we need to analyze the many benefits, and drawbacks of using these communication devices.

Read The Fine Print First Before Purchasing One

it is a fact that some prepaid phone cards do not disclose full product information, especially telekom malaysia streamyx about their rates, which are necessary to enable consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. Although many prepaid cards make quick guarantees of substantial savings, most fail to disclose the basis of the so-called "savings".

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Many Phone Cards Offer Unique Services

Many cards provide consumers a second verbal message after the caller dials the number he/she wishes to reach. The second message tells the caller how long the caller can talk until the credit in the phone card account drops below the minimum required.

For example, at 25 cents per minute for local calls a $3.10 credit would permit a twelve minute call; and at $1.45 per minute the $3.10 credit would permit a two minute long distance call. If this service is provided, the second message makes it simpler to figure out a card issuer's rates.

Another aspect of some prepaid phone cards is that callers frequently are unable to use all the credit in a card account, so ensure that you know how to keep track of the minutes you've already malyasia Some cards also allow users to send text, or SMS messages, as well as receive them, but this however will depend on the type of phone they have, and only digital phones are so far capable of sending and receiving text messages.

Some Offer Languages Other than English

Because the native language of many Americans is not English, instructions in other languages make a card easier to use by those more streamyx pop3 in another language. Some cards use instructions in Spanish as well as English.

Some cards also provide written instructions in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Russian. While most have the instructions written in English, in actual use a verbal message reached through the card's access number alerts a caller that the caller can proceed in six other languages, like Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

Most prepaid phone cards today are manufactured by hundreds of providers, and they range from major phone companies and credit card firms, to relatively small start up businesses. The cards can be bought in small denominations, which typically range from $5 - $20, and they could be purchased at most major facilities such as airports and bus terminals, convenience stores and newsstands, and at other locations, like gas streamyx call center drug stores and post offices.

While most offer convenience, the real attraction of such cards is the possible savings offered, as compared to streamyx 4 mb modes of making calls away from home or office.

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