Source: www.voip-news.com

Weren’t we just talking about how VoWiFi could be the next big thing? Well. Maybe.

Redpine Signals and Ascom Wireless Solutions are collaborating to create next-gen VoWiFi phones that have 802.11n wireless connectivity. The designs will draw upon Ascom’s experience creating handsets, wireless voice and message transmission systems, customised alarm and positioning applications and more.

“Redpine’s expertise in developing and deploying high performance and low power wireless technology perfectly complements Ascom’s experience in delivering solutions for wireless on-site communication that support and optimize their customers’ mission-critical processes,” said Venkat Mattela, CEO of Redpine Signals. “Our pioneering design has been the world’s first SDIO device to be Wi-Fi certified for the 802.11n draft 2.0 certification, along with WMM, WMM-PS and WPS. It is also among the first designs to be certified for Voice-Personal – the Wi-Fi certification that helps ensure a satisfactory user experience for Voice over Wi-Fi applications.”

According to the companies:

Redpine Signals has been working closely with Ascom in bringing in the differentiations of its Wi-Fi product to Ascom’s handset designs. Redpine’s Lite-Fi(TM) technology, based on its RS9110 802.11n SoC, provides key advantages in a VoWiFi solution – including high performance in multipath environments, best-in-class standby power consumption, an active Wi-Fi power consumption of less than 20 mW through the use of uAPSD (certified as WMM-PS), use of less crowded 5 GHz spectrum, voice performance certified through the Wi-Fi Alliance’s Voice-Personal program, and enterprise class security through WPA2(TM) Enterprise.

Source: www.voip-news.com

Skype has a new partnership with Yuuguu. Read about it on VoIP News of the UK.

Check out Doug on IP Comm for coverage of the HD Communications Summit.

VoIP Watch says that Wi-Fi voice is a burgeoning sector.

Source: www.voip-news.com

The U.S. Federal Mine Safety and Health Administration has now fully approved ActiveMine from Active Control Technology. The wireless voice communications and locating system is designed for use in mines to link workers with the outside world.

The approval includes ActiveMine’s wireless Wi-Fi phones, which can be used in all areas of the underground coal mines.

“This is great news for customers who want to get the productivity and safety benefits of ActiveMine to work as quickly as possible in their mines,” said Steve Barrett, President and CEO, Active Control. “We thank customers for their confidence in ActiveMine’s successful approval, and MSHA for their assistance throughout the process.”

According to Active Control:

The completion of ActiveMine MSHA approvals comes approximately two months before the June 15, 2009 MINER Act deadline for all underground coal mines in the U.S. to submit mine safety plans that include provisions for wireless two-way communication and electronic tracking. There are approximately 650 underground coal mines in the U.S.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

Last week, as I was on my mission to get my phone bill’s price point reduced, good old AT&T sweetened the deal by closing the deal on their buying Wayport.   So what’s that mean to we consumers?

20,000 Free Hot Spots and Counting

So now, we’ve got 20,000 new places to hang out and get free WiFi giving now giving me 80,000 new free AT&T hotspots, including the  nearly 7,000 company-operated Starbucks locations (give or take the ones that are scaling back.)

At places like McDonalds and Hertz, you’ll now get free AT&T WiFi.  For a list of locations, click here.

Source: www.voip-news.com

When traveling abroad for business, it can get quite pricey to use your cell phone for international calls. But you don’t have to incur heavy fees and charges for using your phone out of your calling area. Instead, you can tap into VoIP and WiFi networks for less expensive alternatives.

Business Week had a great article on this, and how it is the wave of the future for mobile calling . . .

Here’s a snippet:

By 2011 the number of mobile VoIP users around the world may rise to 100 million from 7 million in 2007, according to ON World, a consulting firm based in San Diego. ON World estimates that in 2011, mobile VoIP voice services may generate $33.7 billion, up from $516 million in 2006, the most recent year for which the figure is available. If that sounds like a breakneck pace, consider the growth trajectory for Jajah, a provider of wireless VoIP, which had 10 million users in April—a fivefold increase in just a year.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I’ve used WiFi on the Heathrow Express that works with T-Mobile (and gotten the bill for it for 12 minutes of use each time) so I’m happy to see that a company called WiFi Rail is hoping to offer the same kind of service on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) here in the USA.

Source: alanweinkrantz.typepad.com

1. Select the "attwifi" network from the available wireless networks list on your laptop or wireless device.

2. Launch your browser and enter your AT&T High Speed Internet master account user and password.

Username example: jsmith@sbcglobal.net

Forgot your password? Call 1-877-288-3755

3. Now you’re ready to take care of business.

AT&T High Speed Internet service subscription includes complimentary Wi-Fi access in over 17,000 Hot Spot locations, including Starbucks with select speeds. Click here to find one near you.

Purchase or upgrade your AT&T High Speed Internet and get connected today.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Esme Vos and I were having coffee in San Francisco a week or so back when she revealed her idea that would solve San Francisco, and many other cities Muni WiFi woes.

Now why does this make sense versus the stupid concept of what I labeled Homeless Wireless two years or so back when Earthlink and the various cities followed some consultants lead on how to best deploy WiFi?

Simple. It works best indoors. The model Earthlink was following was great if you were:

a) On the street

b) Ten to fifteen feet inside a building

c) No Higher than the second floor of most buildings

Last time I checked, cities like San Francisco and Philadelphia were building all kinds of new office towers (have you seen the Comcast Tower in Philadelphia?) Well there’s no way the Earthlink model would have worked there.

Esme’s model, which takes into account the many arcane and "interesting" laws in San Francisco is simple. Pass a law.

Now here’s the great thing. Give the coffee shop operators an annual credit against their taxes for the cost of a 1.5 meg DSL line and a router. Let’s see, that’s about $300 a year, versus the millions it would cost to build out the system that never came to be.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

Earthlink is bagging it in Philadelphia and wants to take their equipment home. Damn carpetbaggers. But, I recall saying at a past MuniWiFi event that given what I know about the politicians in my home town I’m not surprised at the deal that was done and the problems that are arising from it.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s you can’t fight City Hall, and when you toss in telco influence on City Hall, you really can’t fight them at all, as this is the result. The telco’s have figured out how to keep City Hall on their side and despite all the good that Muni WiFi could bring, there has never really been buy in across the board.

Now here’s an interesting idea on how to do WiFi from TelAlaska. Make the local businesses supply it. Funny thing, my good friend in the industry Esme Vos had the same idea.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I’m sad to report that Philadelphia is losing their WiFi.

Esme Vos has the news..I’m sure there’s going to be more to the story.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

I was picking some friends up at San Diego International Airport this past Thursday and took my Mac Book Air along as I knew they might be delayed. Having experienced their anemic speeds before in the East Terminal where SouthWest flies, and in the West Terminal when flying US Air and Jet Blue, I was expecting nothing more than at best a few hundred K speeds.

Wrong. They were blazing fast. I got speeds of over 10 megs down and close to 20 megs up, indicating that someone has taken the service offering way, way up. That’s smart, and being that’s it’s free, a very good move.

Source: andyabramson.blogs.com

If you own and use an Apple iPhone there’s isn’t a Boingo Mobile client for it, but now can have free WiFi access on your iPhone in 28 airports which Boingo operates in, and get it for free.

The catch? You have to watch a 15 second ad.

As someone who uses Boingo just about everywhere, and is a true fan, it seems worth it. The ads are powered by JiWire, which wants to be the Google of mobile ad serving.