WirelessDoc

Cellular service for NYC subway platforms anticipated

Yesterday, the NY Times reported:

All 277 underground stations in the subway system are to be wired for cellphone use, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced yesterday.

An interview with TA spokesman Paul Fleuranges on WNYC this morning revealed that text message alerts for subway disruptions will also be in the plan.

Transit Wireless, a consortium of companies, will pay New York City Transit $47 million over ten years, and will recoup this outlay along with the cost of constructing the infrastructure estimated at $150 to $200 million by billing the cellular carriers who use this service.

Here are the details on the Transit Wireless consortium:

Transit Wireless is a joint venture involving Nab Construction, Q-Wireless, Dianet Communications and Transit Technologies. Nab Construction and Transit Technologies have done other large-scale construction projects in the subway system, and Dianet has been involved in designing and installing cellphone antenna systems in buildings and airports. Q-Wireless makes software for wireless systems.

This system is long overdue, despite all the complaints about the "loudtalkers."

UPDATE: The report mandated by Gov. Eliot Spitzer about last month's subway problem due to the heavy rain finds: MTA failed in the flood.

Six-year UK study shows slight excess of brain and ear cancers in cell phone users

The BBC online is reporting on this six-year study performed by the MTHRP, funded by the government and communications industry in the UK, show an excess of brain and ear (acoustic neuroma) tumors. (PDF of their 2007 report). However, it should be noted that these results were "on the borderline of statistical significance." It did rule out short-term adverse effects to brain and cell function, namely, blood pressure, heart rate, and electrical hypersensitivity, which include symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and tingling.

The researchers feel that longer study is needed to fully explore the link between cancer and cell phone use. It might be the case, as with lung cancer and cigarette smoking, where a study of 10 years or longer is needed to confirm this correlation.

They will also be looking at the effect of cell phone use by children. An earlier report, published in 2005, warned that cell phone use by children should be limited, and avoided in those eight years and younger, as a precautionary measure.

Cheaper femtocells based on mass market chips

"Cheaper Femtocells are on the way." The newer 3G base stations use chips designed for mass market handsets.

Femtocells could solve the problems with 3G, by providing mobile coverage indoors and connecting to the cellular networks using the customer's own broadband connections, countering alternatives such as voice over Wi-Fi, where users make low cost calls on their own indoor Wi-Fi network. They don't require a dual-mode phone either, as indoor and outdoor coverage are on the same spectrum.

The word is out: patients and visitors should expect to be able to use their cell phones in the hospital

Cellphones get the 'all clear' at some hospitals - USATODAY.com

I'm linking to this story because it shows that the issue of possible electromagnetic interference (EMI) because of the use cellphones in hospitals is not a viable argument any longer, and it's getting out to the general public through the mainstream media.

An increasing number of patients arrive with laptops and other means of communication andare frustrated if they cannot connect with the outside world, says Andrew Cooper,  information technology manager at the Zangmeister Center, an oncology and hematology clinic  in Columbus, Ohio. It has installed a $70,000 antenna system for better cellphone use.

This antenna system was provided by CellAntenna Corp.

Technorati Tags: EMI, hospital, cellphone, CellAntenna

Mobile Internet connectivity rate

This shows the standing of the US in the use of mobiles to connect to the Internet.

Graph courtesy of Garr Reynolds, who was making an entirely different point about PowerPoint presentations on his blog, Presentation Zen. There's no particular reason South Korea is a different color--it was just the example Garr was using.

WSJ: The Future of Wireless

Real Time - WSJ.com

Jason Fry checks in with a blog post subtitled: ISPs, businesses, and even cities seek to offer cheap or free connections--which will win?

Nothing new here, except for mention of the recent Fon/Time Warner Cable deal, and the opinion by Dana Spiegel of NYCwireless who is "skeptical of the deal's impact, seeing it as little more than a public-relations move for both companies."

The Fon USA CEO acknowledges that there are only 60,000 "Foneros" in the US, with more of a view toward the future for a workable network.

There does appear to be agreement that muni Wi-Fi projects are likely to be complementary to the efforts of the ISPs and other commercial wireless providers.

Fry talks about the "much-hyped WiMax," which might be a tad too cynical considering the commitment by such companies as Sprint, and the device manufacturers.

Spiegel, using air conditioning as an analogy, makes the point that wireless broadband access, once considered a luxury (or "much hyped"), will be seen as a necessity for communication and commerce.

Technorati Tags: NYCwireless, FON, Time Warner Cable, Foneros, WiMax, ISP, Wi-Fi,

.mobi domain name; The Future is Mobile

Wish I had time to elaborate on this story about the proposed .mobi domain name which will identify those sites which are optimized for the smartphone browsers, but I'm running at high speed today. You can check out this WSJ story that's been slashdotted (Is this verb in the dictionary yet?).

Om points to a Biz 2.0 story, "The Future is Mobile." I find that is enough to work with what we have at the present. Why is prediction elevated over implementation anyway?

PdaNet for Treo 700w now available

TreoCentral is reporting that PdaNet (remember PDAs?) is available for the Windows-based Treo 700w. This software allows the Treo as a wireless modem, typically when connected to a laptop compute. Considering the Treo is accessing Verizon's EV-DO highspeed wireless cell network, this is quite a feature for the mobile professional.

It's important to be aware that this may incur additional monthly fees if the carrier detects excessive usage from the device.

Disney to enter cellphone market with Sprint

In this morning's Wall Street Journal, "Disney to Enter Cellphone Market, With Kids in Mind," reports the following:

Is that your cellphone ringing -- or your 8-year-old's?

Walt Disney Co. announced early Wednesday that it is entering the cellular business, targeting families with a wireless service under its own brand that will seek to sell cellphones to children and their parents.

The service, to be called Disney Mobile, will travel over the wireless network of Sprint Corp., the country's third-largest cellphone operator in terms of subscribers. But the phones and service will carry the Disney brand and be sold by Disney.

Chances are they'll be promoting the use of smartphones and cell data used to provide access to Web sites promoting Disney's products.

Business Wire has this press release. You can view Disney's Web site, Disney Mobile Studios.