Wireless equipment maker Ericsson, announced via this video that Mobile data bits traveling around the world outnumbered voice traffic during December of 2009. Worryingly, that data traffic was generated by an estimated 400 million smartphones set against 4.6 billion mobile subscribers making voice calls.
There will definitely be a need for wireless carriers to continue to upgrade their networks for the increasing demand. Almost every business should be exploring how they can use mobile broadband solutions to increase productivity for teleworkers, sales people, road warriors etc.
TelcoiQ can assist your company in understanding your options for mobile solutions from all of the major wireless carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile & Verizon.
Business Week has an article today discussing business demand for Apple’s iPad.
“More than half of mobile-phone users surveyed recently by Zogby International said they would use a tablet device such as the iPad for working outside the office, according to mobile software maker Sybase (SY), which commissioned the survey of 2,443 adult cell-phone users.
Of respondents, 52.3% said they would most likely use a tablet for work, compared with 48.2% who said they’d use an iPad-like device for watching movies and TV, and 35.4% who said they’d play games on their tablet. The findings reflect “unexpected emphasis on the iPad’s suitability for work-related activities, and…the iPad’s potential value to information workers,” Dublin (Calif.)-based Sybase said in a Mar. 23 statement.”
One of our carrier partners, Paetec announced Monday the general availability of its new managed network Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) for customers of its MPLS services. Since IDPS resides within PAETEC’s MPLS network, there is no need for on-site equipment installation or upgrades and the product protects all sites on the network, not just one. This follows a major trend in MPLS Networks of carriers offering more services in the cloud. Network based Firewall, Hosted VoIP and Spam Filtering are other solutions that are available as optional services on a MPLS Network. Telco iQ can assist you with MPLS quotes from leading providers like Paetec, AT&T, Qwest, Verizon, Time Warner, and XO.
Sprint is focused on exploiting their lead in US 4G coverage for all its worth. This new ad shows a iPhone owner using 4G via Sprint’s Overdrive mobile hotspot. Sprint’s 4G is currently available in 25 markets.
I could see this as a cost effective solution for SOHOs or mobile workers that are always on the go and need dependable Wi-Fi. It will be interesting to see how many people opt for the relatively high costs of an iPhone data plan plus the $59.95/month for the 4G service. It certainly makes sense for small businesses that may already use broadband data cards to replace them with the Sprint MiFi.
Here at Telco iQ we migrated from Exchange to Google Apps for email alomst 1 year ago. It is not perfect and I still use Outlook because of some of the plug-ins like Xobni and GotoMeeting, but I think it has a lot of promise. Like many SMB’s we realize the cost savings and efficiencies that can be gained with applications in the Cloud.
Applications like Salesforce.com & Google Apps allow us to focus on our core business and provide a great overall value.
Despite increasingly crowded wireless networks, unlimited voice and data plan pricing has been trending downward. At present, every national carrier in the US offers its own flavor of “all you can eat” service, with Sprint touting the cheapest offering ($69.99/mo).
Recent comments from the top brass at Verizon and AT&T may indicate a predictable departure from this trend. While per MB pricing has been a persistent reality for users that occasionally roam internationally, tiered data packages are likely to replace the one size fits all paradigm that’s emerged in the US market.
Stephen Morris is freelance writer and guest contributor to Network Noise.
We live in an era of increasingly fragmented supply chains. What does that mean? Well, when you buy pretty well any electronic device from a sat nav to an iPhone or iPod touch you no longer tend to have a one-stop shop experience. Gone are the days when you paid over your hard-earned dollars and received a shrink-wrapped package containing all the goodies you need!
Instead, for many such devices nowadays, you may have to separately purchase an AC charger. It’s the same story when you want to download additional software for the devices, e.g., look at the hugely successful iPhone app market. Ditto for extra maps on sat nav devices. Read the rest of this entry »
During our recent “Making the Transition to MPLS” webinar, an attendee commented on how complicated comparing MPLS pricing across carriers can be. It’s a concern we’ve heard before, and we wanted to devote a few posts to the subject. We’ll start by explaining the basic parts of every MPLS quote.
MPLS Local Loops:
Local Loops are the connections between any location and the nearest providers Point of Presence (POP). Also commonly refereed to as the “last mile”, local loops costs generally depend upon distance. For locations within the US, your last mile provider is likely AT&T, Verizon or Qwest. These providers are collectively refereed to as Local Exchange Carriers (LECs). For a small percentage of locations, the last mile provider may be a smaller company like Embarq or Windstream. These Independent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) typically operate in smaller regional markets.
Network World published thisexcellent piece on managing the changing IT landscape at branch offices. With the economy pressing companies to be more efficient than ever, this is a theme we’ve heard from our clients as well.
The trend towards centralized infrastructure at Headquarters or Data Center locations has meant an increasing reliance on web apps and collaboration tools at the branch offices. In an environment like this, network performance becomes increasingly critical and sensitive.
