Access Providers

Cuba’s Mobile-Internet Strategy?

This post is speculative, but I think Cuba may use satellite for 3G backhaul and, when the technologies are ready, leapfrog over 4G to 5G mobile connectivity and next-generation satellite. ETECSA began rolling out 3G connectivity for Cubans about a year ago and a few things have led me to believe they will continue... But, could they provide widespread 3G mobile? Doing so would require more base stations and more backhaul from those base stations to the Intenet. more

O3b Satellite Internet – Today and Tomorrow

I have written a lot about the potential of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for Internet service, but have not said much about medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites - until now. O3b (other three billion) is an MEO-satellite Internet service provider. Greg Wyler founded the company, and it was subsequently acquired by SES, a major geostationary-orbit (GSO) satellite company. (Wyler moved on to found future LEO Internet service provider OneWeb). more

FCC Announces Near $1 Billion Plan to Restore Broadband in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai today proposed close to $954 million toward restoring and expanding communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that were damaged and destroyed as a result of the 2017 hurricane. more

Several Major Tech Companies File Suit Against FCC Over Net Neutrality Repeal

Several major tech companies, including Kickstarter, Foursquare and Etsy, filed a lawsuit today against the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to preserve net neutrality rules. more

Cuban Satellite Connectivity - Today and (Maybe) Tomorrow

In January of 2017, Doug Madory of Dyn Research reported on Cuban traffic, noting that C&W's share had increased. Later in December Madory reported that ETECSA had activated a new internet transit provider, medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellite-connectivity provider O3b Networks (Other 3 billion), replacing geostationary satellite provider Intelsat. (They have also added Telecom Italia, which, until 2011, owned 11% of ETECSA, but I will save that for another post). more

Vodafone Plans to Create the First 4G Network on the Moon, Appoints Nokia as Technology Partner

Vodafone is working on a project to create the first 4G network on the Moon to support a mission by PTScientists in 2019. Nokia is chosen as the company's technology partner, according to a press release issued today. more

Court Sides with FTC, Says AT&T Cannot Escape Jurisdiction of the Agency

California appeals court today gave Federal Trade Commission the green light to move forward with a lawsuit alleging that AT&T Inc was deceptive in slowing internet speeds to customers with unlimited plans. more

Vermont Governor 5th to Take a Stand Against Rollback of Net Neutrality Rules

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott is the latest state governor to take a stand against the FCC's rollback of net neutrality rules. more

SpaceX Starlink and Cuba - A Match Made in Low-Earth Orbit?

I've suggested that Cuba could use geostationary-orbit (GSO) satellite Internet service as a stopgap measure until they could afford to leapfrog over today's technology to next-generation infrastructure. They did not pick up on that stopgap suggestion, but how about low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite Internet service as a next-generation solution? SpaceX, OneWeb, Boeing and others are working on LEO satellite Internet projects. more

A Brooklyn Bitcoin Mining Operation is Causing Interference to T-Mobile’s Broadband Network

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday sent a letter to an individual in Brooklyn, New York, alleging that a device in the individual's residence used to mine Bitcoin is generating spurious radiofrequency emissions, causing interference to a portion of T-Mobile's mobile telephone and broadband network. more

Who Will Crack Cloud Application Access SLAs?

The broadband industry doesn't have an agreed-upon unit of supply and demand that meaningfully "adds up". This is rather odd for a service that aspires to be a utility. It is also a barrier to a much-needed transformation from "bit pipes" to "digital supply chain management". The chart here ought to be in every basic undergraduate textbook on packet networking and distributed computing. That it is absent says much about our technical maturity level as an industry. more

Will 5G Trigger Smart City PPP Collaboration?

As discussed in previous analyses, the arrival of 5G will trigger a totally new development in telecommunications. Not just in relation to better broadband services on mobile phones - it will also generate opportunities for a range of IoT (internet of things) developments that among other projects are grouped together under smart cities (feel free to read 'digital' or 'connected cities'). more

Suggestions for the Cuba Internet Task Force

The Cuba Internet Task Force (CITF) held their inaugural meeting last week. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs John S. Creamer will chair the CITF, and there are government representatives from the Department of State, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Federal Communications Commission, National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Agency for International Development. Freedom House will represent NGOs and the Information Technology Industry Council will represent the IT industry. more

The Internet Association Releases Letter Backing Senate Effort to Reinstate Net Neutrality Rules

The Internet Association (IA) whose members include the likes of Google, Amazon and Facebook, on Thursday issued a letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) in support of the reinstatement of FCC rules. more

New Jersey Becomes Latest State to Implement Its Own Net Neutrality Rules

New Jersey on Monday became the latest state to implement its own net neutrality rules following the FCC's Repeal. more