Carl Weinschenk

The ramp-up to the Internet of Things (IoT) is reaching a tipping point as low-power networks are being widely deployed around the globe. Spark, a carrier in New Zealand, said last week that it is building a nationwide low-power IoT network in partnership with Actility and Kordia. The ZDNet report says that a “significant” portion […]

The competition in the telecommunications sector is nowhere fiercer than when it comes to access to utility poles. This week, Charter filed a complaint against Verizon with the New York State Public Service Commission (NYSPCS). The complaint charges that Verizon denied Charter access to its poles. As told by Ars Technica, Charter agreed to extend […]

It seems obvious that the worst news coming from the ransomware attack that is occurring is simply that: A major attack is occurring that is playing havoc with computers and networks around the world. But it may not be. Continuity Central reports that the attack apparently is “based on a new type of ransomware, which […]

One of the under reported but significant stories of the broadband era is the success of the telephone industry’s digital subscriber line (DSL) program. DSL aims to enable telcos to keep pace with cable modems and other delivery methods using innovative techniques to push their legacy copper infrastructure ever further. It is working. It is […]

The enterprise wearables market is proving to be more complex and in some ways more exciting than the bring your own device (BYOD) sector to which it often is compared. The wearable market overall had a good first quarter, according to IDC. The leading companies, Xiaomi and Apple, enjoyed double digit percentage growth. Overall, about […]

President Trump, in a visit to Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, pledged that rural broadband would be an element of the $1 trillion infrastructure proposal said to be coming. The president is known for speaking off the cuff, so what is eventually proposed and, of course, what gets through Congress, is impossible to […]

Efforts by cellular companies to gain access to valuable unlicensed spectrum continue. It is a contentious issue, however. Unlicensed spectrum, as the name implies, is open to all comers. Therefore, it is a chaotic environment. Since there are no license fees, operations are cheaper. The existence of this spectrum is one of the reasons that […]

It is impossible to say in the days after what is positioned to be a major announcement whether the news is as earth shattering as the savvy PR and marketing departments built it up to be. Indeed, on first blush, it is impossible to say just how new the innovation is. That’s important to keep […]

One of the feel-good stories (both literately and figuratively) of the modern telecom age is telemedicine. It’s a win all around: Patients in rural areas get better care and the dislocation of an elderly or sick person traveling to a hospital and staying away from home is reduced. Facilities free up space and manpower and […]

Smart cities are the ultimate emerging platform in ways both good and bad. Positives include healthier and happier citizens, more efficient and environmentally responsible communities, and better services to attract and support businesses. On the flip side, however, smart cities are poorly defined and based on complex technologies,  such as the Internet of Things (IoT), […]

The trend line in the nascent 5G world is that things are moving more quickly than planners thought they would a few years ago. Expectations are that the real start of 5G as a significant business, which was thought to be 2020, will be beaten. Lightreading reports that Ovum has updated its 5G forecast and […]

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are of interest to IT departments because work forces will have to be supported as the amount of work done from these vehicles gradually grows in volume, sophistication and sensitivity. Like many other elements of modern technology, the ramp-up to autonomous vehicles seems to be accelerating (pun intended). And it seems, at […]