Carl Weinschenk

The rationale for network functions virtualizaton (NFV) is that downloading software to inexpensive plain-vanilla equipment at user sites will reduce equipment costs and increase service delivery speed and network efficiency. The advantages suggested by the concept are more potent the closer to the end user that they are deployed. This has led to research and […]

The cable industry is well known for interesting machinations. The most recent is a wireless agreement between Comcast and Charter Cable that could have significant ramifications down the road. Yesterday, the companies announced an agreement under which the multiple system operators (MSOs) agreed to make no moves in the wireless industry without the other for […]

The 3D printing business is at a crossroads. The issue is whether the technology can take the leap to challenge traditional production methods or will remain a large and valuable niche process. The explosion of interest in 3D (or additive) printing during the past decade is understandable: It can drastically reduce and in some cases […]

The LPWA announced this week that Everynet has launched what it called the first over-the-air firmware updating capability for devices on low power wide-area networks (LPWAN). The updates will be able to update the firmware in Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This is possibly a significant step. The press release notes that the low capacity […]

Developing a way to control drones that will share airspace with airplanes full of people and fly over towns and cities is a complex and vital task. Qualcomm this week released results of testing of how drones behave when they are controlled by LTE. The company said that the testing, which focused on drones as […]

The effect that ebbs and flows in entertainment video subscriptions have on the networks available to businesses is debatable. On one hand, of course, video products are separate and distinct from those used by businesses. These are two separate endeavors that overlap only slightly. But they share some infrastructure, especially in the small- and medium-sized […]

T-Mobile said this week that it will begin building a 5G network in 2019 and will complete the project in 2020. The network will differ from the direction of the other carriers; it will focus on wider coverage and ability of subscribers to manage multiple devices instead of extremely high speeds. The 5G network will […]

Move over, Mirai, another botnet is taking aim at Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The interesting twist is that nobody is sure if the new entrant, Hajime, aims at causing destruction or at preventing Mirai and other botnets from doing so. Security firm Kaspersky Lab claimed that Hajime, which means “beginning” in Japanese, is a […]

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai yesterday delivered an important speech at The Newseum in Washington, D.C. on the highest profile issue with which his FCC will deal: the roll back to the net neutrality rules put in place under his predecessor, Tom Wheeler. Wheeler, interestingly, is not mentioned by name in the nearly […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) deals with many mundane issues in addition to the high-profile items that make headlines. Those under-the-radar topics, however, can have significant impact on telecommunications companies and the people they serve. Late last month, the FCC released drafts of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, a Notice of Inquire and a Request […]

Vendors introduce phones virtually every day and that rapidity means that few are noticed except by those with a rooting interest in the vendor or phone aficionados. An exception to this rule of thumb is Samsung’s introduction of the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The phones, which became available last Friday, will likely be popular with […]

3D printing is on the verge of upending many production and manufacturing processes that have been in place for decades. “It’s in a transition right now from prototyping, where it has been for the past 30 years, to low-volume manufacturing,” says Frank Marangell, the president and CEO of Rize. Marangell, whose company makes 3D printers […]