With the popularity of video streaming, its no surprise that video is already more than 50% of the data traffic flowing through the network.
参考：cisco
Dec 8, 2011
Dec 7, 2011
Dec 2, 2011
Nov 27, 2011
Oct 25, 2011
Oct 17, 2011
Oct 13, 2011
Sep 7, 2011
Aug 31, 2011
Aug 25, 2011
Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple
Tim Cook Named CEO and Jobs Elected Chairman of the Board
CUPERTINO, California—August 24, 2011—Apple’s Board of Directors today announced that Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board has named Tim Cook, previously Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, as the company’s new CEO. Jobs has been elected Chairman of the Board and Cook will join the Board, effective immediately.“Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple's Board. “Steve has made countless contributions to Apple’s success, and he has attracted and inspired Apple’s immensely creative employees and world class executive team. In his new role as Chairman of the Board, Steve will continue to serve Apple with his unique insights, creativity and inspiration.”
“The Board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next CEO,” added Levinson. “Tim’s 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does.”
Jobs submitted his resignation to the Board today and strongly recommended that the Board implement its succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO.
As COO, Cook was previously responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
参考：http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Steve-Jobs-Resigns-as-CEO-of-Apple.html
Letter from Steve Jobs
To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
参考：http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
参考：http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html
Huawei Launched China Mobile's LTE TDD Trial Network for the Shenzhen Summer Universiade 2011
Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced the successful launch of a LTE TDD trial network for China Mobile in Shenzhen. The network, powered exclusively by Huawei, will serve the main event stadiums and surrounding areas for the 26th Shenzhen Summer Universiade 2011.
"The launch of China Mobile's LTE TDD trial network for the Shenzhen Summer Universiade, marks Huawei's third successful collaboration with the company, following our partnership on the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the 16th Guangzhou Asia Games," said Deng Taihua, president of WiMAX & TDS & LTE, Huawei. "We are proud of this successful launch as it helps move the industry forward by demonstrating the high quality performance of LTE TDD networks, as we believe that LTE TDD will play a crucial role in the future development of mobile broadband."
For this project, Huawei provided China Mobile with an end-to-end solution including LTE TDD/FDD dual-mode USB dongle E398, and was the first vendor to complete network testing and launch 110 sites. Test results showed technological advantages such as high data speed and low latency - as even on a raining day, downlink data speeds remained stable at 60Mb/s to 70Mb/s, and 24-route high-definition video transmission and display simultaneously and all images were steady and clear.
The trial network will cover all stadiums in the Universiade Center and Gymnasium of Shenzhen Bay Sports Center and will provide a series of mobile broadband services, such as high-definition (HD) video conferencing, HD video monitoring, instant shoot and send services. Through China Mobile's LTE TDD trial network, people are able to watch the torch relay, opening ceremony and the entire competition live.
Aug 17, 2011
Aug 12, 2011
Radio over Fiber
Radio over Fiber (RoF) refers to a technology whereby light is modulated by a radio signal and transmitted over an optical fiber link to facilitate wireless access. Although radio transmission over fiber is used for multiple purposes, such as in cable television (CATV) networks and in satellite base stations, the term RoF is usually applied when this is done for wireless access.
In RoF systems, wireless signals are transported in optical form between a central station and a set of base stations before being radiated through the air. Each base station is adapted to communicate over a radio link with at least one user's mobile station located within the radio range of said base station.
RoF transmission systems are usually classified into two main categories (RF-over-Fiber ; IF-over-Fiber) depending on the frequency range of the radio signal to be transported.
a) In RF-over-Fiber architecture, a data-carrying RF (Radio Frequency) signal with a high frequency (usually greater than 10 GHz) is imposed on a lightwave signal before being transported over the optical link. Therefore, wireless signals are optically distributed to base stations directly at high frequencies and converted to from optical to electrical domain at the base stations before being amplified and radiated by an antenna. As a result, no frequency up/down conversion is required at the various base station, thereby resulting in simple and rather cost-effective implementation is enabled at the base stations.
b) In IF-over-Fiber architecture, an IF (Intermediate Frequency) radio signal with a lower frequency (less than 10 GHz) is used for modulating light before being transported over the optical link. Therefore, wireless signals are transported at intermediate frequency over the optical.
参考：NTT Docomo Technical Journal
Aug 3, 2011
Aug 2, 2011
Jul 28, 2011
Samsung sees 300% growth in smartphone market share
参考：http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/07/2011-will-hit-420-million-smartphone-sales-samsung-hits-433-percent-growthsamsung-sees-300-growth-in-smartphone-market-share.ars
Jul 21, 2011
Jul 20, 2011
Jul 15, 2011
Jun 29, 2011
Press Release: Mobile payments users to grow by 40% to reach 2.5 billion globally by 2015, according to Juniper Research
Hampshire, UK, 28th June 2011: A new report by analyst firm Juniper Research forecasts that the number of mobile phone users making payments for digital goods will reach 2.5 billion worldwide by 2015, up from 1.8bn forecast for 2011. This represents a growth of 40%.
Mobile tickets for transport and entertainment were found to be two of the key sectors influencing growth although new service and application adoption will also be very important.
Senior analyst David Snow gave more details: “Whilst the mobile payments sector offers substantial growth opportunities, it needs to be seen by innovative players as a platform from which to develop new value added applications and services such as personalised mobile coupons, loyalty schemes, and novel augmented reality offerings.”
However, the Juniper report also warned that fraud levels with certain types of payments such as PSMS and direct billing are on the increase with mobile security becoming a key issue in the not too distant future.
Further key research from the Mobile Payments for Digital & Physical Goods report shows:
• The Far East & China region will be the largest, accounting for nearly 30% of the total by 2015;
• The Indian Sub-Continent is forecast to exceed 400 million users by 2015.
The report uses an innovative new approach to compare the positioning of some 17 mobile payments vendors. These vendors are also profiled in the report, enabling the reader to identify and compare their strategies. In depth market forecasts provide detailed five year regional data for mobile digital & physical goods payments, showing key parameters including subscriber take-up, transaction sizes and volumes. The report also reveals the strategies that are being used to enable users to pay by mobile through case studies from companies such as Virgin Media and Badoo.
The Mobile Payments Whitepaper and further details of the study ‘Mobile Payments for Digital & Physical Goods: Analysis, Markets & Vendor Strategies 2011-2015’ can be freely downloaded from www.juniperresearch.com. Alternatively please contact john.levett@juniperresearch.com. +44(0)1256 830002.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.
参考：http://juniperresearch.com/viewpressrelease.php?pr=249
Mobile tickets for transport and entertainment were found to be two of the key sectors influencing growth although new service and application adoption will also be very important.
Senior analyst David Snow gave more details: “Whilst the mobile payments sector offers substantial growth opportunities, it needs to be seen by innovative players as a platform from which to develop new value added applications and services such as personalised mobile coupons, loyalty schemes, and novel augmented reality offerings.”
However, the Juniper report also warned that fraud levels with certain types of payments such as PSMS and direct billing are on the increase with mobile security becoming a key issue in the not too distant future.
Further key research from the Mobile Payments for Digital & Physical Goods report shows:
• The Far East & China region will be the largest, accounting for nearly 30% of the total by 2015;
• The Indian Sub-Continent is forecast to exceed 400 million users by 2015.
The report uses an innovative new approach to compare the positioning of some 17 mobile payments vendors. These vendors are also profiled in the report, enabling the reader to identify and compare their strategies. In depth market forecasts provide detailed five year regional data for mobile digital & physical goods payments, showing key parameters including subscriber take-up, transaction sizes and volumes. The report also reveals the strategies that are being used to enable users to pay by mobile through case studies from companies such as Virgin Media and Badoo.
The Mobile Payments Whitepaper and further details of the study ‘Mobile Payments for Digital & Physical Goods: Analysis, Markets & Vendor Strategies 2011-2015’ can be freely downloaded from www.juniperresearch.com. Alternatively please contact john.levett@juniperresearch.com. +44(0)1256 830002.
Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.
参考：http://juniperresearch.com/viewpressrelease.php?pr=249
Jun 28, 2011
KDDI MULTI CLOUD
KDDIは、法人向け新ブランド「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」を立ち上げた。デバイス、ネットワーク、データセンター、アプリケーションまでをシームレスに統合するクラウドソリューションを提供する。
「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」は、クラウドサービスをデバイスから発想し、携帯および固定のネットワーク、データセンターおよびアプリケーションを統合的に提供するためのクラウドソリューションのブランドとなる。クラウドソリューションを導入しやすい傾向にある、従業員数1000名以下の大企業および中規模企業をメインターゲットとして展開していく。小規模企業向けのソリューションについても今後提供される予定。
端末、ネットワーク、データセンター、アプリケーションをKDDIが一括で請け負って、導入企業の効率化を進める。また、他社システムインテグレーターやサービス事業者など、現在競合関係にある企業とも積極的に協業する方針で、企業ニーズに応じて、柔軟に他社サービスとの連携も図る。
KDDIのソリューション事業本部長である東海林崇氏は、大企業は依然としてIT資産を自社で開発および管理しているが、ITインフラは「所有から利用」、つまり開発投資、運用管理を企業から切り離し、事業運営スピードを加速させられる環境にあるとする。
しかし、クラウドを活用し、より効率的な事業運営が実現できる一方で、その利用状況はかんばしくない。東海林氏は、総務省の調査結果を示し、86％の企業がクラウドを活用しておらず、42.9％が使う予定がないと回答していると説明した。利用されない理由として同氏は、クラウドサービス自体の認知度不足と、導入障壁の高さを挙げた。ただし、東日本大震災以降、企業のBCP（business continuity plan、事業継続計画）へのニーズは高まっているという。
たとえばテレワークを利用する場合、データセンターやアプリケーションの契約や設定のほかに、ネットワークの契約や設定、信頼性のチェックや保守運用など、各レイヤー毎に契約や設定の手間が生じる。この手間がクラウド導入を鈍らせているという。「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」では、KDDIが一括してソリューションを請け負うことで、端末、ネットワーク、データセンター、アプリケーションのシームレスな利用を促進させる。
東海林氏は、「KDDIはこれまでもクラウドをやってきたが、顧客にとって何がいいのか？ 携帯やスマートフォンから、パソコンから、プラグイン的に目的に到達できるシームレスな世界、デバイスから見て使い易いサービスが本当のクラウドサービスではないか」と語る。KDDIは中長期の成長ビジョンとして、マルチデバイス、マルチネットワーク、マルチユースの「3M戦略」を掲げており、「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」はこの戦略とも合致する。なお、クラウドサービスはKDDI社内でも導入されており、DaaS（Desktop as a Service）、つまり、データをサーバー側に起いてデスクトップ環境をクラウド化するソリューションがもっとも活用されているという。
「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」は、クラウドサービスをデバイスから発想し、携帯および固定のネットワーク、データセンターおよびアプリケーションを統合的に提供するためのクラウドソリューションのブランドとなる。クラウドソリューションを導入しやすい傾向にある、従業員数1000名以下の大企業および中規模企業をメインターゲットとして展開していく。小規模企業向けのソリューションについても今後提供される予定。
端末、ネットワーク、データセンター、アプリケーションをKDDIが一括で請け負って、導入企業の効率化を進める。また、他社システムインテグレーターやサービス事業者など、現在競合関係にある企業とも積極的に協業する方針で、企業ニーズに応じて、柔軟に他社サービスとの連携も図る。
KDDIのソリューション事業本部長である東海林崇氏は、大企業は依然としてIT資産を自社で開発および管理しているが、ITインフラは「所有から利用」、つまり開発投資、運用管理を企業から切り離し、事業運営スピードを加速させられる環境にあるとする。
しかし、クラウドを活用し、より効率的な事業運営が実現できる一方で、その利用状況はかんばしくない。東海林氏は、総務省の調査結果を示し、86％の企業がクラウドを活用しておらず、42.9％が使う予定がないと回答していると説明した。利用されない理由として同氏は、クラウドサービス自体の認知度不足と、導入障壁の高さを挙げた。ただし、東日本大震災以降、企業のBCP（business continuity plan、事業継続計画）へのニーズは高まっているという。
たとえばテレワークを利用する場合、データセンターやアプリケーションの契約や設定のほかに、ネットワークの契約や設定、信頼性のチェックや保守運用など、各レイヤー毎に契約や設定の手間が生じる。この手間がクラウド導入を鈍らせているという。「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」では、KDDIが一括してソリューションを請け負うことで、端末、ネットワーク、データセンター、アプリケーションのシームレスな利用を促進させる。
東海林氏は、「KDDIはこれまでもクラウドをやってきたが、顧客にとって何がいいのか？ 携帯やスマートフォンから、パソコンから、プラグイン的に目的に到達できるシームレスな世界、デバイスから見て使い易いサービスが本当のクラウドサービスではないか」と語る。KDDIは中長期の成長ビジョンとして、マルチデバイス、マルチネットワーク、マルチユースの「3M戦略」を掲げており、「KDDI MULTI CLOUD」はこの戦略とも合致する。なお、クラウドサービスはKDDI社内でも導入されており、DaaS（Desktop as a Service）、つまり、データをサーバー側に起いてデスクトップ環境をクラウド化するソリューションがもっとも活用されているという。
Jun 21, 2011
Jun 17, 2011
Jun 9, 2011
LTE/SAE Network architecture
SAE (System Architecture Evolution): With the very high data rate and low latency requirements for 3G LTE, it is necessary to evolve the system architecture to enable the improved performance to be achieved. One change is that a number of the functions previously handled by the core network have been transferred out to the periphery. Essentially this provides a much "flatter" form of network architecture. In this way latency times can be reduced and data can be routed more directly to its destination.
Mobility Management Entity, MME: The MME is the main control node for the LTE SAE access network, handling a number of features:
- Idle mode UE tracking
- Bearer activation / de-activation
- Choice of SGW for a UE
- Intra-LTE handover involving core network node location
- Interacting with HSS to authenticate user on attachment and implements roaming restrictions
- It acts as a termination for the Non-Access Stratum (NAS)
- The SAE MME acts the termination point for ciphering protection for NAS signaling. As part of this it also handles the security key management. Accordingly the MME is the point at which lawful interception of signalling may be made.
- Paging procedure
- The S3 interface terminates in the MME thereby providing the control plane function for mobility between LTE and 2G/3G access networks.
- The SAE MME also terminates the S6a interface for the home HSS for roaming UEs.
It can therefore be seen that the SAE MME provides a considerable level of overall control functionality.
Serving Gateway, SGW: The Serving Gateway, SGW, is a data plane element within the LTE SAE. Its main purpose is to manage the user plane mobility and it also acts as the main border between the Radio Access Network, RAN and the core network. The SGW also maintains the data paths between the eNodeBs and the PDN Gateways. In this way the SGW forms a interface for the data packet network at the E-UTRAN.
Also when UEs move across areas served by different eNodeBs, the SGW serves as a mobility anchor ensuring that the data path is maintained.
PDN Gateway, PGW: The LTE SAE PDN gateway provides connectivity for the UE to external packet data networks, fulfilling the function of entry and exit point for UE data. The UE may have connectivity with more than one PGW for accessing multiple PDNs.
NAS: Non Access Stratum
RRC: Radio Resource Control
PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol
RLC: Radio Link Control
MAC: Medium Access Control
PHY: Physical Layer
In the control-plane, the NAS protocol, which runs between
the MME and the UE, is used for control-purposes such as network
attach, authentication, setting up of bearers, and mobility management. All NAS messages are ciphered and integrity protected by the
MME and UE. The RRC layer in the eNB makes handover decisions
based on neighbor cell measurements sent by the UE, pages for
the UEs over the air, broadcasts system information, controls UE
measurement reporting such as the periodicity of Channel Quality
Information (CQI) reports and allocates cell-level temporary identifiers to active UEs. It also executes transfer of UE context from the
source eNB to the target eNB during handover, and does integrity
protection of RRC messages. The RRC layer is responsible for the
setting up and maintenance of radio bearers.
In the user-plane, the PDCP layer is responsible for
compressing/decompressing the headers of user
plane IP packets using Robust Header Compression
(ROHC) to enable efficient use of air interface bandwidth.This layer performs ciphering of both user
plane and control plane data. Because the NAS messages are carried in RRC, they are effectively double
ciphered and integrity protected, once at the MME
and again at the eNB.
The RLC layer is used to format and transport traffic
between the UE and the eNB. RLC provides three
different reliability modes for data transport- Acknowledged Mode (AM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), or
Transparent Mode (TM). The UM mode is suitable
for transport of Real Time (RT) services because such
services are delay sensitive and cannot wait for retransmissions. The AM mode, on the other hand,
is appropriate for non-RT (NRT) services such as file
downloads. The TM mode is used when the PDU sizes are known a priori such as for broadcasting system
information. The RLC layer also provides in-sequence
delivery of Service Data Units (SDUs) to the upper
layers and eliminates duplicate SDUs from being delivered to the upper layers. It may also segment the
SDUs depending on the radio condition
Furthermore, there are two levels of re-transmissions for providing reliability, namely, the Hybrid
Automatic Repeat reQuest (HARQ) at the MAC
layer and outer ARQ at the RLC layer. The outer
ARQ is required to handle residual errors that are
not corrected by HARQ that is kept simple by the
use of a single bit error-feedback mechanism. An
N-process stop-and-wait HARQ is employed that
has asynchronous re-transmissions in the DL and
synchronous re-transmissions in the UL. Synchronous HARQ means that the re-transmissions of
HARQ blocks occur at pre-defined periodic intervals. Hence, no explicit signaling is required to
indicate to the receiver the retransmission schedule. Asynchronous HARQ offers the flexibility of
scheduling re-transmissions based on air interface
conditions.
Jun 7, 2011
Jun 5, 2011
LTE basic 2
he OFDM sub-carrier spacing in the frequency domain is 15 kHz. Twelve of these sub-carriers together are called a resource block.
QPSK: Quadrature Phase Shift Keying is a phase modulation algorithm.
16 QAM and 64 QAM: Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
LTE frequency Bands
Jun 3, 2011
Jun 2, 2011
Jun 1, 2011
May 25, 2011
NTT DoCoMo announces 'Crossy'
The “X” denotes both “connection” and “infinite possibility,” and the “i” both “individual user” and “innovation.” The logo, which resembles the infinity symbol, aligns the letters in a single stream to embody the bonds that organically link people, goods and information, and lead to new innovation.
DOCOMO’s Xi LTE service will offer downlinks of up to 75 Mbps, approximately 10 times faster than the company’s current FOMA™ 3G service. Initially, Xi will be available in the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka areas, but coverage eventually will be expanded to other major cities and then additional areas of the nation. Xi users will be seamlessly handed over to the FOMA network whenever they leave a Xi service area.
Xi handsets, billing plans and other details will be announced later.
LTE World summit 2011
Adrian Scrase from 3GPP said that as there are already over 200 operators committed to LTE, its the fastest growing mobile technology ever.
Bart Weijermars from TMobile Netherlands said future growth will be data centric fuelled by appealing terminals, new usages, broadband and ubiquity.
Future challenges include Network sharing, required to keep the cost under control; everyone allowed to roam freely everywhere; all the content is stored in the cloud and voip is the only option for voice.
New services will be possible with the advent of '4G' but care has to be taken because background apps are already using up a lot of capacity.
There is still work that needs to be done on Spectrum, Smartphone challenges and Network of networks.
Huawei has been one of the main sponsors of the event and the award and Ying Weimin spoke on how LTE is the way to more competitive Mobile Broadband.
According to him, wireless solution is a personalized solution and will go everywhere you go.
Spectrum is the main concern though as a combination of low and high frequency will be needed. Hetnets are coming and they will be the future of the networks.
The way forward is to start the LTE with data only and build on top of that. The network should be simple evolution and will contain of cloud baseband, wideband RRU and AAS.
Pocket Wifi is definitely going to be a killer device and Innovative LTE business and Apps will be needed in the long term like Instant LTE broadcast, Wireless Video surveillance, etc.
LTE is faster than expected and this is the reason there are so many operator commitments. Huawei has 40+ LTE contracts and 10 have already been launched. This is just the beginning.
Seizo Onoe from NTT Docomo spoke about Crossy. In fact during Christmas the employees were wishing each other 'Merry Crossy'. Docomo believes that the users dont care about HSPA or LTE so the Crossy is a service they are selling to the users.
Docomo are getting 75Mbps max DL speeds (using 10MHz band). The phones are capable of 100Mbps though (category 3).
Docomo has recently announced 24 new devices. 2 are Wifi routers. Unlimited data plans on the LTE network cost 5000 yens.
On the spectrum side they are expecting the LTE network to co-exist with UMTS and will be using the 2.1GHz band. In fact Docomo thinks that 2.1GHz should be the universal band that all devices should support so In future when the networks are deployed all these existing devices start working without problems.
The RRE equipment that Docomo has been deploying works with both HSPA and LTE.
Japan has already shutdown its 2G PDC networks but other cannot do the same for GSM. Onoe-san believes that we should stop the evolution of 2G as EDGE has still been evolving and we should focus all the energy into LTE evolution.
Onoe-san did emphasise that LTE is 3.9G and not 4G.
Onoe-san also said that ETWS was very helpful in the recent tsunami in Japan and services like these should be standardised quickly as they will be useful for someone or the other.
Thomas Wehelier from Informa presented the survey results of LTE ecosystem.
In 2011, the LTE deployments will quadruple but 2012 will have most deployments. Spectrum fragmentation is still prevalent but the core bands for LTE are 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2.6GHz. Capacity still cited as a big driver for the deployments.
TD-LTE represents a new market and new opportunity. In fact Ericsson bills this a year of TD-LTE.
Chris Kimm from Verizon spoke on their 2020 vision.
In Dec. 10 Verizon were covering 110 million people in the US by 2013 the plan is that 290 million will have LTE coverage. In fact LTE was launched in new cities on the day. At the moment though only 250K users are using LTE.
The rate of change is breathtaking and as a result CIO has changed from Chief Information officer to chief innovation officer.
In the Q&A, Chris said that they will deploy voice in 2012 using VoLTE. OTT voice will also be ok.
Panel Discussion:
Adrian Scrase brought up the topic of Global Roaming. As there are already 30 bands specified for LTE, do we need a roaming band that should be standardised. Should this band be an Industry initiative or will it be market driven?
The consensus was that this will be market driven.
Question was asked if LTE will be more profitable than previous technology.
NTT Docomo believes that LTE as a technology cannot generate new revenues but the services around it can.
Adrian Scrase asked the question that a lot of Services are defined by the standards but most of them do not get deployed. Does NTT DoComo think ETWS has been defined correctly as per the standards.
Onoe-san from NTT Docomo said that this service has been of utmost importance in the recent tsunami disaster. Even though the service was implemented and available on the phones, it was not used so people were not aware of it. So when the disaster struck everyone was surprised to receive this message. Now everyone knows about this service. Docomo has been using meteorological data since 2009 for this service.
参考：3g 4g wireless blog
May 19, 2011
mobile messaging revenues decline?
With analysis from Vodafone’s latest annual results for the year ending March 2011, Mark Heath asks a big question that has major repercussions for mobile network operators. Are we now seeing the decline of mobile messaging revenues?
Mobile messaging in general and SMS in particular have proved highly-lucrative services for mobile network operators. In the year to March 2011, Vodafone generated a total revenue of GBP4.1 billion across Europe from mobile messaging. Despite the launch of 3G services many years ago, which offered the prospect of a much broader set of mobile data services, SMS has continued to be a major revenue generator. In the UK alone, for the year to March 2011, mobile messaging generated a revenue of £1.15 billion for Vodafone, compared with £762 million for all other mobile data services.
The impressive revenue from SMS is despite it being a very simple service relative to other mobile data services, without stringent requirements such as low latency and high data rates. Even though the amount of data that can be sent with an SMS – 160 characters – is so small, mobile network operators have been able to charge significant amounts. The result is that the revenue per megabyte of an SMS is substantially higher than all other mobile services: $1000 per megabyte compared with about USD1 per megabyte for voice telephony and USD0.01 per megabyte (or less) for mobile broadband services.
Mobile network operators are now beginning to see significant data revenues beyond mobile messaging, and I’m sure they have been hoping that this would generate strong increases in overall mobile data revenues. However, coupled with this, there is a risk of diminishing messaging revenues, which could more than offset growth in other mobile data services. This could reverse the progress that mobile network operators have made in the last few years to grow their overall mobile data revenues, as well as sending shockwaves to investors.
Buried within Vodafone’s latest annual report document is a detailed breakdown of service revenue, by service type. Analysis of this data reveals some interesting trends. In at least two countries in Europe, revenue from mobile messaging has declined.
In Spain, the total annual revenue generated from mobile data services was GBP882 million in the year to March 2011, which was actually slightly less than the previous year (GBP888 million). While there was a healthy 10.0% increase in mobile data revenue excluding mobile messaging, there was a 13.8% decline in mobile messaging revenue, from GBP400 million to GBP345 million.
In Italy, a relatively strong 16.7% increase in mobile data revenue excluding mobile messaging was offset by a 5.0% decline in mobile messaging revenue.
At the very least, declines in mobile messaging revenues will make it more difficult to turn the take-up of mobile data services and increases in smartphone penetration into substantial continued increases in overall mobile data revenues.
These numbers do not come as a shock, as I am seeing significant changes of behaviour closer to home. My own children have made a significant contribution to operator SMS revenues and messaging volumes over the last five years. However, I am noticing significant changes in their behaviour. No longer are they glued to their mobile phones sending texts. Instead, social media and Facebook, in particular, have taken more of a hold. They now spend time messaging their friends on Facebook, using their own PCs supplemented by a combination of mobile devices, including notebooks, an iPad and their mobile phones (all principally using a WiFi connection).
Compared with a messaging platform that requires a mobile phone, Facebook and similar services have some important advantages. They can be accessed by a broad range of devices, including PCs, and they can generally better handle group communications. Finally, many people perceive these services as free.
There may be challenging times ahead as mobile network operators are forced to get to grips with the full impact of the Internet, when it starts to threaten one of its key sources of revenue.
Mobile messaging in general and SMS in particular have proved highly-lucrative services for mobile network operators. In the year to March 2011, Vodafone generated a total revenue of GBP4.1 billion across Europe from mobile messaging. Despite the launch of 3G services many years ago, which offered the prospect of a much broader set of mobile data services, SMS has continued to be a major revenue generator. In the UK alone, for the year to March 2011, mobile messaging generated a revenue of £1.15 billion for Vodafone, compared with £762 million for all other mobile data services.
The impressive revenue from SMS is despite it being a very simple service relative to other mobile data services, without stringent requirements such as low latency and high data rates. Even though the amount of data that can be sent with an SMS – 160 characters – is so small, mobile network operators have been able to charge significant amounts. The result is that the revenue per megabyte of an SMS is substantially higher than all other mobile services: $1000 per megabyte compared with about USD1 per megabyte for voice telephony and USD0.01 per megabyte (or less) for mobile broadband services.
Mobile network operators are now beginning to see significant data revenues beyond mobile messaging, and I’m sure they have been hoping that this would generate strong increases in overall mobile data revenues. However, coupled with this, there is a risk of diminishing messaging revenues, which could more than offset growth in other mobile data services. This could reverse the progress that mobile network operators have made in the last few years to grow their overall mobile data revenues, as well as sending shockwaves to investors.
Buried within Vodafone’s latest annual report document is a detailed breakdown of service revenue, by service type. Analysis of this data reveals some interesting trends. In at least two countries in Europe, revenue from mobile messaging has declined.
In Spain, the total annual revenue generated from mobile data services was GBP882 million in the year to March 2011, which was actually slightly less than the previous year (GBP888 million). While there was a healthy 10.0% increase in mobile data revenue excluding mobile messaging, there was a 13.8% decline in mobile messaging revenue, from GBP400 million to GBP345 million.
In Italy, a relatively strong 16.7% increase in mobile data revenue excluding mobile messaging was offset by a 5.0% decline in mobile messaging revenue.
At the very least, declines in mobile messaging revenues will make it more difficult to turn the take-up of mobile data services and increases in smartphone penetration into substantial continued increases in overall mobile data revenues.
These numbers do not come as a shock, as I am seeing significant changes of behaviour closer to home. My own children have made a significant contribution to operator SMS revenues and messaging volumes over the last five years. However, I am noticing significant changes in their behaviour. No longer are they glued to their mobile phones sending texts. Instead, social media and Facebook, in particular, have taken more of a hold. They now spend time messaging their friends on Facebook, using their own PCs supplemented by a combination of mobile devices, including notebooks, an iPad and their mobile phones (all principally using a WiFi connection).
Compared with a messaging platform that requires a mobile phone, Facebook and similar services have some important advantages. They can be accessed by a broad range of devices, including PCs, and they can generally better handle group communications. Finally, many people perceive these services as free.
There may be challenging times ahead as mobile network operators are forced to get to grips with the full impact of the Internet, when it starts to threaten one of its key sources of revenue.
参考：http://www.unwiredinsight.com/wireless-blog
May 6, 2011
May 5, 2011
About Security Algorithm
The current 3GPP specifications for LTE/SAE security support a flexible algorithm negotiation mechanism. There could be sixteen algorithms at most to support LTE/SAE confidentiality and integrity protection. In current phase, 3GPP defines that there are two algorithms used in EPS security, i.e. SNOW 3G and AES. The remaining values have been reserved for future use. So it is technically feasible for supporting new algorithm for LTE/SAE ciphering and integrity protection.
Different nations will have different policies for algorithm usage of communication system. The current defined EPS algorithm may not be used in some nations according to strict policies which depend on nation’s security laws. Meanwhile, operators shall implement their networks depending on national communication policies. To introduce a new algorithm for EPS security will give operators more alternatives to decide in order to obey national requirements.
Some work has been done to adapt LTE security to national requirements about cryptography of LTE/SAE system, i.e. designing a new algorithm of EPS security, which is named ZUC (i.e. Zu Chongzhi, a famous Chinese scientist name in history). Certainly the new algorithm should be fundamentally different from SNOW 3G and AES, so that an attack on one algorithm is very unlikely to translate into an attack on the other.
The objective of this work item is to standardise a new algorithm in EPS. This will include the following tasks:
• To develop new algorithms for confidentiality and integrity protection for E-UTRAN
• To enable operators to quickly start to support the new algorithm
• Not to introduce any obstacle for R8 roaming UE
The following issues should at least be handled in the WI:
• Agree requirement specification with ETSI SAGE for development of new algorithms
• Delivery of algorithm specification, test data and design and evaluation reports
The algorithm is provided for 3GPP usage on royalty-free basis.
The algorithm shall undergo a sequential three-stage evaluation process involving first ETSI SAGE, then selected teams of cryptanalysts from academia and finally the general public.
参考：3G and 4G Wireless Blog
Apr 28, 2011
Wi-Fi security flaw for smartphones puts your credit cards at risk
Millions of smartphone users and BT customers who use Wi-Fi wireless internet "hotspot" connections in public are vulnerable to fraud and identity theft, a Gaurdian investigation has established.
In tests conducted with volunteers - to avoid breaching telecommunications and computer misuse laws - security experts were able to gather usernames, passwords and messages from phones using Wi-Fi in public places.
In the case of the best-selling Apple iPhone 4 and other smartphone handsets, the information could be harvested without the users' knowledge and even when they were not actively surfing the web if the phone was turned on.
BT. the UK's biggest provider of such hotspots with five million of its "Openzone" connections in the UK in train stations, hotels and airports, admitted that it has known of the weakness for "year" and that it is working on a permanent fix. But it has no timetable for when it might be implemented.
Using a $49 piece of communications equipment and software freely available for download from the internet, the investigation established that crooks could set up bogus Wi-Fi "gateways" to which the lastest generation of mobile phones would automatically connect. Once a connection is established, all the information passing through the gateway can be either be read directly or decrypted using software that will run on a laptop.
In another test, a fake Wi-Fi hotspot invited people to "pay" for internet access with their credit card - but required them to click a box to accept terms and conditions which clearly stated "you agree we can do anything we like with your credit card details and personal logins".
A number of people entered their details. The Guardian did not retain any users' details in the experiment.
Not only could the information be used to steal identities, hijack email accounts and commit fraud but also to gather information about individuals and company employees. With the information gained in our investigation, fraudsters could have bought goods online or sent multiple e-gift voucher worth as much as $1,000 each to pre-set email addresses. It is believed that such vouchers are already being traded by crook over the internet.
The attack works because public Wi-Fi hotspots have no form of identification except their name, which an off-the-shelf device can mimic. Many smartphones are sold with automatic connectivity to BT's Openzone Wi-Fi hotspots to enhance the contract and reduce the load on the mobile carrier's data network form the phones, while offering faster connectivity.
Jason Hart, chief executive of the security company Cryptocard in Europe, said: "An O2 iPhone will automatically connect, because BT Openzone connectivity is usually part of the package for free internet access. It will pass over its credentials and because it can see the internet through the hotspot, it will start sending and receiving data."
BT, which boasts of having 2.5 million Wi-Fi hotspots available to its 5 million broadband customers said: "This hack is known as 'Evil Twin' and has been known to the industry and others for some years."
The company is working with the Wireless Broadband Alliance, an industry group which aims to help hotspot providers deliver a "reliable and trustworthy" service, to introduce a security system known as 802.1x, which forces detailed authorisation when devices connect. But it is not clear whether the devices themselves will be able to detect fake hotspots.
Apple, manufacturer of the top-selling iPhone series, declined to comment. O2 did not respond to requests for comment.
BT broadband customers who agree to allow a part of their Wi-Fi bandwidth to be used publicly are, in turn, allowed to use the Wi-Fi of other subscribers. The resultant Wi-Fi community is called BT Fon and utilises wireless routers – boxes which broadcast the Wi-Fi signals – in people's homes. BT Openzone users have to provide usernames and passwords. Subscribers may use both services through their smartphones. On the first use anywhere, they must give a username and password – but after that, their phones forever hunt out hotspots with the names "BT Fon" and "BT Openzone" hotspots automatically, and will join them.
Stuart Hyde, the Association of Chief Police Officers' lead on e-crime prevention, said: "We became aware of the potential for criminals to use Wi-Fi in this way last year and have become increasingly concerned. All they need is to set themselves up in a public place with a laptop and a mobile router called 'BTOpenzone' or 'Free Wifi' and unsuspecting members of the public come along and connect to them.
"Once that happens, there is software out there that enables them to gather usernames and passwords for each site a user signs in to while surfing the net. And once criminals have access to your email accounts, Facebook account, Amazon history and so on, the potential for fraud and identity theft is very serious indeed.
"Until there are improvements in security, I would advise people to be very wary indeed when using insecure Wi-Fi in public places."
Professor Peter Sommer, a cyber-security expert at the London School of Economics, said: "This is all very alarming. It means that literally millions of people who use Wi-Fi in public could be at risk. If criminals are able to harvest the usernames and passwords of all the websites you visit, they could do significant damage in terms of identity theft and fraud.
"The safest route for existing users of mobile phones, particularly if they use BT Fon or Openzone, is to switch off their Wi-Fi when they leave home and only use it on systems they know to be secure – such as at home or at work. Everywhere else you use Wi-Fi – whether in a coffee shop, an airport, a railway station and especially out in the street – you are taking a calculated risk."
参考：http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/apr/25/wifi-security-flaw-smartphones-risk?CMP=twt_gu
Almost 200 operators investing in LTE
The Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) has published an update to its Evolution to LTE report which confirms almost 200 operators are now investing in LTE.
The report confirms 140 firm operator commitments to deploy commercial LTE systems in 56 countries. The number of committed operators is 118% higher than one year ago. A further 56 pre-commitment trials have been identified. Taken together, the report confirms 196 operators in 75 countries are currently investing in LTE. The report covers both LTE FDD and LTE TDD modes.
Seventeen operators have commercially launched LTE networks, in Austria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Poland, Sweden, USA, and Uzbekistan.
GSA has raised its market outlook and now anticipates that at least 73 LTE networks will be in commercial service by end 2012.
The regional breakdown of 140 firm operator commitments to deploy is as follows:
- Americas = 29 networks
- Europe = 64 networks
- MEA = 14 networks
- APAC/Oceania = 33 networks
The ecosystem of user devices is quickly building. In a related report published by GSA earlier this month, (Status of the LTE Ecosystem – March 16, 2011), a total of 98 LTE-capable user devices were confirmed launched in the market by 35 suppliers.
Alan Hadden, President of the GSA, said, “LTE is the fastest developing mobile communications system technology ever and continues to make excellent progress. Investments in LTE are now extending beyond traditional public communications carriers as we saw with the FCC mandating of LTE for first responders, which underlines the progress towards a single mobile technology with LTE.”
The Evolution to LTE report covers regulatory developments (including spectrum), operator commitments and network deployments, launches, trials worldwide, related industry initiatives and user devices [continues after image]
A number of auctions of new spectrum for LTE – including 2.6 GHz and in the digital dividend bands (700, 800 MHz), are scheduled in the coming months in various countries across the world. Access to new spectrum is essential and welcomed, however these procedures take time. There is a growing momentum for re-using (re-farming) current cellular bands to allow the option of introducing more efficient technologies including LTE. The 1800 MHz band, which was originally allocated for GSM, is widely available across much of the world and has emerged as a key candidate for LTE deployments, with improved coverage being a key driver – twice the coverage area can be achieved using 1800 MHz compared to 2.6 GHz. Shorter time to market is another key benefit. Recent announcements by leading operators committing to LTE1800 deployments will help to establish 1800 MHz as a core band for LTE.
参考：http://www.gsacom.com/news/gsa_324.php4
Apr 24, 2011
iPhone keeps record of everywhere you go
Security researchers have discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of where you go – and saves every detail of it to a secret file on the device which is then copied to the owner's computer when the two are synchronised.
The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner's movements using a simple program.
For some phones, there could be almost a year's worth of data stored, as the recording of data seems to have started with Apple's iOS 4 update to the phone's operating system, released in June 2010.
"Apple has made it possible for almost anybody – a jealous spouse, a private detective – with access to your phone or computer to get detailed information about where you've been," said Pete Warden, one of the researchers.
Although mobile networks already record phones' locations, it is only available to the police and other recognised organisations following a court order under the Regulation of Investigatory Power Act. Standard phones do not record location data.
MPs in 2009 criticised the search engine giant Google for its "Latitude" system, which allowed people to enable their mobile to give out details of their location to trusted contacts. At the time MPs said that Latitude "could substantially endanger user privacy", but Google pointed out that users had to specifically choose to make their data available.
The iPhone system, by contrast, appears to record the data whether or not the user agrees. Apple declined to comment on why the file is created or whether it can be disabled.
Warden and Allan have set up a web page which answers questions about the file, and created a simple downloadable application to let Apple users check for themselves what location data the phone is retaining. The Guardian has confirmed that 3G-enabled devices including the iPad also retain the data and copy it to the owner's computer.
If someone were to steal an iPhone and "jailbreak" it, giving them direct access to the files it contains, they could extract the location database directly. Alternatively, anyone with direct access to a user's computer could run the application and see a visualisation of their movements. Encrypting data on the computer is one way to protect against it, though that still leaves the file on the phone.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at the security company Sophos, said: "If the data isn't required for anything, then it shouldn't store the location. And it doesn't need to keep an archive on your machine of where you've been." He suggested that Apple might be hoping that it would yield data for future mobile advertising targeted by location, although he added: "I tend to subscribe to cockup rather than conspiracy on things like this – I don't think Apple is really trying to monitor where users are."
Only the iPhone records the user's location in this way, say Warden and Alasdair Allan, the data scientists who discovered the file and are presenting their findings at the Where 2.0 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. "Alasdair has looked for similar tracking code in [Google's] Android phones and couldn't find any," said Warden. "We haven't come across any instances of other phone manufacturers doing this."
Simon Davies, director of the pressure group Privacy International, said: "This is a worrying discovery. Location is one of the most sensitive elements in anyone's life – just think where people go in the evening. The existence of that data creates a real threat to privacy. The absence of notice to users or any control option can only stem from an ignorance about privacy at the design stage."
Warden and Allan point out that the file is moved onto new devices when an old one is replaced: "Apple might have new features in mind that require a history of your location, but that's our specualtion. The fact that [the file] is transferred across [to a new iPhone or iPad] when you migrate is evidence that the data-gathering isn't accidental." But they said it does not seem to be transmitted to Apple itself.
The location file came to light when Warden and Allan were looking for a source of mobile data. "We'd been discussing doing a visualisation of mobile data, and while Alasdair was researching into what was available, he discovered this file. At first we weren't sure how much data was there, but after we dug further and visualised the extracted data, it became clear that there was a scary amount of detail on our movements," Warden said.
They have blogged about their discovery at O'Reilly's Radar site, noting that "why this data is stored and how Apple intends to use it — or not — are important questions that need to be explored."
The pair of data scientists have collaborated on a number of data visualisations, including a map of radiation levels in Japan for The Guardian. They are developing a Data Science Toolkit for dealing with location data.
Davies said that the discovery of the file indicated that Apple had failed to take users' privacy seriously.
Apple can legitimately claim that it has permission to collect the data: near the end of the 15,200-word terms and conditions for its iTunes program, used to synchronise with iPhones, iPods and iPads, is an 86-word paragraph about "location-based services".
It says that "Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services."
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