While whitespace is similar to other unlicensed bands, there is a big difference in that there are a lot of licensed users in the frequency range, and the channels protected by licenses varies by location.  This presented a challenge to the FCC, the broadcasters who are the main license holders, and whitespace advocates.  How can unlicensed users be allowed to operate without causing interference to licensed users?  The debate on this took several years. The final ruling from the FCC stated that all unlicensed devices using whitespace must know their own location and be able to query a database run by one of several FCC approved providers (Spectrum Bridge, Microsoft, Google, and others). That database must be continually updated to account for newly licensed channels and changes to existing licenses.  This solution lets the spectrum that had been lying fallow be used without hurting licensed operators in that area.

Now, setting up a GPS receiver and a client capable of querying a database to dynamically determine available frequencies in a specific area has some downsides. The biggest one is cost.  Even with the downward pressure on costs that Moore’s Law puts on chips, we’re talking a lot more intelligence than your average WIFI Access Point has, or even most dedicated broadband wireless systems.  The numbers I’ve heard so far indicate that the subscriber side costs are around $600.00, which is obviously way too expensive to see a lot of deployments.

From a technical standpoint the channels that are being used are the same as TV broadcast channels and are 6 MHz wide.  I’ve seen some commentators highlight this as a disadvantage for the technology, but I don’t really see it that way.  This the same channel width that the cable networking protocol DOCSIS uses and while I don’t see anyone running QAM 256 across over-the-air channels there are lots of good options for getting bandwidth out of that kind of frequency.

Speaking of the frequencies, this is one of the big reasons to be excited about this technology.  Existing unlicensed spectrum usually requires clear Line of Sight between the subscriber antenna and the base station antenna.  This is because 2.4, 5.3, and 5.8 GHz are all easily absorbed by leaves and don’t penetrate building materials well either.  900 MHz has more penetration ability, but there is a limited amount of spectrum there (902-928) and its the “dirtiest” of the existing bands mainly because that’s where most garage door openers, model car controllers, and many cordless phones operate.  The spectrum for whitespace is 54-698 MHz, which penetrates well.  It’s also largely free of interference because up until now only licensed operators were supposed to use it.  There’s been some “unofficial” use of broadcast spectrum, but the number of devices is miniscule compared to the ISM channels.  The combination of low interference rates and high penetration means that we should be able to cover much larger areas per access point as compared to other unlicensed frequencies.

The next question I usually get is “when can I start using whitespace in my area”. The answer is likely to be “not just yet”.  The FCC is still keeping this under tight controls and the only area in the nation with official approval is Wilmington, North Carolina, with Spectrum Bridge being the first approved provider to manage the spectrum there.  That network is scheduled to launch today in a a ceremony scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Even with deployments beginning, I’d advise waiting until the 2nd generation of gear is out, since the current data rates are pretty low (<4 mbps for most of the manufacturers) and the equipment very expensive.  Right now most of the names in the space aren’t the familiar ones for most operators.  You can’t buy this gear from Cisco, Alvarion, or Motorola yet. Instead the names are Carlson, Neul, and Koos Technologies, but I expect some of the more familiar names to enter the market as it matures.

Another challenge for operators is that rural broadband doesn’t offer the kind of scale needed to drive down costs.  All of the existing manufacturers seem to understand this, so their gear is pitched to solve broadband access and other challenges.  Smart utility meters and other machine-to-machine communications seem to be a focus for all of them to as a way to improve their economy of scale.

I’ll be tracking the continuing development of whitespace communication, including a trip to Miami for the Super-WIFI symposium on whitespace next month.

What about you?  Is your company considering TV whitespace as a new way to deliver wireless broadband?

A few weeks ago I wrote about SOPA, which is the Stop Online Piracy Act introduced in the House a few months ago.  It seems that the vocal opposition from many sides has had an impact. Since my last post, support for the bill in its current form has quickly waned. Representative Lamar Smith, the bill’s sponsor,  announced Friday he was backing off on the requirement for ISPs to block DNS for offending sites, one of the more controversial provisions in SOPA. Then, the White House this weekend laid out what they will not support in a piracy bill, which also means there would be no support for SOPA from the Administration in its current form. Finally, Majority Leader Eric Cantor went on the record stating he would not bring SOPA to the floor unless there is consensus on the bill.  Wait a minute…. consensus? In Washington?  Maybe that’s the death knell for SOPA.

Before  SOPA was shelved there was talk of a blackout by major Internet sites that would go dark for 24 hours in protest to the bill.  Names like Facebook, Amazon, Google and others were thrown around as possible participants. Can you imagine? We can’t be without the Google for a day!  Our brains can’t hold all the information we need to know.  We need Facebook. How else will we know what’s going on with that guy we haven’t seen since he donned a tux at the senior prom that would have been right at home on John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever?  Wait a minute… I was that guy.  Anyway, it will be like withdrawal from a powerful drug that has slowly taken over our lives.  Just ask Sheenika Wilson, who purposely disconnected from everything this weekend.

How dark will it get?

Tomorrow is the day that was targeted for the SOPA blackouts.   We know at this point that Wikipedia is on board, announcing their plans even after SOPA was shelved.  Social news site Reddit also is supposed to participate. But, with SOPA on life support at best, there seems to be much less impetus for other sites to get involved.  Twitter’s CEO, Dick Costolo, has indicated that he has no plans on shutting down his site tomorrow.  I suspect that Google, Facebook and others have also determined that making a point at this point is not necessary–if they had ever even considered it. It’s one thing for sites like Wikipedia and Reddit to go dark for a day.  They’ll get some publicity out of it.  For Google and Facebook, the loss in revenue would be substantial.

Of course, there’s still PIPA. That’s the companion bill in the Senate, by the way, not Kate Middleton’s little sister.  Harry Reid said Sunday on Meet the Press he still plans on moving ahead with PIPA, despite SOPA being shelved, and despite calls from multiple Senators asking him to hold off, including the bill’s co-sponsors.

Maybe there will be some other protests around the Internet just to be sure the day doesn’t go unnoticed. Will Facebook do something else to acknowledge the blackout? Will Google change their logo? Will most sites ignore it? I guess we’ll see if tomorrow will bring a major blackout, a brownout of some sort, or not much of anything.  I suspect the most significant impact will be for those who search for something and click on a Wikipedia link, and who’ll then have to do without the sometimes questionable facts and those ever-present personal pleas to contribute to the site.  Should be interesting to see what else happens. Bring a flashlight just in case… or at least a good book.

Both bills are designed to go after foreign sites that host material that infringes on US copyrights, such as pirated movies and songs.  These so called “rogue” sites are outside US jurisdiction, and US businesses are certainly losing a lot of money because of them. Supporters of the bill claim that SOPA will protect the companies and jobs in those sectors that are affected by online piracy. For example, in a letter supporting the bill, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) states that “more than $58 billion is lost to the U.S. economy annually due to content theft, including more than 373,000 lost American jobs, $16 million in lost employees earnings, plus $3 billion in badly needed federal, state and local governments’ tax revenue.” Sure, the MPPA has a dog in this fight, but there’s no question that the piracy problem exists, and has a serious impact on traditional media companies like movie and television producers, record labels, etc.

So what’s all the ruckus?

The bill pits these traditional media companies, who want to protect their content from online piracy, against online media companies like Google, Yahoo, YouTube,  Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and others, who would be negatively impacted by the proposed legislation.  The controversy centers around whether the bill targets the problem in the right way, and the collateral damage that could be caused by its enforcement. It also broadens the players on the Internet that would be responsible for its enforcement, even going further than the Senate bill that inspired it by adding ISPs to the mix. Under SOPA,  ISPs would bear the responsibility for making the offending sites unreachable.

A key issue opponents of SOPA have is that it does not offer the same protections as those that are in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Under the DMCA, those who are hosting content on the Web are granted safe harbor protection as long as they act in good faith to remove infringing content when notified by the content owner. Under SOPA, Web content providers could be sued, and entire sites could be taken down because of one piece of infringing material. Also, under the DMCA, hosting providers are not required to police their sites. Under SOPA, it’s not clear whether that will be the case.  Those opposed to the bill say it’s too broad, and is ripe for abuse.  Supporters counter that it will be used only to go after the worst offenders—those who make a living out of copyright infringement.

Who would be subject to SOPA?

Under the bill as it is written now, the US Attorney would be able to seek a court order against the owners of rogue sites, and the law would require certain actions that must be carried out by various entities on the Internet.  Here are the four main areas of enforcement:

Internet Service Providers.  The bill would require ISPs to take action that would make the infringing site unreachable by its subscribers, such as rewriting DNS to prevent the domain from resolving to an IP address.  This is scary for hosting companies, because if an entire domain is turned off, a huge number of underlying sites that have done nothing wrong could be affected. Also, as described in this Trend Micro blog, there are concerns that the proposed changes in how DNS works would have a negative impact on Internet security, including hampering efforts that have been long underway to roll out a more secure DNS infrastructure.

Search Engines.  Companies like Google and Yahoo would be required to prevent links for infringing sites from appearing in their search results.

Payment Processors.  Companies like PayPal or MasterCard would be required to prevent payment transactions to rogue sites.

Internet Advertising.  Those providing Internet-based advertising, like Google Adwords, would be required to remove any ads promoting the rogue sites.

Where does it go from here?

Last month the House Judiciary Committee failed to get the bill out of committee, and faced blistering criticism for only having representatives from industries who support the bill participate.  No one who opposes the bill and could talk about the technical challenges and possible ramifications of the legislation had any input.  It was also noted that those who are legislating what would be a significant change in the Internet admittedly don’t know how the Internet works.

Because of this opposition, the bill’s chief sponsor, Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX), has agreed re-examine provisions in the bill that impact the DNS system and search results, but he vows to resume hearings on “the earliest practical day”, which most expect to be this month.  In addition, Harry Reid has said he plans to bring PIPA to the floor on January 24th, despite the outcry regarding SOPA.

Many are convinced that the bill will be passed.  The entertainment industry has deep pockets that has helped generate a lot of bi-partisan support.  It the bill passes, it’s also unlikely to be vetoed by President Obama, especially in an election year, although over 46,000 people have now signed a petition asking him to do so.

But, the Internet also provides a way for everyday folks to have a voice–and a big voice at that.  For example, Domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy originally came out supporting the bill, but quickly withdrew that support when a boycott called “move my domain day” caused over 70,000 GoDaddy customers to transfer their domain name to other registrars. There have also been over one million emails sent to Congress in opposition to the bill. Finally, there’s talk of an Internet blackout to galvanize  public support against SOPA.

Whew! And I thought the Republican primaries would make January interesting.

There is an old adage: “If you are telling, you ain’t selling”. Certainly you have to get your message out, but the fundamental cornerstone of the sales process is the skill of active listening. This becomes profoundly dynamic in the sales process on several dimensions.

Have you ever run across a salesman who was so wrapped up in telling you all about his or her product they failed to understand what you were looking for, or what was important to you?  And if you got a word in edgewise, the seller was more occupied with what they would say next versus listening to you?  The sales process wouldn’t run into a ditch if the seller took a genuine interest in you, the prospect.  What demonstrates that interest?  The simple act of listening.  If the seller actually hears and understands your need, the process becomes much more natural, whereby the seller leads you down a path of fulfilled needs all the way to closure.

Listening well is also vital in the development of products. My company serves Internet Providers across the country and has developed some award-winning online tools for our affiliate customers.  As we develop these valuable resources, we do so with an ear to what the users want to see in the product. We have a conduit that serves to channel feedback through our account management team to the product owner and on to the senior executive for possible consideration. Oftentimes the chief developer is even in direct contact with strategic users to get input firsthand. This way the product is developed to provide the highest amount of functionality and benefits. Products like TruVizion, TechVizion and the soon to be released Policy Enforcer are a result of our design team’s deep understanding of the market coupled with the added input from the strategic user community.

Can you recall a time where the seller was genuinely interested in your needs? How did you know?  Please share your experience.

Many devices in use today already come with TR-069 capabilities built in, and with the announcement of ZCorum’s latest TR-069 offering, many DSL providers, for the first time, will be able to leverage TR-069 capabilities to manage and diagnose their CPE devices from a centralized control panel.  Previously, Telco providers may have been able to see a simple tree of CPE information in a rudimentary ACS, but soon, they will have a comprehensive tool at their disposal to help them realize the same benefits  of outage detection and problem isolation that cable providers have been enjoying with TruVizion.

What features can DSL providers expect to see in the upcoming release?  The same powerful mapping and report features that TruVizion has today will be available for all DSL CPE devices.  Users will be able to get a bird’s eye of all their devices and their statuses and pinpoint problem areas in a single view.  DSL providers will have the ability to dive down into a detailed modem screen to see specific details such as the number of recent retrains, device IP and MAC information, current device status and customer address and account data. The communications panel will provide the current and attainable speeds, the subscriber’s bandwidth usage over the previous 24 hours, CRC error statistics and the ATM PVC.

For troubleshooting purposes, an RF levels panel will display the latest attenuation readings, signal-to-noise ratio and output power levels on both the upstream and downstream sides.  The same comparison features available in TruVizion today will also allow DSL technicians the capability to compare a specific customer to others subscribers in their area.  Not only will all these robust diagnostic capabilities be available, but users will also have the ability to remotely reset and potentially reconfigure CPE devices without having to distress the home user or roll a truck onsite.

As you can see, the implementation of TR-069 functionality will be a quantum leap in CPE management capabilities for DSL providers.  No longer will DSL providers be in the dark and have to ponder, “Dude, Where’s my Modem?”

What does it take to be innovative? In today’s world, most of the time when people think of innovative companies, they think of companies that are on the cutting edge of technology. They think about companies that are developing and implementing new ideas by pushing the envelope beyond what other companies are willing to do. The users of the services believe their experience is the best possible experience. The experience makes them want to use the service again, and it raises the bar for other companies to provide that same type of quality product or service.

The challenge is in what it takes to get there. The first major hurdle is the fact that most innovative ideas are laughed at when initially presented. Common responses of “that will never work” or “that is the craziest thing I have ever heard” become the norm. It takes the person with the idea to have very thick skin and the willingness to put up with his idea being criticized and even dismissed by most. He has to keep pushing and thinking “outside the box” to achieve any long term success.

After the idea is at least partially accepted, there will still be failures. The ability to “get up off the mat” and continue on is a quality not all possess. It is not how a person fails that truly matters. Instead, what truly matters is how he reacts to failure. He has to be able to admit the idea failed and have the ability to move forward with the next idea.

Another key element to being able to bring innovative products and services to the table is a person’s ability to surround himself with talented people who have the same vision and desire for excellence. If a person’s idea requires a team of people and part of the team does not buy in the same type of thinking, then failure will result. The old saying of only being as strong as your weakest link is applicable in these cases for sure. It is more than important to surround yourself with “great” employees if the end result you desire is greatness.

Of course we always have consumers in mind when we are creating or developing new products and services. Everyone claims to have these new creative products that are just what the customers want; however, companies most often get the data from the customers by asking questions about what customers would like to see. This is far cry from being innovative because by the time the companies develop what the customers asked for, the customer wants something new. Only companies who build and mold the creative thought process are true innovators thus creating their recipe for success.

]]> http://blog.zcorum.com/2011/12/innovation-the-recipe-for-success/feed/ 2 http://blog.zcorum.com/2011/11/the-ins-and-outs-of-updating-truvizion-maps/ http://blog.zcorum.com/2011/11/the-ins-and-outs-of-updating-truvizion-maps/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:13:59 +0000 Peter Olivia http://blog.zcorum.com/?p=5064 One of the powerful features of TruVizion is the ability to pull up a customer on a local street map and relate their issue to other customers in the same area.  With just a few mouse clicks or taps on a smartphone our customers have the ability to rapidly diagnose whether the source of the problem is originating at the house, the local node or back at the plant.

Maps are great when the underlying map provider has accurate information. Of course, they’re not always updated immediately as roads change. You know this if you’ve ever used a GPS to navigate down a new stretch of highway before the maps have been updated. Your GPS display suddenly shows you doing a little off-roading while the GPS voice advises you to proceed to the highlighted route somewhere off in the distance. The same is true for cable operators who are adding subscribers in new developments that haven’t yet been added to mapping systems. The good news for TruVizion users–there’s a method to add and update the street maps online when needed.

In order to understand how our customers can go about making updates, we first need to know how the mapping information is processed and stored.  The first step in mapping the location information for TruVizion involves the geocoding of the physical addresses into Latitude/Longitude coordinates.  For this function TruVizion leverages TeleAtlas, a worldwide geocoding service that aggregates mapping information from a number of sources.  The second step in mapping location information is matching the longitude and latitude coordinates to a map.  For this function TruVizion uses Open StreetMap, the same mapping mechanism used by the National Broadband Map.

OK, so let’s get to the point. How do we go about updating the maps?  Since there are two steps to mapping an address, there are two potential items that might need to be updated.  If a subscriber’s address is not geocoded to a longitude and latitude, then the modem page will display a generic, grey-shaded map that says: “Customer address cannot be located.”  In order to fix this you can go online and submit a request to have your customer’s address information updated with TeleAtlas.  It’s a really fast and simple three step process to request a change.  They even provide a couple of helpful online videos to show you how it’s done and how your request is processed.  Once you submit a request for the change, you will receive a ticket number, and they will email you status info as they research and verify the requested changes.  The verification process takes a day or so, but makes sure the updates get coordinated with other map update sources.

The second potential item that you might need to update is when TruVizion maps to the right location, but the new roads and new developments in the area are missing.  The fix for this one takes a bit more effort, but it’s also more fun to do.  If you’ve ever enjoyed playing Sim City or the like, you’ll enjoy this interface.  What you need to do is go online to Open StreetMap, setup a new account, search for the location you want to edit by zip code and draw in the missing components with your mouse and keyboard.  You can add roads, bridges, landmarks and even your favorite local hangouts if you’d like.  There is also a detailed tutorial available online to guide you through if you need.  Once you add in the changes and submit them, it takes a couple hours for them to start showing up in the TruVizion maps.  I hope these tips will assist you in navigating any discrepancies in your local areas. Happy mapping!!!

You’d think with all the importance riding on the Christmas shopping season that it would be easy to find a sales person in every department, and preferably one who knows what he’s talking about. Unfortunately, the buying public has grown all too accustomed to a lack of service in the customer-facing retail trade. When there is a lack of staff—staff that is trained and motivated to assist and add value to the buying experience—the result is a downward spiral of expectations.  The result is also often a lost sale.

My first real job was in a retail environment. I worked for a company that had a chain of stores that merchandised records (actual vinyl) and tapes. This was before iTunes, before Amazon, before BitTorrent. If you wanted to buy music, you actually had to get in your car and drive to the store. I was really into listening to music of all types and tried really hard to make sure my customers not only found the latest hits of the day but also walked out with other albums in a similar genre that I knew they would like. Most appreciated that and became repeat customers. Come to think of it, this is exactly the logic Amazon and Netflix use today to entice their customers to try something they may have not thought of.

Today, what we are missing is plain old, garden-variety customer service at most levels of trade. We need to get back to the days where stores not only stocked a selection of products but also made it very easy for their customers to buy them walking away satisfied with the product and the experience. To achieve this level of service, a company must not only have the products on hand but also trained and motivated staff in enough numbers to cover the day.

Have you had a service experience that you would like to share – good or bad? Please tell us about it by commenting back to this post.

I had a chance to chat with Jerry Kurtze, Sr. Marketing and Business Development Manager from Motorola about their new product offering in the area of connected homes. Motorola sees this as an area of growth for them and a revenue-generating opportunity for their service provider customers.

I stopped by Cisco’s booth today and spoke with Sara Cicero, Public Relations Manager at Cisco, about what’s hot for them at the show.  As I heard from others, including Jim Barthold, an analyst at NPD, delivering video to multiple screens is a hot topic right now, and Cisco is getting a lot of interest in their solution called Videoscape.

Video Transcript:

Rick: Hey, this is Rick Yuzzi with The Business of Broadband. I’m here with Sara Cicero from Cisco. Sara, what’s going on with Cisco these days? What are you guys showing at the show? What are people asking about? What’s hot right now?

Sara: Well, one of our hot demos here at the show is the “Videoscape Experience” demo which is basically right on trend with what’s a hot topic here at the show. And, that is delivering video to multiple screens. Content everywhere. Whether it’s your laptop, your PC, your phone, your iPad. You name it; people want content wherever they are these days so this experience demo, and “Videoscape” is what we launched in January earlier this year. It’s basically our solution that involves the devices, the network, and technology in the cloud bringing all of those elements together. Basically, give you the TV everywhere experience.

Rick: So TV everywhere; that’s in the home where somebody could use their smartphone or their tablet, and then they can also go outside the home if they happen to be somewhere else and access it as well?

Sara: Yes, it’s an inside and outside the home solution. Content will follow you everywhere. So, from our perspective, we make the technology that enables that, so we’re making our service providers’ customers get there with “Videoscape.”

Rick: It’s a lot of interesting..I’ve talked to several people that have talked about that. Now do you, have you heard anything about issues with content and licensing of that? Is that still an open issue? So the technology is settled; what about the content side?

Sara: I think, you know, that’s up to the content providers, and the service providers. I mean, they deal with the licensing and agreements on that side. We make the technology that brings it to consumers, so that’s where we play in that game.

Rick: Well, great! It’s very exciting. Thanks for your time.