From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jan 8 14:56:12 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i08JuC424986; Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:56:12 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:56:12 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200401081956.i08JuC424986@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #12 TELECOM Digest Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:55:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 12 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson DISH Network Introduces One-Stop Lowest Price One-Stop Shop (M Solomon) Philips Unveils First Internet-ready TV Set (Monty Solomon) Gates Unveils Innovative New Products and Services at CES (M Solomon) Humax USA to Deliver TiVo(R)-Powered DVR and DVD Recordable (M Solomon) Finnish Study Shows Handset Radiation Within Limits (Monty Solomon) TiVo and Sonic Team Up to Put TiVo on the Go (Monty Solomon) Netscape Launches Low-Cost Internet Access Service (Monty Solomon) Verizon Wireless Announces Roll Out National 3G Network (Monty Solomon) Sony Ericsson Starts Web Gaming Service (Monty Solomon) Verizon Outlines Leadership Strategy for Broadband Era (Monty Solomon) Re: Inventions (was: NANP Numbering) (Kilo Delta One Sierra) Re: AT&T 'Unlimited Country Plans' (Joseph) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk is definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:40:18 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: DISH Network Introduces Lowest Priced One-Stop Shop DISH Network Introduces Lowest Priced One-Stop Shop for High-Definition TV System - Jan 8, 2004 09:10 AM (BusinessWire) ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2004-- HD Leader Rolls out Everything You Need for Living Life in HD: Monitor, Satellite TV Receiver, Delivery and Installation for Less Than $1,000 EchoStar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq:DISH) announced today at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that the company's DISH Network(TM), a leading American satellite subscription television service, is offering the most affordable high definition television (HDTV) package in the nation. The DISH Network HDTV System provides consumers with everything they need to start enjoying HDTV: a 16:9 HD television monitor, an HD satellite TV receiver, a satellite dish, home delivery and standard professional installation, all for less than $1,000. Further establishing itself as the leader in high definition TV, DISH Network offers a package of popular HD channels, including ESPN HD, Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet Movies for $9.99 per month or $109.89 annually, the lowest prices in the industry. DISH Network also offers high definition channels such as CBS-HD, HBO-HD, Showtime HD, and DISH-On-Demand pay-per-view HD movies. Offered to new and existing residential customers through a special promotion through Jan. 31, 2004, the DISH Network HD System includes a DISH 811 HD satellite TV receiver/decoder and the customer's choice of a 34-inch CRT or a 40-inch rear-projection wide-screen HD monitor, all for only $999. Delivery and installation are included. Customers must agree to purchase at least America's Top 60 programming package (formerly America's Top 50) for $24.99 per month and the HD package for $9.99 per month for one year. For new customers who already have an HD monitor, DISH Network offers a promotion making the DISH 811 HD satellite TV receiver available for free. This is a savings from the MSRP of $399. DISH Network has further strengthened its HD product line with the introduction of the first-of-its-kind high definition digital video recorder (DVR). The DISH Player-DVR 921 is available now for a $600 upgrade when customers purchase the DISH Network HDTV System. The DISH Player-DVR 921 features a 250-gigabyte hard drive capable of recording up to 25 hours of high definition video or up to 180 hours of standard definition content, or a combination of both. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40144695 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:31:52 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Philips Unveils First Internet-Ready TV Set LAS VEGAS, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Dutch Philips Electronics (AMS:PHG) (NYSE:PHG) on Wednesday unveiled a television set featuring a wireless connection to the Internet and personal computers, enabling it to play music, pictures and video from the Web or PCs. The product, which was shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and which is not yet on sale, adds to a range of networked products manufactured by Europe's largest consumer electronics maker. Philips is already selling an Internet-connected HiFi set which can play radio channels that are available on the Web. It has also announced home servers which can pull music and video from the Net and transport it to the TVs and HiFi sets which consumers already have in their homes. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40141144 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:34:07 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Gates Unveils Innovative New Products and Services at CES Gates Unveils Innovative New Products and Services at CES, Details Vision of 'Seamless Computing' for Consumers - Jan 7, 2004 09:50 PM (PR Newswire) Keynote Address Features New Media Center Technologies, MSN Services and Smart Watches For MSN Direct; Gates Highlights Growing Role of Software in Consumer Electronics. LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In his keynote address at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates expanded on the company's vision for "seamless computing," demonstrating software breakthroughs that deliver unified digital experiences and make the technology in consumers' lives work as a connected whole. Gates introduced a number of products and services that bring the power of software to the world of consumer electronics, including MSN(R) Premium and enhanced MSN services for broadband Internet users; and new Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Media Center Extender Technologies and Portable Media Centers, which make the digital entertainment experiences of Media Center PCs available throughout the home and on the go. Gates also announced retail availability of Smart Watches for MSN Direct, which provide discreet and convenient access to personalized information. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40141782 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:44:38 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Humax USA to Deliver TiVo(R)-Powered DVR and DVD Recordable Details Product Specifications and Distribution Strategy; Signs on Good Guys and Tweeter LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Humax, an international leader of digital satellite set-top box manufacturing, today disclosed details of its plan to sell innovative DVRs and DVD recordable products powered by TiVo. Humax has licensed TiVo-technology that will be incorporated into a full line of digital video recorders and DVD recordable products. In the start of the second quarter of 2004, Humax will introduce two standalone TiVo Series 2(R) DVRs consisting of an entry-level 80-hour model and a step-up 250-hour model. Later in the third quarter, Humax plans to deliver two combination DVD recordable models integrated with TiVo's best-of-breed service and robust features including home networking capability, progressive scan output and DV input. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40142910 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:45:35 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Finnish Study Shows Handset Radiation Within Limits By Brett Young HELSINKI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - A survey of some of the world's most popular cell phones found they emit radiation well below agreed limits and largely in line with the data published by manufacturers, a Finnish regulator's study showed on Thursday. The survey by Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority Finland (STUK) covered 12 models made by the world's top handset makers, including Finland's Nokia (HELS:NOK1V), Motorola (NYSE:MOT) of the U.S. and South Korea's Samsung (KOREA:005930). The publication comes at a time that global demand for mobile phones is booming but concern also is rising among consumers and some in the scientific community that mobile phone use can lead to problems ranging from headaches to tumours. Nokia, the world's top player, has forecast 2003 global industry sales of 460 million handsets alone, and some of its rivals expect an even higher number. It foresees 1.6 billion mobile subscribers by 2005. All models tested showed the radiation emitted, or the specific absorption rate (SAR), was well below the agreed level in Europe of two watts per kilogram. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40143058 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:46:26 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: TiVo and Sonic Team Up to Put TiVo on the Go LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2004-- Sonic(R) Enables TiVo(R) Series2(TM) Subscribers with Home Media Option(TM) to View Recorded Programming on Laptops, Burn Recorded Programming to DVD on their PCs Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ:SNIC), the leader in DVD creation software, announced today that it has teamed with TiVo (NASDAQ:TIVO), Inc., the creator of television services for digital video recorders (DVRs), to allow TiVo Series2 subscribers with Home Media Option to burn recorded programming onto DVD using Sonic MyDVD(R) and play their TiVo content on their PCs wherever they go with Sonic CinePlayer(TM). The combination of TiVo and Sonic technologies will, for the first time, allow TiVo subscribers to take advantage of their PC to access content on their TiVo DVR, burn to DVD, and enjoy TiVo on the go. The new software is being demonstrated by TiVo and Sonic at CES. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40143266 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:47:55 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Netscape Launches Low-Cost Internet Access Service New Dial-Up Service Offers Unlimited Usage For $9.95 Per Month Online Charity Auction of New Netscape.com E-Mail Addresses Kicks-Off Today on eBay(R) to Benefit City Year Netscape, one of the original pioneers of the Internet, today announced the introduction of a new, affordably priced dial-up Internet service for consumers who want a reliable and low-cost way to get online. The Netscape(R) service costs $9.95 per month for unlimited use and is available now at www.getnetscape.com or the Netscape(R) portal ( www.netscape.com ). With a simple approach of "Just the Net You Need," the Netscape Internet service offers e-mail with built-in spam filters, a convenient start page with news headlines, Internet search enhanced by Google(TM) technology and unlimited dial-up Internet access through an extensive nationwide network with thousands of access numbers, allowing subscribers across the country to get online easily and stay reliably connected. And, with the new service, Netscape.com e-mail addresses are available publicly for the first time, giving subscribers a unique opportunity to create a personalized online address at a renowned Internet brand. To kick off the launch, a special online charity auction of new "@Netscape.com" e-mail addresses begins today on eBay, The World's Online Marketplace(R) (found at www.getnetscape.com/ebay ). Two hundred personalized e-mail addresses of the most popular female and male first names will be up for bid on eBay from January 8 through January 14. In addition to the personalized e-mail address, winning bidders will receive a free year of the Netscape service membership. Minimum bids start at $9.95 and proceeds will go to City Year, which unites a diverse corps of young adults for a demanding year of full-time community service, leadership development and civic engagement. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40143653 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:49:27 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Verizon Wireless Announces Roll Out of National 3G Network BroadbandAccess Provides Fastest Wide-Area Wireless Data Connections BEDMINSTER, N.J., and LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest and most reliable wireless voice network and the leader in next generation technology deployment, will begin immediately to expand its BroadbandAccess service nationally. Powered by Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) third generation (3G) wide-area network, BroadbandAccess commercial service, with average user speeds of 300-500 kilobits per second (kbps), is expected to be available in many major U.S. cities this summer. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40143779 QUALCOMM Congratulates Verizon Wireless on Planned Nationwide Deployment of CDMA2000 1xEV-DO Services - Jan 8, 2004 07:30 AM (PR Newswire) - First Nationwide Deployment in the United States Will Bring High-Speed Wireless Data Services to Consumers and Businesses - SAN DIEGO, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QUALCOMM Incorporated (Nasdaq: QCOM), pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, congratulates Verizon Wireless on its plan to commercially deploy CDMA2000 1xEV-DO services nationwide. The third-generation (3G), high-speed data network, marketed under the name BroadbandAccess, will be available to customers in major markets this summer, with continued deployments across the nation throughout 2004 and 2005. The nationwide deployment of BroadbandAccess comes on the heels of Verizon Wireless' successful commercial deployments in San Diego and Washington, D.C. in October 2003, which signified the first time that CDMA2000 1xEV-DO access was made available in any major metropolitan area in the United States. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40143634 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 13:51:12 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Sony Ericsson Starts Web Gaming Service STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Sony Ericsson said Thursday it launched a trial version of its own online gaming service for users of some of its phones, joining others in the bid to bring gaming to cell users. But unlike Finland's Nokia, which released its much-hyped gaming deck N-Gage, Sony Ericsson's service is usable on most of its higher end phones and doesn't use Bluetooth to let gamers play each other head to head. The games, the London-based company said, are online, not stored in a multimedia card inserted into the phone. The first games available include a Rally racer (a four-player game) and RC Battle (an eight-player game). The trial service will let users download the game and then play other users via the online service. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40144216 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 14:03:49 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Verizon Outlines Leadership Strategy for Broadband Era Verizon Outlines Leadership Strategy for Broadband Era; Announces Major New 3G Mobile Data and Wireline IP Network Expansions Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg, at the Consumer Electronics Show, Says Company Will Invest $3 Billion Over Next Two Years to Bring Broadband to Mass Market LAS VEGAS, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Chairman and CEO Ivan Seidenberg today unveiled the company's plans for leadership in the emerging broadband industry. He outlined two major new network expansions that are key to bringing the benefits of this new era to homes and businesses across America and said Verizon was committed to investing a total of $3 billion in its networks over the next two years to bring broadband to the mass market. To illustrate Verizon's unique ability to lead in the broadband revolution, Seidenberg also announced a new service, iobism, and new product, Verizon One, that will help families and businesses create a personal network to manage their communications devices and activities. The network expansion initiatives involve both Verizon's wireless and wireline networks. Verizon Wireless will expand its third-generation (3G) mobile data BroadbandAccess network nationwide. In addition to its ongoing annual capital investment program to build network capacity and coverage, the company will invest $1 billion over the next two years to further deploy its broadband technology, known as EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized). Verizon also will dramatically accelerate the evolution of its nationwide wireline network to packet-switching technology and, as announced yesterday, has selected Nortel Networks as its voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) equipment provider. Both moves are major steps toward creating a new growth-market for communications services in the wireless and broadband era. Seidenberg will outline the company's plans and Verizon's vision for the future in an address scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PST today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=40144501 ------------------------------ From: kd1s@aol.comremvthis (Kilo Delta One Sierra) Date: 08 Jan 2004 05:22:48 GMT Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Subject: Re: Inventions (was: NANP Numbering) > In the US, work on radar began in 1934 but proceeded more > slowly and a working system was not developed until 1936. But the critical thing that did happen regarding RADAR happened here in the U.S. It essentially got Raytheon to where it is today. Seems the British had to machine the cavity of the magnetron in a fairly robust piece of metal -- it was time consuming and expensive. An engineer from the U.S. whose name escapes me came up with the idea of using stacked plates of the same dimension to form the magnetron cavities. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: AT&T 'Unlimited Country Plans' Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 08:19:19 -0800 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NOcom On Wed, 7 Jan 2004 09:06:04 -0500, Monty Solomon wrote: > With a monthly plan fee as low as $39.95 for unlimited calling to the > United Kingdom, calling across the ocean or around the world has never > been easier or more economical. Consumers will enjoy the ease and > convenience of one low monthly plan fee for unlimited international > calls to the eligible country of their choice -- 24 hours a day, seven > days a week -- on direct-dialed calls made from home. In addition, > subscribers who call any other country will receive AT&T's already low > international rates through the AT&T AnyHour Advantage Plan. As a > special value at no additional charge, subscribers to any Unlimited > Country Plan will receive a flat rate on domestic long distance of 7 > cents per minute on all interstate and in-state calls direct-dialed > from home.** How much you wanna bet that once they start selling these all you can eat international plans that they'll introduce (after the fact) limits to prevent people from camping on the line 24 hours a day. We've seen this before several times with Sprint and MCI/Worldcom. And pardon me, but I can't get excited about domestic calls for 7 cents per minute when it's quite easy to find LD carriers giving 2.9 cents/minute and also bill in less than full minute increments as well. remove NO from .NOcom to reply ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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