From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue May 4 14:13:54 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i44IDrl01749; Tue, 4 May 2004 14:13:54 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 14:13:54 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200405041813.i44IDrl01749@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 #224 TELECOM Digest Tue, 4 May 2004 14:13:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 224 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Top US Cable Operators Announce 'On Ramp' to Advanced Java (M Solomon) Nextel May Pay For Broadcasters Move to New Airwaves (Monty Solomon) OpenTV and Motorola Announce 5-Year Licensing Agreement (Monty Solomon) Florida Paves Way For VoIP Taxation (VOIP News) Charter Communications Selects Nortel Networks Cable VoIP (VOIP News) Internet Phone Service Attracts Wider Use (VOIP News) AT&T Plans Overseas Drive For VoIP (VOIP News) Re: VoIP Analogy (Lisa Hancock) Re: How to Block Unknown Caller (Frank@nospam.biz) Re: How to Block Unknown Caller (Ray Normandeau) Re: A Link of Interest to Ham Radio Operators (Fred Atkinson) 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 are 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: Tue, 4 May 2004 11:07:03 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Top US Cable Operators Announce 'On Ramp' to Advanced Java Technology-Based TV Services - May 4, 2004 07:02 AM (PR Newswire) New Java Set-Top Box Standard Plans to Leverage Successful Technology Already on 250 Million Cell phones NEW ORLEANS, NCTA, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Top U.S. cable operators and technology providers today jointly announced the formation of a Java Community Process (JCP(SM)) Expert Group (EG) to develop a new Java (TM) technology-based digital television API standard -- OnRamp to OCAP -- targeted at legacy, resource-constrained cable television set-top boxes. CableLabs, Charter, Cox, GoldPocket, Liberate, Motorola, Philips, Sun Microsystems, Time Warner Cable, and Vidiom Systems are working together as members of the Expert Group to define the new specification. Upon finalization of the specification (JSR 242), OnRamp to OCAP, a profile of the J2ME CLDC technology specification, will be available to all set-top box vendors, DTV application developers and service providers. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=41246559 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 11:05:06 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Nextel May Pay For Broadcasters Move to New Airwaves WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL) on Monday proposed paying about $512 million to move the electronic news gathering operations of television broadcasters from airwaves Nextel wants to use. The proposal, part of a larger plan to resolve interference with public safety communications, would free up airwaves Nextel has been seeking access to from the Federal Communications Commission. Broadcast auxiliary services are used to send signals, like video footage, between two points, like from a remote truck to a studio. The services are used by local television stations across the country. The National Association of Broadcasters and the Association for Maximum Service Television joined Nextel in proposing the plan for moving their broadcast news gathering operations from the 1.9 Ghz band to 2025-2110 Mhz band. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=41244842 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 11:09:22 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: OpenTV and Motorola Announce 5-Year Licensing Agreement OpenTV and Motorola Announce 5-Year Licensing Agreement; Motorola and OpenTV Extend Their Long-Term Relationship in the Delivery of Interactive Television Solutions SAN FRANCISCO & NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004--NCTA/ OpenTV (Nasdaq:OPTV), one of the world's leading interactive television companies, and Motorola, Inc., (NYSE:MOT) Broadband Communications Sector today announced the signing of a five-year licensing and porting agreement for OpenTV's interactive television middleware products. Under the agreement, Motorola will be able to offer cable and satellite operators a wide range of digital receivers that have been fully integrated and tested with OpenTV's Core 1.1 middleware. The agreement also covers a variety of OpenTV extension packages, including support for Motorola's family of receivers with built-in digital video recording capability. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=41247601 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 11:41:21 -0400 Subject: Florida Paves Way For VoIP Taxation Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5204656.html By Marguerite Reardon CNET News.com Florida could become one of the first states in the country to tax networks running voice over Internet Protocol. On Friday, the last day of the legislative session, the Florida House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would have postponed the enforcement of a tax levied on businesses and individuals using substitute communications such as VoIP. The law, which has been on the books since 1985, has not been widely enforced. The statute was originally meant to tax businesses that bypassed the local telephone network by establishing their own communications network. While it was originally written with technologies such as satellite and microwave in mind, it could be applied to businesses carrying voice traffic over their IP data networks as well as individuals using VoIP services from companies like Vonage. On Friday, the Florida Senate passed a bill that would have prevented collection of the tax until 2006, and sent it to the House. But House Speaker Johnnie Byrd refused to consider it, said John Stargel, a Republican in the Florida House of Representatives. "I don't think the speaker really understood the issues or took the time to understand what this tax will do to businesses in Florida and businesses looking to relocate here," he said. "We have now created an atmosphere of uncertainty. In a state that prides itself on being pro-business and pro-growth, it's sad that this message is being sent." Full story at: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5204656.html How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VoIPnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: VoIPnews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 11:37:56 -0400 Subject: Charter Communications Selects Nortel Networks Cable VoIP, Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040504005513&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view Charter Communications Selects Nortel Networks Cable VoIP, Multimedia Communications Solutions NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004-- Network Expansion Expected to Drive VoIP Momentum, Multimedia Communications Services in Charter's Midwest, Great Lakes Operating Divisions Nortel Networks (NYSE:NT)(TSX:NT) today announced that it has been selected by Charter Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:CHTR) to expand voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service offerings in Charter's Midwest and Great Lakes operating divisions using Nortel Networks cable VoIP solution featuring Succession Communication Server (CS) 2000-Compact softswitches. This selection, which extends a relationship announced in December 2002, is subject to execution of a definitive agreement. "We've rebuilt and upgraded our infrastructure to deliver advanced products and services including voice over IP," said Wayne Davis, senior vice president, Engineering and Technical Operations, Charter. "As such, Nortel Networks has played a strategic role in our packet network transformation, delivering a cable voice over IP solution that is very robust and mature. Their extensive knowledge of cable telephony, together with a strong background in services and professional support, has enabled us to aggressively enter and compete in the telephony market." As part of its overall expansion, Davis also said Charter intends to deploy Nortel Networks Multimedia Communication Server (MCS) 5200 in a 2004 market trial, giving both residential and business customers access to multimedia services independent of location. The new Charter VoIP architecture will include the capability to communicate between a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server and a PacketCable(TM) qualified Call Management Server (CMS), effectively bringing the rich world of SIP-based features to a PacketCable environment. "Nortel Networks is fundamentally changing interpersonal communications across all markets," said Dan Mondor, general manager, Global Cable Solutions, Nortel Networks. "We have generated critical momentum in the cable market and continue to focus efforts on delivering carrier-grade cable solutions that enable providers like Charter to pave the way for new integrated video, voice, and data services. Charter continues to be a leader in cable IP telephony and this addition to their services portfolio will help them to drive increased revenue opportunities." To speed time to market and ensure carrier grade service for its customers, Charter will use Nortel Networks professional services to support the planning and deployment of the VoIP solution. In September 2002, Charter deployed the first commercially available cable VoIP service in North America using Nortel Networks equipment, and has experienced virtually no downtime on the softswitch since launch. Full press release at: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/index.jsp?epi-content=GENERIC&newsId=20040504005513&newsLang=en&beanID=202776713&viewID=news_view ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 12:04:34 -0400 Subject: Internet Phone Service Attracts Wider Use Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001918128_btnetphone03.html By Michael Bazeley Knight Ridder Newspapers When was the last time you oohed and ahhed at your telephone? Probably never. Let's face it, the traditional home phone may be amazingly reliable, but its coolness factor is almost zero. This might be the year that changes. Internet phone service -- where you make calls through your broadband Internet connection using a regular telephone -- is picking up steam. And for the first time since mobile phones hit the market, the technology could make people seriously rethink Alexander Graham Bell's 127-year-old invention. Want calls to your home phone to find you wherever you are? Done. Want to automatically send all your calls straight to voice mail while you watch "The Sopranos"? Done. Want to take your home phone and number wherever you travel, or send a voice-mail message via e-mail? How about programming your own "hold" music? Done, done and done. Internet phone service -- also known as VoIP for voice over Internet Protocol -- has been widely available to consumers for more than a year through small companies such as VoicePulse, Vonage and Packet8. So far, Americans have been slow to sign on. Full story at: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2001918128_btnetphone03.html ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 12:48:15 -0400 Subject: AT&T Plans Overseas Drive For VoIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1083180244177 By Paul Taylor in New York AT&T, the US long distance telecommunications carrier, is planning to launch its consumer broadband VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service in overseas markets, possibly including the UK and other European countries. The company launched its consumer VoIP service, dubbed CallVantage, in the US at the end of March. The service enables consumers with a high-speed cable or DSL internet connection to make and receive calls over the internet using an ordinary phone. Vonage, one of the pioneers of broadband VoIP services in the US, has also announced plans to expand overseas. It has begun to roll out its flat-rate service in Canada and plans to launch its service in the UK and Switzerland later this year. Full story at: http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1083180244177 ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa Hancock) Subject: Re: VoIP Analogy Date: 3 May 2004 10:31:31 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com hes@unity.ncsu.edu (Henry E Schaffer) wrote: > The usual Internet billing models are not like those for buying > groceries, lumber, cars, etc. For the Internet it is common to buy a > certain amount of *capacity* -- and to pay the same amount per month for > it -- regardless of whether it is used or not. This is all true, but there is one other factor. For many products and services we buy, there are many little extras available to us "free of charge", whether we use them or not. This could be as simple as a free cup of coffee and donut while we're there or use of a restroom. Likewise, in a restaurant, there are "free" condiments available to us. I don't like relish or pickels, but the next person may take tons of it. The owners of such facilities work the cost of those little extras into the product/service price. They estimate the typical usage. But what happens is sometimes those freebies get overused by customers. You'll often see people stuffing their pockets with "free" condiments to take home. Some people use a restroom to wash up their entire family of kids and not buy a thing. As a result, store owners will limit or restrict access to such freebies. Public restrooms, for example, are often now kept locked and not easily available. Condiments must be requested. (On the flip side, some business purposely leave out all freebies and become a discount -- originally McDonald's had pickup windows only specifically intended for customers to get in and out fast -- which saved them money). Now, let's look at telecom. At my home I have flat rate service. The phone company assumes I -- along with other residence customers -- will NOT be making many extended calls all day and night because their switch and cabling just won't accomodate it. Now if all of us began making extended calls the phone company will take a hard look at its rate structure and adjust it accordingly -- charging us more money. So, in the short run, things like VOIP seems "free" since it takes advantage of current pricing. It's almost like customers making a meal out of the free condiments. (In poor times, people would go into a cafeteria and take free hot water and ketchup to make soup). But VOIP is using capacity, and sooner or later someone will have to pay for it. At that time, it won't seem like the bargain it is. > So it doesn't cost the purchaser any more to send another packet (or > series of packets) across it - *until* the purchased capacity is > inadequate and the purchaser must pay for an upgrade in service > capacity. (Will that "next packet" then be assessed the entire cost > of the upgrade? Of course it would be silly to do that - the flip > side is that it is silly to assess zero cost to the previous packets.) >> Just because the end consumer pays a flat rate (or nothing at all in >> the case of employees) doesn't mean that a service is free. > That's right -- but leaves out the reasoning. The service costs > $$/month the added packets cost nothing *extra* (within the purchased > capacity.) > --henry schaffer > hes _AT_ ncsu _DOT_ edu ------------------------------ From: Frank@nospam.biz Subject: Re: How to Block Unknown Caller Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 14:16:15 -0700 Organization: Cox Communications > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably not. Privacy Manager (at least > the SBC version of it, which I think the same generics most telcos are > using), only works when the caller **deliberatly** does *67 on their > call or their phone system deliberatly inserts *67 in the dialing > string. I do not know if the Sony Z-600 has any hardware on the phone > itself (or built in firmware, etc) to make it happen. PAT] SBC's Privacy Manager works both with blocked calls and calls without delivery of caller ID (i.e, "out of area" calls). So far as I know, no wireless carrier, including SBC, offers Privacy Manager as a cellular service option. The network control issues would probably be too complex with wireless. ------------------------------ From: rayta@msn.com (Ray Normandeau) Subject: Re: How to Block Unknown Caller Date: 3 May 2004 21:42:06 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com moulbai@hotmail.com (David Courmanof) wrote in message news:: > Is there a way to block or on my mobile? > I have an Sony Z-600. I answer and say: "Your number is not coming thru on caller ID. Please hang up and try again." Then I hang up before they can speak. One friend using a calling card couldn't send caller ID tho. ------------------------------ From: Fred Atkinson Subject: Re: A Link of Interest to Ham Radio Operators Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 01:50:04 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net Yes, Godaddy is a little cheaper, but they don't provide you with an email address. I prefer using ZoneEdit.com to dyndns.org. It works pretty well and you have as many subdomains on each of your accounts as you want. Up to five domain names can be used on ZoneEdit.com with no charge. Only after you exceed the bandwidth limit (which is rather high) or have more than five domain names in your account do they start charging. And their rates are really very low. I suggest you go ahed and pay the little bit of extra money and get an email account with your domain registration on Registernames. And with the arrangement described in my article, you have total control of your DNS and you domain registration. You can update and alter it at any time without any extra charge. Also, ZoneEdit.com supports dynamic IP addresses. There are a number of programs you can install on your PC that will report a change in IP address to the ZoneEdit.com server if you get a new IP address when you boot up. The program I am using on my PC for that purpose is called 'Dynamic DNS Client' and can be purchased on the Internet for a mere ten dollars. Then you can set your PC up on your cablemodem, DSL, or whatever other high speed Internet connection you might have. 73, Fred, WB4AEJ On Mon, 03 May 2004 15:44:36 GMT, William Warren wrote: > Fred Atkinson wrote in message > news:telecom23.221.13@telecom-digest.org: >> Some time back, I sent you an email asking for another link on the >> telecom-digest.org site. I never saw it up there. Did you ever see >> it? >> It's for ham radio operators, but it's IT related. And there are >> a good number of hams in the IT/telecom community. >> The name of the article is Your Own Ham Domain and the URL is (on >> my ham domain site, appropriately enough): >> http://www.wb4aej.com/hamdomain > Pat, > Fred's basically saying that ham operators can get their call sign as a > domain name. Since I'm a ham, I'll mention a couple of things hams (or > anybody, for that matter) can do. > 1. Use Godaddy: they're charging $7.95 a year for new domain right > now. If anyone knows a better price, please pass it > along. http://www.godaddy.com/. > 2. You can put your web site on your own server if you have dsl or > cable (always on) connections. You'll need a "dynamic" dns like > http://www.dyndns.org/, but that's easy to set up. You can either pay > the dns provider to handle your domain (dyndns is about $25/year), or > Godaddy will forward it for you, free, and you can get the Javascript > from Fred's site to show it as the destination when people click > in. Just be sure you know what you're doing, because it means keeping > a computer on 27/7/365, and keeping up with patches too. On the plus > side, you can assign yourself any email address you want, and then > delete it if it gets spam; this is great for those places that make > you supply an email address when you register, because you can turn > one on, get the serial number, and then never be annoyed by them > again. > 3. The ampr.org domain, which is the 44.0.0.0 network, is the ham's > "real" home, since it's for AMateur Packet Radio. Any ham can get a > free domain name that looks like http://w1aw.ampr.org/, and if you ask > nicely, they'll even put in an MX record so that email coming from the > Internet is redirected to your regular account at AOL or wherever, so > you can get email addressed to, e.g., w1aw@w1aw.ampr.org. Of course, > ampr.org is mostly for doing IP over AX.25, but they're not hard assed > about it. > 4. It's usually better to host your site on your ISP's computers, > since they do all the backups and maintenance for you. That way, you > get the best of all worlds. Most ISP's provide at least 5 MB of space > as part of your basic package, and that's more than enough for a > simple site, and you probably have an extra email address from your > ISP anyway, unless your kids already took them. > HTH. > William Warren > (Filter the noise out of my address for direct replies) ------------------------------ 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. 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V23 #224 ******************************