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The Telecom Digest for April 27, 2010
Volume 29 : Issue 116 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
A Convenient, Mysterious Service From Cable Companies (Monty Solomon)
CableLabs Next-Gen Broadband Project Envisions Multigigabit Speeds (Neal McLain)
Re: Batteries, when to charge (Jeff)
Researchers Hijack Cell Phone Data, GSM Locations (Thad Floryan)
Re: Please do not change your password (Sam Spade)
NY MTA to expand wireless at Grand Central Terminal (Jeff)
====== 28 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======
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Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 10:26:31 -0400
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: A Convenient, Mysterious Service From Cable Companies
Message-ID: <p06240808c7fb4c967288@[10.0.1.4]>
April 22, 2010
A Convenient, Mysterious Service From Cable Companies
By DAVID POGUE
A year ago, I wrote about how Cablevision, my cable company, had
quietly begun installing Wi-Fi hot spots all over its market area:
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. These hot spots began popping
up in all the public areas: shopping centers, main streets, train
stations, parks, marinas and sports complexes. The best part: these
hot spots are free to anyone who subscribes to Internet service from
Cablevision at home.
Over the year, the signal has only gotten better. In my Connecticut
town, it's absolutely amazing how often that "Optimum Wi-Fi" hot spot
shows up on my menu bar, ready for free connecting. Once you've
introduced your gadget to the network (laptop, app phone like a
BlackBerry or an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad), you never have to log
in again. No name, password or Web page login screen. You're just
always online, wherever you go in town.
Meanwhile, other big cable companies have been installing free Wi-Fi
networks for their own customers.
This is all good news-but not as good as the announcement that landed
last week. Starting now, any New York, New Jersey or Connecticut
customer of Cablevision, Time Warner or Comcast can use any of those
companies' hot spots.
In other words, I, a Cablevision customer, can now use all of Time
Warner's and Comcast's hot spots in these three states. If you have
Time Warner's Road Runner service at home, you're now welcome to hop
onto Cablevision's Optimum hot spots wherever you find them, or
Comcast's Xfinity hot spots. And so on. It's as though all three
companies have merged for the purpose of accommodating your Wi-Fi
gadget, hugely multiplying the number of hot spots that are available
to you.
...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/technology/personaltech/22pogue-email.html
***** Moderator's Note *****
ObTelecom: I wonder if they'll take VoIP?
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:26:36 -0500
From: Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: CableLabs Next-Gen Broadband Project Envisions Multigigabit Speeds
Message-ID: <4BD5BEBC.3010702@annsgarden.com>
Data-Over-Coax Technology Would Eliminate 6-MHz Channel Divisions
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, April 25, 2010
Cable's next major broadband technology platform may throw DOCSIS out
the window -- but it is envisioned to let operators economically deliver
gobs of bandwidth over existing coaxial cable.
CableLabs, the industry's research and development consortium, is in the
earliest stages of investigating a new platform for data-over-coax
transmission reconceived from the ground up, according to people
familiar with the project.
The concept, if it comes to fruition, could let cable operators deliver
extremely high speeds downstream, of up to 5 Gigabits per second -- or
even more.
http://tinyurl.com/3xuvs4x
Just as I predicted in July 2007.
http://tinyurl.com/2bdrgrx
But I didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
Neal McLain
***** Moderator's Note *****
There are already standards for data over coaxial cable: 10Base5 and 10Base2. ;-)
Bill Horne
Moderator
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 08:07:18 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jeff <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Batteries, when to charge
Message-ID: <8748a530-d02a-4a03-a372-691e76e8c0d7@g30g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>
On Apr 25, 6:16 pm, Joseph Singer <joeofseat...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> For modern cellphone batteries i.e. if they're lithium ion or lithium
> polymer do not let the batteries get completely flat. You can pretty
> much charge them at will once you've initially "conditioned" them.
What is "conditioning"? When I first got the phone I fully charged
the battery. Then I used it until it ran out. I hope that was
conditioning. (Note--by "run out" I mean when the phone stopped
working. I suspect the phone's circuitry turns off the phone before
the battery is truly dead so as to keep some current for the phone's
memory.)
> Do you arrange for people to call you at specific times so you never
> have your phone on unless someone specific is going to call you?
I give out my work number* and home number. I only give out my cell
phone number for special situations, such as waiting for a doctor's
office to call or some other urgent business I don't want to miss, or
when meeting friends somewhere and need to know if they'll be late.
In those cases I turn on the cell phone to wait for the call.
Many times when I'm waiting for an important call on my cell phone the
call comes through when I'm in the bathroom, or, while driving and
about to merge into heavy traffic where I must give full attention to
the road and can't answer the phone.
*I get very angry--and make sure the caller's boss knows it--if a
bank's sales rep calls me at work to pitch me brokerage services or
some such thing.
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 13:06:25 -0700
From: Thad Floryan <thad@thadlabs.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Researchers Hijack Cell Phone Data, GSM Locations
Message-ID: <4BD5F241.9070402@thadlabs.com>
A pair of security researchers has discovered a number of new
attack vectors that give them the ability to not only locate
any GSM mobile handset anywhere in the world, but also find
the name of the subscriber associated with virtually any
cellular phone number, raising serious privacy and security
concerns for customers of all of the major mobile providers.
The research, which Don Bailey of iSec Partners and independent
security researcher Nick DePetrillo will present at the SOURCE
conference in Boston today [21-APR-2010], builds upon earlier
work on geolocation of GSM handsets and exposes a number of
fundamental weaknesses in the architecture of mobile providers'
networks. However, these are not software or hardware
vulnerabilities that can be patched or mitigated with workarounds.
Rather, they are features and functionality built into the networks
and back-end systems that Bailey and DePetrillo have found ways to
abuse in order to discover information that most cell users assume
is private and known only to the cell provider.
"I haven't seen anything out there anywhere on this. Who owns
a cell number isn't private," DePetrillo said. "If you go
through entire number ranges and blocks, you'll get numbers
for celebrities, executives, anyone. You can then track them
easily using the geolocation information."
At the heart of the work the pair did is their ability to
access the caller ID database mobile providers use to match
the names of subscribers to mobile numbers. This is the same
database that contains the subscriber information for
landlines, but most mobile users don't realize that their data
is entered into this repository, Bailey said.
{article continues at the following URL}
http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/researchers-hijack-cell-phone-data-gsm-locations-042110
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:00:51 -0700
From: Sam Spade <sam@coldmail.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: Re: Please do not change your password
Message-ID: <8HqBn.101698$Ht4.27069@newsfe20.iad>
Steven wrote:
> Frontier got into trouble years ago, but has been pretty stable in the
> last few years. An old friend works for Rochester Telephone and I
> remember that being a test site for Stromberg Carlson.
>
My recollection, which may be faulty, is that Rochester went 100% 5ESS.
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:46:29 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jeff <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com>
To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org.
Subject: NY MTA to expand wireless at Grand Central Terminal
Message-ID: <9b587969-9814-4a8c-ae2c-24d2730984e9@40g2000vbr.googlegroups.com>
This press release is from the MTA's website, www.mta.info. There was
no copyright so I've coped the entire document. One thing I don't
understand is what changes they will make since passengers on trains
in the terminal and tunnel can already make wireless calls.
Press release:
MTA Metro-North Railroad Selects Team to Offer Multi-Carrier Wireless
Services Throughout Grand Central Terminal
Project Will Be at No Cost to Metro-North And Will Generate Income
MTA Metro-North Railroad is requesting approval for a ground-breaking
License Agreement with a team of national wireless carriers to
construct a state-of-the-art, multi-carrier wireless commercial
network that will provide wireless (cellular) service to customers in
Grand Central Terminal, the Platform/ Trainshed area and the Park
Avenue Tunnel.
In addition, the system will provide WiFi services for GCT and the
platform/trainshed area, and the team will build a stand-alone,
internal radio communications network for MTA use, including public
safety and first responders. All will be at no cost to the MTA. The
team of carriers, which was selected through a competitive process,
consists of Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, AT&T and T-Mobile.
This network would be a huge benefit for Metro-North customers,
significantly improving and expanding commercial wireless services,
including access to commercial wireless services from multiple
providers. Current wireless (cellular) service in GCT is limited and
there is no coverage in the two-mile-long Park Avenue Tunnel. This
will be remedied under the project.
The agreement also would improve the MTA's internal communications
capabilities to support the MTA Police Department and other emergency
service responders who wish to participate, such as the New York City
Fire Department. The carrier team will design, construct and install,
at its own expense, a stand-alone wireless radio services
communications network for the exclusive operation by Metro-North.
Upon completion and acceptance, this internal network would become the
property of Metro-North.
Under the License Agreement, Metro-North estimates that it will
receive $24.3 million in benefits, with no cost to the railroad. More
specifically, the carrier team will bear the capital cost of the
commercial wireless system, the MTA's stand-alone radio system for its
internal use and provision of 48 strands of spare fiber optic cable
and conduit. The team also will pay Metro-North an annual license fee,
with an annual escalation clause for the initial 10-year-term, with
two, five-year renewal options. In addition, Metro-North will receive
all revenue generated by sublicenses to WiFi service providers, less
administrative costs, with a guaranteed minimum dollar amount per
year. The MTA estimates the value of the license fee arrangement alone
over the 20-year maximum term at over $4 million.
The proposed License Agreement was approved today to the Railroads
Committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The full Board
of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to vote on
the Agreement at its monthly meeting on Wednesday.
"This new contract will greatly improve customer convenience through
the provision of seamless wireless service for Grand Central and the
Park Avenue Tunnel," said Metro-North President Howard Permut. "It
also will greatly improve the communications capability of the MTA and
emergency service providers, as well as adding spare fiber optic
capacity for future growth and raise much-needed revenue for the
Railroad."
"Grand Central Terminal is an unequaled public venue for people from
all over the world. Verizon Wireless is delighted to be part of
providing users of this extraordinarily-travelled venue with a full
range of wireless voice and data services, including Wi-Fi, " said
Patrick Devlin, Verizon Wireless' New York Metro Region president.
"This project also provides the MTA with a state-of-the-art internal
communications system for its own use, including support of first
responders and public safety providers, and added fiber capacity for
the future."
"We look forward to the opportunity to extend our network coverage
that already exists inside Grand Central and to supporting the growing
demand for advanced services and applications throughout the Main
Concourse and lower track levels," said Tom DeVito, vice president and
general manager for AT&T in NY and NJ. "Grand Central is a worldwide
recognized landmark and a vital transportation hub for the city,
region and country."
"T-Mobile is excited to expand cell service to MTA riders at Grand
Central Terminal. Customers count on high-quality wireless service to
stay connected — from catching up with friends and family to calling
911 for emergencies. T-Mobile is committed to ensuring our New York
City customers have reliable coverage when they need it most," said
Chris Hillabrant, regional vice president, engineering, T-Mobile USA.
"By extending Sprint and Nextel wireless coverage to Grand Central
Terminal, our customers will be able to better stay in touch with the
people important to them," said Iyad Tarazi, vice president,
development and engineering, Sprint Nextel. "This enhanced coverage
also will strengthen the ability of public safety to respond to
emergencies when they occur in Grand Central Terminal. Sprint is proud
to be a part of the team bringing enhanced wireless coverage to Grand
Central Terminal."
This License Agreement is a completely independent project from the
recent Request for proposals issued jointly by Metro-North and the
Long Island Rail Road for Wi-Fi service on board trains and throughout
their suburban operating territories, and will not preclude
implementation of Wi-Fi on trains. Proposals on that project are due
May 17.
The License Agreement calls for construction completion of the
commercial and MTA internal networks approximately three years after
selection of the key vendors/contractors.
###
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