Editor’s Note: RCR Wireless News goes all in for “Throwback Thursdays,” tapping into our archives to resuscitate the top headlines from the past. Fire up the time machine, put on the sepia-tinted shades, set the date for #TBT and enjoy the memories!
IPv6 officially launches
Following World IPv6 Day, which marked the worldwide commercial launch of the new Internet Protocol on June 6, many questions came up since IPv6 is more complex and involves telecom operators, content providers and manufacturers in promoting the large scale use of the new protocol that will replace IPv4. Major ISPs, home router vendors and websites will begin offering their services using IPv6, while still supporting the current IPv4 standard. According to Chris Busch, chief technical officer at Incognito Software, the impact will be huge. “From a high-level perspective, the size of IPv6 is directly related to the size of worldwide broadband—both fixed and mobile markets combined,” he said. It is difficult to place a price tag on how much investment would be necessary for every player to update their infrastructure to IPv6, but Busch believes that tens of millions of dollars have already been spent. “The reality for operators across the industry seems to be that core network systems are IPv6-ready now,” he said. “Most access networks are prepared to operate in dual stack, meaning that they support both IPv4 and IPv6 service.” … Read more
How do you like Meego now?
(Editor’s note: For more on Meego, check out last week’s #TBT from June 2010.) Less than a week after Mozilla rechristened its Linux-based mobile operating system, a group of former Nokia executives has announced development of a new smartphone based on Meego, the Linux-based OS that Nokia abandoned in favor of Windows. Nokia only produced one Meego smartphone, the N9, a phone perhaps most notable for its screen-only user interface – there are no buttons on the face of the device. Last week, Meego lead developer Sotiris Makyrgiannis announced that he is leaving Nokia, clouding the future of the Meego operating system. The clouds lifted just a few days later when Finland’s Jolla Ltd., run by another group of ex-Nokia executives, said that it will design, develop and sell new MeeGo-based smartphones. Jolla says its first smartphone will be unveiled later this year. “Nokia created something wonderful – the world’s best smartphone product. It deserves to be continued, and we will do that together with all the bright and gifted people contributing to the MeeGo success story,” Jolla CEO Jussi Hurmola said in a press release. Jolla says it has been working on the product since the end of 2011 and that it will include a brand new user interface. … Read more
‘Wi-Fi is the new Ethernet’, says Ruckus CEO
“Middle-of-the-road” is not a phrase that comes to mind when talking about Selina Lo, the high-profile CEO of Ruckus Wireless. But the middle of the road is exactly where Lo’s company found the route to success with its Wi-Fi hardware, software and services. “We were one of the first to focus on the mid-tier enterprise,” says Lo. “Prior to Ruckus coming into the market in 2008, if you looked at Cisco, Aruba, and HP, they were all chasing tier-one universities and Fortune 1000 companies. We were the first to say ‘we want to go after the mid-tier enterprise.’ ” The strategy clearly paid off. Last year, revenue at Ruckus doubled to $120 million, and this year the company is said to be talking to some of Wall Street’s most prestigious underwriters about an IPO. Lo is no stranger to the world of corporate finance; she was a VP at Alteon WebSystems when that company went public, and was a key player in the $7.8 billion sale of Alteon to Nortel Networks. Now Lo is on a mission to bring Wi-Fi connectivity to everyone. “Wi-Fi is the new Ethernet,” Lo told RCR Wireless News. “The new generation, when they sit down in a public place, they look for Wi-Fi first. All public facing enterprises are finding it necessary to offer Wi-Fi hotspots.” Lo thinks the trend toward Wi-Fi-only devices will accelerate during the next five years. “More people are going to carry devices that do not have an Ethernet port,” she says. While more and more companies now see Wi-Fi as a cost of doing business, many also see a revenue opportunity. Retailers are especially interested in using Wi-Fi networks to deliver real-time promotions to customers in their stores. “Since Wi-Fi is the de facto indoor solution for wireless, if we want any of the commercial apps to work such as coupon sending and promotions and payments, we need to do a much better job with location services,” says Lo. … Read more
Ingram Micro acquires BrightPoint
Supply-chain services provider Ingram Micro announced plans to acquire rival BrightPoint (CELL) for approximately $840 million in a deal that will further boost Ingram Micro’s dominance in the fulfillment services business. The deal is valued at a 66% premium over BrightPoint’s closing price last Friday. Ingram Micro noted the deal will expand its global geographic footprint and customer base in the “rapidly growing and strategically important mobility market.” The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Ingram Micro has made inroads into the mobile space, including deals with Verizon Wireless and Nokia. BrightPoint has been more focused on the mobile space, having expanded both its domestic and international presence. BrightPoint generated more than $5.2 billion in revenues last year and employs approximately 4,000 people across facilities in 24 countries. The company said it handled more than 112 million wireless devices in 2011. BrightPoint CEO, Chairman and Founder Robert Laikin will serve in a senior advisory role to Ingram Micro President and CEO Alain Monie. A number of BrightPoint executives has already committed to joining Ingram Micro following the transaction, including Americas president Mark Howell; Asia-Pacific president Bruce Thomlinson; Europe, Middle East and Africa president Anurag Gupta; and CFO Vincent Donargo. … Read more
What do people use for tablets for, anyway?
The main reason people buy media tablets is the form factor: tablet users prefer their size and shape to that of PCs. People are now using tablets for daily personal activities, according to a new survey by Gartner, Inc. The survey found that the main activities that are moving from PCs to media tablets are: checking email (81%), reading the news (69%), checking the weather forecast (63%), social networking (62%) and gaming (60%). The study was done at the end of 2011 in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. According to the survey, media tablets play a more dominant role in the home than mobile phones or PCs with the highest usage taking place in the living room (87%), bedroom (65%) and kitchen (47%). Respondents said they purchased a media tablet rather than a PC for its convenience, small size and light weight. … Read more
Check out the RCR Wireless News Archives for more stories from the past.
