Time was when the wireless industry's major, marketshaping impact in the telecom sphere was defined by the number of mobile phones that became substitutes for landline telephones, which historically consumers have relied on for day-to-day communications.Just as Ma Bell back in the day grossly...
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration suddenly finds itself confronting privacy and security issues associated with radio frequency identification technology, an awkward position for a U.S. government aggressively promoting RFID and contributing to a potentially huge commercial market for wireless tracking chips and infrastructure. While...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission said Continental Airlines Inc. can offer free Wi-Fi access at Boston-Logan International Airport, ruling the Massachusetts Port Authority's attempt to shut down the airline's wireless Internet service is pre-empted by federal regulations governing over-the-air reception devices (OTARD). Though the dispute...
WASHINGTON—The Federal Communications Commission said Continental Airlines Inc. can offer free Wi-Fi access at Boston-Logan International Airport, ruling the Massachusetts Port Authority’s attempt to shut down the airliner’s wireless Internet service is pre-empted by federal regulations governing over-the-air reception devices (OTARD). Though the dispute...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCR Wireless News to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the...
WASHINGTON-The Bush administration is moving aggressively to integrate radio-frequency identification technology into homeland security, defense and immigration policies, a posture expected to catalyze private-sector investment while inviting increased security and privacy concerns as the emerging wireless application gains traction. The Department of Defense has...
Maybe it was too much caffeine, but it seems the wireless industry did a lot last week to get our editorial staff talking/critiquing, cheering and the like-in other words, hedgehogging. Here are a few of our favorite rants from last week. - - -...
WASHINGTON—As Congress broke for midterm elections, the wireless industry won a few battles, but for the most part failed to get legislation it supported passed. It’s not clear how industry felt about anti-pretexting legislation. The bills got bogged down in turf battles notwithstanding two...
Big deals attract attention. Watching mergers and acquisitions play out is a perennial spectator sport in the technology business, in part because the results of M&As take time to reach fruition or wither on the vine. After Motorola Inc. announced last week it would...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—The Inc. is laying down the ink—and nearly $4 billion in cash—to bulk up for the enterprise. Motorola Inc. and Symbol Technologies announced that the former would buy the latter for nearly $4 billion, a move deepening Motorola’s position in enterprise mobility and...
LOS ANGELES--The M2M module market is growing as enterprises grasp the technology's promise of efficiency in gathering data from many points and wirelessly transmitting it to a single cellular connection for those who need it. Applications range from fleet management to telematics, from home...
In other Wi-Fi news, AeroScout Inc. announced the launch of its enhanced Wi-Fi-based active RFID chip, the T2 Tag, which is used primarily for asset-tracking in the healthcare and manufacturing industries. The company’s latest enhancements to the T2 include a built-in temperature monitor and...
Hello! And welcome to our Thursday column, Worst of the Week. There's a lot of nutty stuff that goes on in this industry, so this column is a chance for us at RCRNews.com to rant and rave about whatever rubs us the wrong way....
SAN JOSE, Calif.—Infineon Technologies AG secured a multimillion-dollar order to supply the U.S. government with its RFID chips for electronic passports. The company touts its RFID chips as being designed to "facilitate international travel by allowing automatic identity verification, faster immigration inspections and greater...
The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...
Amid intensified airport security, U.S. passports outfitted with RFID technology rolled off the government's presses as the U.S. State Department began issuing electronic passports to the public. The State Department said e-passports are being produced at its Colorado Passport Agency in Denver and will...
Look out, Texas Instruments Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG. Your closest competitor in EDGE baseband chips and W-CDMA RF transceivers, respectively-Philips Semiconductor-has a new, ambitious owner anxious to position its acquisition to eat your lunch. Or at least grow Philips Semiconductor by feeding on...
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—VeriSign Inc. announced an agreement with the WiMAX Forum to become the official security provider for the 802.16 standard. In a joint statement, VeriSign and the WiMAX Forum said the partnership will promote equipment compatibility and interoperability by creating a device-authentication standard...
EVERETT, Wash.—Intermec Inc. said it filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Alien Technology Corp., claiming Alien’s radio-frequency identification products infringe on Intermec’s patents. The company filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Intermec said Alien’s products infringe on...
WASHINGTON-A leading industry group blasted a Department of Homeland Security draft report that highlighted potential privacy problems with radio frequency identification technology and downplayed the value of the wireless technology. "RFID technology may have a small benefit in terms of speeding identification processes, but...
WASHINGTON—A leading industry group blasted a Department of Homeland Security draft report that highlighted potential privacy problems with radio frequency identification technology and downplayed the value of the wireless technology. "RFID technology may have a small benefit in terms of speeding identification processes, but...
In the face of raging immigration debates across the nation, Applied Digital Corp.'s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Scott Silverman suggests "chipping" immigrants to help gain control of the situation. Appearing last Tuesday on FOX News' FOX & Friends, Silverman suggested that guest workers...
As the use of RFID technology increases, so do the concerns from consumer privacy advocates. A trade group recently unveiled a set of best practices that they say promotes respect for consumer privacy, but at least one group calls the guidance a ruse."This is...
SAN DIEGO—Network design and engineering firm Wireless Facilities Inc. announced it signed a $10 million contract with a government contractor to develop software and provide integration services for the Global Combat Support System, which supplies military commanders with access to data about personnel and...
