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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Gates puts cash into broadband antenna start-up
August 21, 2012 3:12 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsKymeta was founded to exploit new metamaterials to create beam-steering antennas for mobile broadband applications. The start-up that has technology likely to improve broadband service to moving vehicles just closed $12 million in funding, with contributors that include Bill Gates, Liberty Global and Lux Capital.
Comcast promotes finance exec
August 21, 2012 3:08 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsSarah Bryant will take over as senior vice president of finance for Comcast’s enormous Central Division. In her new role, Bryant will oversee budgeting and forecasting, financial reporting and analysis, purchasing, capital planning and information technology, and systems throughout the 15 states that comprise the Central Division.
TiVo strikes deal with GCI
August 21, 2012 1:00 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsAlaskan telecommunications company GCI announced that it is going with TiVo for its next-generation whole-home TV platform. It will start deploying TiVo’s platform this year before offering it across its entire footprint next year. GCI will rely on TiVo to enable its whole-home platform.
Comcast Business Services connects distance learning initiatives for college
August 21, 2012 12:55 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsComcast Business Services is fueling Community College of Baltimore County’s distance learning initiatives through its Ethernet services. CCBC is using Comcast’s Ethernet services in its “Fab Lab,” which is an interactive workshop that allows users to take advantage of digital fabrication technologies by using files of two- or three-dimensional computer drawings to replicate products onto different types of equipment.
AT&T’s FaceTime policy could violate FCC rules
August 21, 2012 12:44 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsAT&T's recent announcement that FaceTime over cellular will be reserved exclusively for those customers who switch to the company's new Mobile Share plans is sure to ruffle a few feathers, and some say it might even be in violation of the FCC’s Open Internet rules.
LightSquared appoints new CEO
August 21, 2012 12:41 pm | by Andrew Berg, Wireless Week | News | CommentsLightSquared announced that it has appointed Doug Smith as its new chairman of the board of directors and CEO. Smith was previously serving as co-chief operating officer for the company. Smith said LightSquared remains committed to working with all stakeholders to find an equitable resolution to the regulatory challenges that the company has faced this past year.
Best Buy profits plunge on weak sales, restructuring costs
August 21, 2012 12:36 pm | by Maisie Ramsay, Wireless Week | News | CommentsBest Buy's profits plummeted about 90 percent during its second fiscal quarter as weak sales and restructuring costs hit its bottom line. The weak financial results come after co-founder Richard Schulze walked away from an offer to move forward with talks to take the company private.
TWC lights up Empire State Building with fiber-based services
August 20, 2012 3:15 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTime Warner Cable Business Class, the commercial services division of Time Warner Cable, recently scored a high-profile customer win after expanding its fiber-optic network to the Empire State Building. TWCBC is providing all tenants of the skyscraper with access to a dedicated Internet network that provides high-bandwidth capabilities and speeds that can reach 1,000 Mbps.
Hale Communications the top reseller for Charter Business
August 20, 2012 3:08 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsIn its first year as a channel partner, Hale Communications announced it was the top sales leader in the nation for Charter Business services. St. Louis-based Hale brokers telecom services for more than 30 carriers across the nation, including Level 3, AT&T, tw telecom and Windstream.
Study: 83% of video operators plan to offer TV Everywhere by 2013
August 20, 2012 3:05 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsTV Everywhere services are poised to hit the mainstream, according to a recent study by Infonetics Research. With the increased competition from telcos, satellite providers and over-the-top offerings, cable operators can reduce subscriber churn by offering TV Everywhere services to various devices.
Best Buy hires Joly as new CEO
August 20, 2012 2:57 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBest Buy Co. has tapped Hubert Joly, the former head of global hospitality company Carlson and turnaround expert, as the nation's largest consumer electronics chain's new CEO and president. The announcement comes after the ailing retailer said that its offer to advance talks with company co-founder Richard Schulze on his takeover bid was rejected.
Liberty boosts Sirius XM stake, aims for control
August 20, 2012 2:53 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsLiberty Media said it has boosted its stake in Sirius XM Radio and intends to take control of the satellite radio broadcaster if federal authorities approve. It bought 94.3 million shares in Sirius XM starting in the past week for $234.3 million, raising its stake to 48 percent.
The power equation: No factor too small or too big
August 20, 2012 2:01 pm | by Brian Santo | Articles | CommentsThe electronics industry as a whole has been working on ways to save energy for years, but there are plenty of ways to save much, much more. Ongoing efforts are now involving everything from increasing the efficiency of products as basic as power supplies, to improving chip design for telecom equipment, to a nascent effort to define a means to manage the energy consumption of every element of entire communications networks.
Options abound for boosting cable upstream speeds
August 20, 2012 1:33 pm | by Mike Robuck | Articles | CommentsIn a shot across the cable industry’s bow, Verizon rolled out a revamped data lineup that included significant speed upgrades on the return path earlier this summer. To go with its 300 Mbps downstream speed, Verizon is now offering an upstream speed of 65 Mbps in addition to 150/65, 75/35 and 50/25 tiers. Comcast’s highest return path speed can burst up to 20 Mbps, while Cablevision clocks in with 15 Mbps on the upstream.
Digital RF modulators for CCAP
August 20, 2012 12:08 pm | by Ajay Kuckreja, principal member of technical staff at Maxim Integrated Products | Articles | CommentsThe demand for cable broadband digital video and data is increasing downstream data rates at 30 percent to 40 percent per year. Meanwhile, consumers expect to keep spending on an increasing number of connected devices at home, helping to assure future growth in downstream demand.
