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- Canada - Toronto & Southern Ont.
-- TOTA Mobile/Wireless/Celluar/VOIP Thread
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Could consumers own their internet connections? Last Updated: Monday, December 1, 2008 | 1:27 PM ET By Peter Nowak, CBC News What's the best way to ensure "net neutrality?" Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School professor and Toronto native who first coined the term, has a simple suggestion: customer ownership of internet connections. In a study released last Thursday, the same day the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issued a verdict allowing Bell Canada Inc. to continue slowing certain internet uses, Wu suggested an access model that would allow home owners to purchase high-speed connections rather than rent them from service providers. Under the "homes with tails" model, customers would purchase a fibre wire connection to their home that would provide speeds far in excess of what is generally available in North America today. The fibre would be connected to existing open exchange buildings where a large number of telecommunications pipeline providers have equipment that forms the backbone of the internet. Customers could therefore bypass cable and telephone companies, who today provide the "last mile" of connection between the exchange and the home, to access the internet and thereby video, voice and other services. The model would also result in significant monthly cost savings because customers would only have to pay service providers for the true price of their services and not for infrastructure investment, the report said. The majority of monthly internet bills today are to help cable and phone companies recoup the costs of building their networks. Derek Slater, a policy analyst at Google Inc. who co-authored the report with Wu, says the most important effect of fibre ownership would be that customers could pick their internet connection from more than the two choices they currently have � typically a phone and a cable company. That increased choice at the exchange level would guarantee net neutrality because if one provider started interfering with connections, customers could switch to one that did not, he says. "Competition would ensure that consumers were in control of what they choose to use, access and share without any undue interference," Slater says. "Competition would be a bulwark against interference by network operators." (Although Google has an interest in increased internet usage, the company did not fund the report. Slater says he helped Wu co-author it out of his own interest.) The idea could have specific relevance in Canada, where service providers are increasingly introducing network management measures that critics say are running afoul of net neutrality principles. In Ontario alone, the two largest internet service providers � Bell and Rogers Communications Inc. � are both slowing peer-to-peer file-sharing applications such as BitTorrent. Last week's CRTC ruling ensured that many internet customers in the province will be unable to find unthrottled service at least until a net neutrality probe concludes a year from now. Test project underway in Ottawa As such, the fibre ownership idea is currently being tested in Ottawa under a pilot project headed by Bill St. Arnaud, the chief research officer for CANARIE, Canada's non-profit advanced internet research network. The Ottawa project is adding an additional incentive for consumers to buy their own fibre by tying its cost to energy usage. Under St. Arnaud's "green broadband" plan, the cost of the fibre connection is amortized over a five-year period and added to the owner's monthly energy bill. The fibre costs the consumer two cents per kilowatt hour of electricity they use, or the equivalent amount per cubic metre of gas, whichever the case may be. Based on typical energy expenditures in Ottawa, a consumer would rack up a fibre cost of between $200 and $300 per year, or about $1,000 to $1,500 over the five-year lifetime, he says. The scheme would encourage lower energy consumption, St. Arnaud says, because the fibre would effectively get cheaper as the consumer used less gas or electricity. "Owning is not going to be sufficient incentive for the customer to make that investment," he says. "If we encourage them by this attraction of reducing their energy bill, saving them money and still giving them fibre, it's a bigger inducement." Monthly savings on internet bills would also be significant, St. Arnaud says. He estimates the true cost of service from Bell and Rogers to be between $2 and $15, with the remainder of the monthly $40-plus bill going to recouping infrastructure investment and profit. Finally, fibre would count as an asset to a home owner. According to Wu and Slater's report, studies have found that homes with fibre connections are worth about $4,000 U.S. more than those without. Concept faces obstacles The idea faces a number of obstacles, however, not the least of which is convincing consumers to change their mindset toward ownership rather than rental of their internet connection. That's not an intractable barrier, the report said, since precedents have been set. Computers, for example, were rented out to businesses before companies such as Apple introduced the idea of an owned personal computer. "It will be strange to people at first, but the line between consumer property and businesses has changed over time," Slater says. "What may seem strange or challenging today may become much easier tomorrow or a few years from now." Industry analysts, however, say that's not such an easy obstacle to overcome because ownership also means unwanted hassles. "I can buy a water heater for a couple hundred bucks from Home Depot but I don't want the problem of it," says telecommunications industry consultant Mark Goldberg. "If I rent it, it's not my problem." Maintenance of the fibre connections would also be an issue. Under the current system, cable and phone companies fix any problems that occur on their networks. With the consumer-ownership model, a "condominium" system where households pay monthly maintenance fees would likely be necessary, which would cut into costs savings earned through bypassing a cable or phone provider. "It's not a free ride after you've paid for the fibre," Goldberg says. "You need to have a fibre manager, and they're not going to do it for charity." Incumbents likely to resist The concept's other major problem would be getting service providers to sign on. Cable and phone companies are likely to resist getting cut out of monthly internet access revenue while the backbone service providers at the exchanges may not be willing to go into competition with those firms. That's exactly what's happening in Ottawa, St. Arnaud says. Despite already having strung fibre, mostly from streetside poles, to about 400 households, the project has been unable to find an exchange-based service provider willing to connect customers and go up against Bell and Rogers. "The retail internet business in Canada has been destroyed. All you've got left in Ontario is Bell and Rogers," he says. "Nobody wants to make that kind of investment." One possible solution lays in convincing a big internet service provider from one region to expand into another. Vancouver-based Telus Corp., for example, could get into the business of selling fibre connections in Ontario, where it has no residential internet customers. The problem there for Telus, however, would be the threat of repercussions from Bell or Rogers. "Their concern is that they'll come back and invade them on their own territory," St. Arnaud says. "They like the idea in somebody else's territory, but not their own." Still, both Slater and St. Arnaud believe the concept can fly if only one service provider can be convinced to give it a try. The point of the report, Slater says, was to get discussion of the concept moving and to encourage more experiments like the one in Ottawa. "It's a chicken-or-the-egg problem. How do you get the service providers in on it if they're not used to this model, and how do you get people to want to buy the fibre if there aren't service providers there to begin with?" he says. "These kinds of attitudes can change over time. It's not an insurmountable obstacle."

source:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/...tech-fibre.html

N97 is touch screen

Might get this instead of the E71

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Originally posted by E2EK1EL N97 is touch screen Might get this instead of the E71

Was looking at this badboy this morning. Looks like a really great mobile device.

More info: Gizmodo

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Originally posted by dEsidEL Could consumers own their internet connections? source: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/...tech-fibre.html

Really neat article! I would love to sing up for something like that, but I'm probably in the minority. I've had a hard enough time signing people up for Acanac, because they don't want to pay for a full year in advance. Sometimes people are so short sighted, it is like they want to get fucked by the telcom industry.

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Originally posted by E2EK1EL N97 is touch screen Might get this instead of the E71

Looks like a cool device, but $700??!?! I am just amazed that people pay that much for phones.

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Originally posted by Orko Looks like a cool device, but $700??!?! I am just amazed that people pay that much for phones.

+1

it's hard to justify that kind of cost, unless you're running your own business and need all the features to keep things going, or require it for work in which your employer would likely have already provided you with a smartphone.

but for the average consumer?? to each their own i guess..

Oh my god. N97.

Load status: blown


One problem: Dual LED flash. Disappointing, and likely to keep me from buying it.

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Originally posted by VERTiG0 Oh my god. N97. Load status: blown One problem: Dual LED flash. Disappointing, and likely to keep me from buying it.

My GOD cause of the flash?????

That's a nice phone man....




You have sex with your N86 don't you???

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Originally posted by VDub My GOD cause of the flash????? That's a nice phone man.... You have sex with your N86 don't you???

Yep, because of the flash. The dual LED flash system just can't hold a candle to a proper Xenon flash. My phone completely replaced my digital camera, and does a damn good job of it.

I agree, it is a very nice phone. I'll probably change my tune in a while, we'll see.

Lastly: Yes, I make sweet, sweet love to my N82. She likes it rough. I like her so much I paid for her surgical cosmetic alterations (black to silver/steel clothing). HOT

Cale, you have mad issues.

On a related note, did you guys read that Nokia is jumping ship from Japan? WTF? Apparently the 4th largest market in the world, and they are going to stop selling phones there!

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Originally posted by Orko Cale, you have mad issues.

I beg to differ!

Also yeah, but Nokia has less than 1% market share in Japan. Look at the competition they have from all the amazing phones Japan has. They'll continue selling Vertu phones, but that's it.

Also, obligatory "LOL VERTU."

Then who the fuck dominates in Japan? So confused.

quote:

Originally posted by VERTiG0 Lastly: Yes, I make sweet, sweet love to my N82. She likes it rough. HOT

So you're putting the headphone jack to good use then eh???

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Originally posted by Orko Then who the fuck dominates in Japan? So confused.

Sharp/NTT DoCoMo, Toshiba, etc. Not your usuals.

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Originally posted by VDub So you're putting the headphone jack to good use then eh???

Dude, trust me: The 3.5mm is MORE than enough, aw yeah

a good read.. we're not out of the woods yet, but how quickly things change..

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What has the iPhone done to Canada's Wireless-Space? With the Holiday Season about to kick off, Apple has already started to flex its advertising muscle. Author Dilshan Kathriarachchi PCWorld.ca Monday, November 24, 2008 Considering the innovation and creativity going into those ever trendy iPod commercials, the iPhone ads borrow the same larger than life theme in propelling itself beyond the role of a regular mobile phone. The entire line of amazingly well-structured iPhone ads end with one simple yet powerful slogan, "...This is gonna change everything". A statement that is probably true more so in Canada than anywhere else in the world. When the iPhone 3G was launched in Canada just four short months ago, it truly did change everything. It's hard to imagine and even harder to swallow that just a few short months ago checking your email on the go was a distant fantasy for those of us without a BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device. Even then, it was in most cases just your work email on a corporate phone. Today, email on the go is no longer a privilege but practically a right for every mobile subscriber. Just like voice mail and caller identification, it's implied that access to email be available on any decent mobile plan in Canada. So what really changed in the last few months to bring about this change? Access to data. Canada at one time was a land reputed for exorbitant mobile data rates. How expensive? Try dishing out 5 cents for every kilobyte of data you use. So expensive in fact that many of us simply ignored the Internet connectivity on our mobile phones since taking advantage of such functionality on a regular basis had never been financially viable. All around the world for many years the mobile phone has functioned in the dual role as both a telephony and Internet device. Yet Canada was significantly falling behind in new mobile technology benchmarks assessed predominantly on access to mobile data-related services. The iPhone in its very essence contradicts such restrictive data policies. Whether its mobile browsing, email, downloading applications and songs, or even checking the weather; every thing the iPhone does, it relies on mobile data one way or the other. This is one reason Apple picked exclusive carriers in each country so affordable data plans can be negotiated for its iPhone users. When it came around to Canada's turn, Rogers who still carries the iPhone exclusively in the maple state had to bring down its data charges to unprecedented levels. The cost for accessing one megabyte of data on the go dropped from an exorbitant $50 down to roughly half a penny on the most data-friendly plans overnight! Wireless carriers such as our very own Rogers, Bell or Telus calculate their market success by an indicator known as ARPU (Average Revenue per User). It represents the average revenue a specific operator is getting from each of its subscribers. Historically Canadian wireless carriers have enjoyed extremely high ARPU numbers that placed them within the top three globally. This maybe one reason why the carriers stuck to their tried and tested core business of voice and text veering away from other value added services deemed excessive. Unfortunately data services for the longest time were considered to be a value added service and out of mind when it came to re-evaluating their pricing to reflect technology and market changes. What the iPhone triggered would be a landslide where data services would start contributing more and more towards the ARPU with it ultimately poised to grab a bigger chunk than even voice and text. Therefore it's no surprise that Rogers linked its unprecedented 84 per cent rise in income last quarter predominantly on the success of the iPhone and therefore establishing mobile data services as a profitable and rewarding endeavor even here in Canada. With the introduction of the iPhone's touch interface and other at-the-time ground breaking features, this device has truly set the benchmarks for what Canadian wireless consumers expect off their mobile devices. For a country that was once famous for its bare basic mobile phones, the flood of devices such as the LG Dare, HTC Touch Pro, Samsung Instinct and the upcoming BlackBerry Storm signals a new age of choice and options for the Canadian consumer. Looking back a few years from now we would be gushing over a new round of flashier devices and even more innovative uses for our phones. A new wireless space where voice plans would slowly phase out over time giving way to third-party VoIP services for which our wireless carriers would bill us on data usage over minutes. Similarly the individual cost of mobile IM, Picture Messaging and Email would undergo a significant downward spiral encouraging greater use and billed for nett data use as opposed to per action as it is now. All-in-all Canada's wireless space has been irrevocably pushed into the third-generation of mobile communications and the catalyst responsible for this revolution would always be remembered as the Apple iPhone 3G, the phone that could.

source:
http://www.pcworld.ca/news/column/c...bd16702/pg0.htm

I suppose the iPhone is good for something afterall, and not just as a coaster or a paperweight.

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Originally posted by VERTiG0 Dude, trust me: The 3.5mm is MORE than enough, aw yeah

Like throwin a hotdog down a hallway....

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Originally posted by VERTiG0 I suppose the iPhone is good for something afterall, and not just as a coaster or a paperweight.

Plus you can get a zippo lighter app...

You can do all the flipping tricks...

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Originally posted by VDub Plus you can get a zippo lighter app... You can do all the flipping tricks...

Somebody showed me some beer application once, where you "drink" the beer and you can "throw" the rest of it out of "the glass."

I was like "that's stupid, you're stupid, get out of here."

Discuss.

my friend accidentally dropped his iphone on the carpet (about 1m fall)... he had to keep it in the freezer from that point on until the battery died

it started overheating and he couldn't do a batter pull

Very nice read on the article, really precise indeed. The iPhone really brought data charges down for sure, and I never thought I could afford it.

I�m almost maxed out on all 9 home screens on the iPhone, it�s time to filter a lot of them out.

Hmmmm N97 was designed by a Jap

THANK GOD!!!!!!!

BLACKBERRY STORM UPDATE!!!

With many of the Verizon users who took advantage of the leaked OS upgrade for their version of the Storm reporting vast improvements, it�s only understandable that a lot of Vodafone Storm users are upset about the lack of a new OS available through legitimate means or otherwise. Thankfully Vodafone Germany has stepped up to the plate and has officially released a software update for the 9500. Reported to improve accelerometer lag and touchscreen accuracy among other things, OS 4.7.0.78 is sure to make many disgruntled European Storm users happy. Grab a copy of OS 4.7.0.78 here and let us and the world know how you and your Storm are fairing.

after playing with the storm today at work for like 1hr I have changed my mind and will not buy it its kinda slow and not too crazy as its being marketed..........coming out the 15th @ both telus and bell.

For those running Windows Mobile:


I just found a couple of really handy free-ware apps:

G-Alarm

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Description: G-Alarm is a free alarm clock for many Windows Mobile based PDAs, PocketPCs or Smartphones. G-Alarm is a alarm clock with special mechanism to wake you up. G-Alarm is an alarm clock which gives you some activity in the morning: G-Alarm forces you to guide a ball through mazes before you can snooze or stop the alarm. Of course, you can also disable this feature and use it as a "normal" alarm clock.

Great little app, that really improves on the lacking built in alarm clock. Lots of settings, and features, and some nice skins.

TouchResponse

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Description: This program is a touch driver to handle the touchscreen presses and vibration. TouchResponse will vibrate on touch.

After talking to my friend who used the Samsung Instinct, he said how he loved the tactile feedback, even though the rest of the phone was shit. I found this and installed it right away. Works really well, very simple, and you can modify the length of the vibration. I know sometimes in WM it seems like you tapped the screen, but you just don't know, well now you can always tell. It has certainly improved my user experience.


For those willing to pay for a great app:

Pocket music

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Description: supports MP3, OGG, WMA, Audible audiobooks, and HTTP streaming including Internet radio. Extra Bass, Bookmarks, Landscape mode, Alarm feature, Today Screen plug-in,

Best WM music player I have used to date (after four years of use). The UI is very simple and finger friendly. Quite stable (except the AAC plugin), and does pretty much everything you want a music player to do. A lot more intuitive than the stock windows media player or TCPMP(Core Player).

quote:

Originally posted by UmmiE after playing with the storm today at work for like 1hr I have changed my mind and will not buy it its kinda slow and not too crazy as its being marketed..........coming out the 15th @ both telus and bell.

What ver firmware was this unit? Was it like the video i posted awhile ago?

2/6 units out there are faulty. Lets see what happens after this firmware update.

Regardless if I like this or not, i don't like seeing a company so amazing in the past .... releasing stuff like this in the market.

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