As ISPs continue to explore new ways to charge customers, many are embracing the idea of pricing based on data consumption. But the lack of pricing transparency and sheer number of variables make it too consumer unfriendly. Read more »
Startups and enterprises alike face barriers when it comes to cloud adoption. This includes security, speed of access to cloud resources, and runaway network costs. However, multiple solutions for direct access are being provided to address this issue for companies big and small. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The United Nations may not be trying to take over the internet, but its telecom arm is discussing proposals that could seriously threaten the openness of the network, according to people like Vint Cerf — and could also change the way we pay for it. Read more »
The Big 4 carriers took swipes at one another at CTIA Wireless, arguing over which had the faster network and whose were really 4G. Clearwire stayed out of the debate, but according to CTO John Saw the carrier is planning to shame them all. Read more »
Media issues like advertising and discovery along with commerce dominated the activity in social and real-time Web technologies during the first quarter. Google raised some hackles, Facebook responded to demands from traditional advertisers, and Yahoo got a new chief executive. Read more in the full report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Ericsson is showing off a new network technology at Mobile World Congress that will boost uplink capacity on HSPA systems by three times, to a theoretical 12 Mbps. That’s ideally suited for the changing ways we’re consuming mobile broadband. Read more »
If you’re like many of us, you’re already thinking over some New Year’s resolutions that will make you a better “you” in 2012. But how are the tech industries’ thought leaders approaching the new year? We asked 12 of them for their resolutions. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A new report on social networking traffic patterns in organizations across the globe reveals that while use of social networks at work is way up, it still accounts for only a miniscule percentage of bandwidth. Threats to data security may be the bigger issue. Read more »
Vint Cerf is one of the fathers of the Internet, but he argues that Internet access shouldn’t be seen as a fundamental human right — simply as a tool that enables other rights. But is this true? And what are the implications if he’s wrong? Read more »
Long-haul networks aren’t the only pipes getting 100 gigabit upgrades these days. On Tuesday Verizon said it is upgrading the metro networks in at least seven U.S. cities to meet the demand for broadband at the edge. Looks like we’re closing in on the terabit age. Read more »
InterContinental Hotels Group, the luxury hotel chain, has spent the last five and half years creating a technology platform for its business that helps it span multiple brands, cultures and continents, according to Tom Conophy, EVP and CIO of the hotel company. Read more »
Sprint confirmed today that it will offer unlimited plans for the upcoming iPhone 4S. But, while we’re confident that Sprint’s network can handle the iPhone with unlimited data, will consumers be able to handle Sprint’s network? It’s going to be pretty slow. Read more »
We want information, and we want it now, so technologists are racing to keep up. From a stealthy startup in New Mexico getting funded to Infinera providing gear that could download Netflix’s entire library in 5 seconds, the secret for our need for speed is light. Read more »
At the end of last month Verizon acquired CloudSwitch, adding value to Verizon’s January acquisition of cloud data center provider Terremark. Around the world, big telecommunications providers such as AT&T, BT, Telstra and Verizon have been hard at work, diversifying and seeking new business opportunities as ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Web applications that are deployed in one or a few data centers can watch their bandwidth costs exceed their server and hosting costs as their applications scale up, according to a paper looking at what telecommunications companies can offer as cloud providers. Read more »
Amazon Web Services announced a trio of features designed to lure in enterprise users, including dedicated 1- or 10-Gigabit links to its cloud data centers. AWS is doing everything it can to make its services as flexible, reliable and secure as possible for enterprise users. Read more »
A British study found that people who went without the internet for 24 hours were “upset” and experienced “withdrawal.” But is this really surprising? It’s become obvious that internet access is a core function of modern life — talking about it as “addiction” misses the point. Read more »
Netflix may have become the new face of evil for wireline Internet service providers as they seek to impose caps or tiers on subscribers. But it also looks like Netflix is willing to play the part of consumer advocate, countering myths ISPs perpetrate around broadband scarcity. Read more »
If there’s one thing certain about Amazon Web Services, it’s that the company isn’t Oracle. On Thursday, the company slashed the bandwidth charges for its various services, the latest in a series of price cuts dating back to 2008. Read more »
Cloud computing depends on the idea that we will have ample and cheap bandwidth that will allow us to access various types of information and services on any kind of device, anywhere. This need only goes up as we start living in an on-demand world. Read more »
OS X Lion will only be available in the Mac App Store, but a 4 GB download-only OS upgrade is going to be trying for some consumers, because of connection quality and bandwidth caps. Apple has one possible solution: come use our retail store Wi-Fi. Read more »
The next version of OS X will also be sold only through the Mac App Store. This is yet another step away from traditional media distribution as Apple will effectively be cutting out other means of software distribution like Amazon. Read more »
Internet traffic will grow seven-fold between 2010 and 2015 to reach roughly 1.2 zettabytes globally, and by 2015, video will comprise half the traffic on the web according to a new report. That’s much less video than a similar forecast from Cisco predicts. Read more »
In the land grab for spectrum, the most frightening specter is Netflix. But as carriers launch their LTE networks, I’m concerned about their marketing efforts around HD video. Both AT&T and Verizon are pitching it on their networks despite video’s ability to cause network congestion. Read more »
The cloud is a wonderful thing, allowing us to backup files to remote servers for just pennies a month. But what happens when something goes awry and your backups start sucking up huge amounts of bandwidth? It’s not pretty, especially when you have a usage cap. Read more »
Starting on May 2, AT&T DSL customers have a cap of 150 GB, and U-verse customers have 250 GB of bandwidth (combined upload and download) per month. Here are 10 tips to economize your bandwidth usage and prevent unexpected overages both for the newly oppressed. Read more »
With its plans to bring gigabit broadband to Kansas City, Google is changing the fate of that city, but it’s also setting out to build a next generation ISP, one designed for the type of world where connectivity is an irrefutable aspect of our lives. Read more »
A handful of telco and cable companies and their allies are advancing what some consider the sugarcoated destruction of free-market dynamics and the democratic process by attacking North Carolina’s community broadband networks. This runs counter to the National Broadband Plan and democracy. Read more »
Bandwidth caps seem like not a bad idea, until you find yourself struggling to figure out how your home network suddenly started downloading hundreds of gigabytes of data in a matter of days, and you have blown through your monthly limit in less than a week. Read more »
The merger between CenturyLink and Qwest officially closed today, creating the nation’s third largest phone company in a world where being a phone company means less and less. I spoke with a company executive about making cloud acquisitions and the ever-growing demand for bandwidth. Read more »
ISPs have staked out a singular public rationale: Data caps are necessary to limit the consumption of “bandwidth hogs” in order to protect the network experience for everyone else. But is this really accurate and what can the application providers do to help? Read more »
Are students watching so much Netflix that fellow class members don’t have any bandwidth left to study? Officials at Ohio University think so, and they briefly instituted a complete ban on all Netflix video streaming on their campus network this week. Read more »
With more huge files and data sets making their way across the Internet every day, Aspera’s work of speeding the transfer of that data is never done. And although the company still focuses primarily on the enterprise, consumer content might be on the horizon. Read more »
Under AT&T’s new 3G data plans, streaming one two-hour Netflix movie per month would bust the limit on the low-end plan. With the high-end plan, you could consume roughly 13.5 hours of Netflix video per month before hitting your limit, again assuming you did nothing else ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The underlying connectivity costs to send data from New York to London are up to eight times lower than if you wanted to send that data via the Pacific, according to Telegeography. But new cables will lower prices, which is good for bandwidth buyers like Google. Read more »
Today, we’ve become dependent on multimedia, which, in many cases, are a crutch for those who don’t have the time or just don’t want to bother to write effective site content. This is a bad idea. Read more »
Global Crossing, the provider of bandwidth and IP-based services to corporations around the world, today reported fourth-quarter and full-year results that included a 6 percent boost in revenue and lowered losses for the year. I talked to CEO John Legere about its prospects for growth. Read more »
People are excited about the arrival of the iPad (or at least, some people are), but the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is a little more apprehensive about what the device could mean for AT&T’s wireless 3G network. In an official FCC blog posting at Broadband.gov, Director […] Read more »
The iPhone has been our Golden Child for over two years and we’re much accustomed to reading how it’s setting this record, or breaking that record, or changing “the game” in some revolutionary way. I’m not complaining in the slightest — credit where credit is due […] Read more »
As a responsible Mac user, I usually feel immune from most Internet threats…except for one. Using my Mac exactly as Apple intends it to be used sometimes renders my Internet connection virtually unusable for up to a month, and costs money to fix. Could this happen […] Read more »
