No boom for mobile equipment firms in 4G revolution

STOCKHOLM: With data traffic from video downloads and on-the-go web surfers clogging up telecoms networks, mobile equipment makers such as Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia Siemens Networks should be booming.

But while iPhone-maker Apple Inc's shareholders are waxing rich on a communications revolution driven by smartphones and tablet computers, those who make the infrastructure for the information superhighway are being squeezed.

Telecoms operators have to spend billions to upgrade to super-fast, high-capacity, fourth-generation (4G) networks designed for video and data traffic, but the overall equipment market could actually shrink as they trim budgets for the slower 2G and 3G networks designed mainly for voice traffic.

This unhappy paradox of the telecom equipment sector has chased away shareholders and could force further consolidation to eliminate some of the current five global players.

The impact of low-cost Chinese competitors Huawei and ZTE is partly to blame, such that 4G technology commands little price premium, and struggling telecoms operators are wringing harder bargains from suppliers such as market leader Ericsson.

"Ericsson's 4G sales are going to expand very strongly in the coming years, but the drop in sales in GSM and 3G will be bigger than the growth in 4G," said Martin Nilsson, analyst at Handelsbanken.

Handelsbanken reckons spending on 2G, 3G and 4G network equipment combined will shrink to $45 billion a year by 2020, down from around $59 billion in 2011, even as 4G spending grows to more than half the total.

DATA SURGE Data traffic overtook voice in early 2009 and is expected to be 15 times today's level by 2017, according to Ericsson, when there will be 3 billion smartphones in use, up from 700 million.

To cope, operators are expected to spend $15 billion this year on upgrading networks to make them 4G ready,  according to Exane BNP Paribas. Next year, spending will reach $26 billion.

But as with the evolution of personal computers, each new generation of network does more for less.

Cut-price Chinese competition and technological advances have pushed prices down 10-15 percent a year in recent times, cancelling vendors' volume growth and efficiency gains.

As a result, the mobile network infrastructure market is hardly any bigger than the roughly $55 billion it was in 2000, despite huge increase in mobile phone subscriptions, mobile broadband use and smartphone sales.

Social media `may help treat diabetes`

Researchers are evaluating a new social media tool called Wellaho to treat patients with type I and IIdiabetes.

The clinical trial by researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine will study whether the use of social networking can improve patient-physician interactions and the patient's overall health and wellbeing.

"This trial will study how an online social network may better enable patient care," Jason Bronner said.

"With a controlled group of the patient's clinicians, friends, family and fellow patients, we will measure any changes in knowledge, attitudes and self care towards diabetes," he said.

Wellaho, developed by Sanitas Inc. in La Jolla, is an interactive online system designed to help patients manage their care outside the hospital.

The system is HIPAA compliant, compatible with provider networks, and includes telemedicine capabilities.

"Social networking provides a common way for patients with chronic disease to learn about their condition while interacting with others in similar situations," Bronner said.

"As opposed to open networks, the use of this tool allows us to ensure that the medical information they receive and share is accurate, safe and absent of advertising," he said.

The online site provides self-monitoring tools as well as evidenced-based education customized for the patient's specific condition.

Subjects will be monitored for the number of times they access the site, length of use, and number of invited participants. The site will also track measures of weight, blood pressure, and glycostated hemoglobin.

"Long-term, we hope that patients will learn behaviours that impact blood sugar, control blood pressure, improve satisfaction and potentially decrease cost of care," Bronner added. 

Bendable Television Technology

Imagine a television that wraps around in a cone or that you can stretch across a wall. That's the idea with FLEx Lighting, a new technology that uses LEDs arranged on a roll that can be used for a display in any size or shape. The sheet is less than a half millimeter thick, bends like a thin piece of plastic, and yet has all the qualities for current LED technology: low power, low cost, and long-lasting.


So in future we would be having such Televisions which can be folded and can be easily transported from one place to another. Its a great technology that will help the customers to see the high quality images in just a half millimeter thick T.V.


But it would be interesting to know its price in market and also I ponder how it will be kept on the tables or can it be Hanged to walls like the photos.


LED's are playing a vital role in our daily life now a days and its important to note that LED's have almost replaced bulbs and other light emitting materials that uses a huge amount of electricity.Thanks to LED's and also there producers.


Lets wait and watch when this new technology will entertain us with its brand new facilities and ease of keeping it at a place.

Aircel plans to launch 4G services later this year

Thanks to Aircel for looking towards 4G........

After Bharti Airtel, Aircel is reportedly gearing up to launch its 4G services in India. The telecom operator, which holds the spectrum licence for eight circles, will begin rolling out 4G services between October and December this year. Aircel is reportedly going to spend approximately $500 million (roughly Rs. 2,757 crore) to set up the network.

Aircel, which recently slashed its 3G tariff prices, has spectrum licence for Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and North East. Currently, Aircel is offering 3G services in 13 circles including Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Kolkata and Bihar.

According to a Business Standard report, Aircel isn't just looking to offer 4G services through dongles and devices but also via broadband internet, video on demand, education and health care services and broadcasting. The telco has already starting working on creating a fibre optic backbone for this purpose.

Sandip Das, CEO of Malaysian telco Maxis Berhad (which controls a majority stake in Aircel), says Aircel does not intend to become an all-India player in 4G, but will prefer to become a major data player in certain circles. He also hinted that Aircel's 4G tariff prices will be similar to its current 3G services. “We have already equalised our 2G and 3G tariffs and have over a million subscribers. With China and India dominating the LTE market, we’ll see prices of devices fall,” Das is quoted as saying.

Bharti Airtel earlier this year became the first telecom operator in India to launch 4G services in the country. Also, it kicked off a 3G price war by slashing tariff prices by up to 70 percent. Apart from Airtel, Tikona and Reliance are planning to launch their 4G services this year.

It would be interesting to see the 4G war between the operators.....isn't it????

Solar Power To Run PCs

A Village In Assam Uses Solar Power To Run PCs!!!!


Residents of Baleswar in Assam's Nalbari district of Assam boost that they never witness any power cuts like big cities and towns as solar energy power their households. 

Monday, July 16, 2012:  A farmer named Ainul Hussain has bought a computer for his son in a remote tiny village-island of Baleswar in Assam's Nalbari district, which has a population of around 1,500. Officially, there is no electricity in the region but villagers have taken a step to uplift their standard of living by introducing solar panels in their households. 

"We have to be careful with its usage, because it needs a lot of energy to run. My son operates it and it is for him that I bought it," he said. "These panels are available in Nalbari, but I bought mine from Guwahati. I had to shell out about Rs 10,000, which is a large amount for a simple man like me, but our quality of life has improved. So it's all worth it," explained Hussain in an IANS report. 


"For instance, the panel that I have generates enough power through the day to charge the battery, which will in turn run a light and a fan, which is my requirement. It can also charge my mobile phone. The panel has 35 small, circular solar plates and cost me around Rs 4,000," said Rekibul Rahman, one of the island dwellers who runs a tailoring shop.

As many as 70 per cent of homes in Baleswar have solar panels. This is something that we city dwellers should learn as solar energy is clean and we really need to clean the air we breathe.

The IANS report further stated that the Assam Energy Development Agency (AEDA) has been promoting non-conventional energy sources like solar, wind and biomass for industrial and domestic use, especially in remote rural, hilly and border areas which are connected to the conventional grid.

Coming soon: Rajinikanth phones, tablets!

Karbonn Mobile is all set to give Rajinikanth fans a mobile treat! 

The Indian company will be releasing an exclusive range of mobile phones called Rajinikanth Kochadaiyaan. "The phone will come loaded with Rajini dialogues as well as video clips from the movie including behind the scenesfootage. To make things even better, the phone will have the superstar's autograph, " reports BGR.

Karbonn will manufacture five lakh Kochadaiyaan phones and tablets to be released around the launch of the film's music.

The movie is scheduled to be launched on December 12 (12.12.12).

So Rajinikanth Fans get ready for your mobile treat....

Thanks to Karbonn mobile.

Researchers develop scale to judge your personality through Facebook

Researchers at the University of Missourie have developed a scale to determine the personality of a person on the basis of how they use the social media site. The scale is based on various activities of a user on Facebook, such as status updates and photo uploads.

According to the University researchers, users who tend to update their status, upload images and interact with friends on Facebook frequently, like high risk activity. Those who just scroll through the newsfeed, are considered more reserved.

The researchers had developed the scale after conducting a survey on users based on their use of Facebook profile and taking a personality test. Those who fell under high risk activities category were labelled as “appetitive”, while who were more reserved got labelled as “aversive”.

Heather Shoenberger, who led the study, also pointed out a major difference in the approach of users towards Facebook. According to Shoenberger, those who are highly appetitive tend to engage with social media extensively, while who are on aversive side choose safer and more predictable media experiences.  According to Shoenberger the scale will help advertisers to reach out to the target audience with much more ease.

"I believe this could really help advertisers and certain types of media groups target potential customers with particular ads on social media sites," Shoenberger is quoted as saying.

"Identifying these individuals using the motivation activation measure can give advertisers an advantage over their competitors and bring some order to online advertising."

Source : TOI