Wide-Fi
Intel is developing a chip that could improve "last-mile" broadband systems by replacing ADSL and cable links with wireless. The new chips will support the broadband wireless access (BWA) or 802.16a standard, approved in January. At present, Wi-Fi wireless links are mainly limited to local hotspots, the area surrounding wireless access points, which then connect by wire to internet services. BWA systems - which will carry a Wi-Max logo to indicate interoperability - have a range up to 48km (30 miles) at a throughput of 70Mbps. They could be used to extend the connection to telephone exchanges from the current 6km radius. http://www.intel.com/pressroom/
High band
Boeing's plan to bring broadband internet access to airlines took off with the announcement of waveband allocation by the controlling body, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Boeing wants to become the main internet access provider for worldwide airlines: it has launched an experimental system called Connexion, which has attracted attention from BA, Lufthansa and Scandinavian Airlines. The ITU decision to allocate the 14GHz to 14.5GHz band for aircraft-to-satellite links means passengers will be able to share a broadband connection while in transit. Limited experimentation will continue this year with major roll-outs expected next year.
CA insource
Computer Associates claims that outsourcing is a lock-in, and revealed its alternative proposition for on-demand computing at the CA World user confer ence this week. The company plans to help companies bill their business units for IT according to usage. Rather than charging for the number of seats, or users, within a department, CA's software can charge IT usage as an itemised, monthly bill. The system is based on a central inventory database with additional tools, codenamed Sonar, to help view them as elements of business processes. Sonar can use this information to align the IT provision with business impact so that maintenance and support can be prioritised. www3.ca.com/press
Data risk
Quantum, a back-up storage specialist, is warning European small businesses that they are facing huge financial losses because of their inadequate storage strategies. In a white paper compiled for Quantum by research company Winmark, the failure of stagnant budgets to meet the increased requirements for data storage and back-up is testing IT manager confidence to the limit. More than 150 companies were surveyed in the UK, France and Germany, and about a third were less than 75% confident in their capacity to back up systems. Half the companies with more than 250 terabytes of data or more than 250 employees had less than 90% confidence in their back-up practices.
EasyEmail
Subscribers to EasyJet's email newsletter will have to re-register if they want to leave it, as a result of a new service the airline introduced last week. This allows passengers to view their bookings, and EasyJet introduced a password protection system, given the personal nature of such information.
However, this means that anyone who subscribed to the email newsletter of either EasyJet or Go, which EasyJet took over in May last year, before passwords were added, will need to re-register to update their profiles - even if they want to stop receiving the newsletter.
Open source EU
Governments should use open source software and open standards to allow their IT systems to be connected to others across the EU, according to a new European Commission paper. It suggests that a European interoperability framework under development should be used by all levels of government, as well as by businesses dealing with the public sector.
Italy has made e-government a theme for its six-month presidency of the EU. The European commissioner responsible, Erkki Liikanen, told a conference last week that pan-EU e-government would support European citizenry and the single market, as it would help people and businesses relocate and trade anywhere in the EU.
http://europa.eu.int/ISPO/ida/export/files/en/1523.pdf
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