January 2012 Industry News

Focus on Forums

Bluetooth SIG Names Finalists for CES Awards and Innovation World Cup

The Bluetooth SIG has picked ten Bluetooth products representing the "now, new and next" for its 7th annual Best of CES Awards, which will be given out at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The "next" award covers products in new Bluetooth categories, including hearing instruments and a heart rate sensor. More...

NFC Forum and Bluetooth SIG Publish Free Developers Guide

A new specification co-published by the NFC Forum and the Bluetooth SIG describes the interaction of Bluetooth and Near Field Communication. Developers can download the "Bluetooth Secure Simple Pairing Using NFC" document for free. More...

Broadband Forum Names Distinguished Fellows

The Broadband Forum has honored two of its top contributors with the title of Designated Fellow. Recognized were long-time Forum board member Greg Bathrick of PMC-Sierra and J. Rao Cherukuri of Juniper Networks. In addition, Thomas Haag of Deutsche Telekom was inducted into the Forum's Circle of Excellence. More...

Broadband Forum Publishes Specification for MPLS in Mobile Backhaul

Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are expected to deliver "explosive growth in IP traffic," according to the Broadband Forum. The address these needs, the Forum has published Technical Report 221, "Technical Specification for MPLS in Mobile Backhaul Networks." More...

Cloud Security Alliance Expands Educational Program

The Cloud Security Alliance has added three new components to its educational program: a white paper library, a section of materials from cloud security vendors, and a series of one-hour online mini-courses. More...

3GPP2 and Femto Forum Publish Guide for cdma2000 Femtocell Deployments

A new best-practices guide for deployment of cdma2000 femtocell and small cell deployments has been published by 3GPP2 and the Femto Forum. The white paper is intended for both development managers and executive decision-makers. More...

FTTH Council Elects 2012 Board, Hires New President

Kyle Hollifield of BVU Authority will serve as the 2012 chairman of the FTTH Council. The council's new board of directors also includes Barry Walton of Bell Aliant, the first representative from a Canadian telecom to serve on the FTTH board. More...

GSMA Report Predicts LTE Troubles

Spectrum fragmentation could hamper the global adoption of LTE service, according to a new intelligence report from the GSMA. The report predicts that 38 spectrum frequency combinations will be in use for LTE deployments by 2015. More...

IEEE 802.22 Working Group Receives Emerging Technology Award

The IEEE Standards Association has given its annual Emerging Technology Award to the IEEE 802.22 Working Group, which is developing standards for operation of wireless Regional Area Networks in TV whitespaces. More...

Two New ITU Recommendations Define Three New Smart Grid Standards

Three next-generation narrowband powerline communications (NB-PLC) standards are defined by two new ITU recommendations: ITU-T G.9955 and G.9956. The three standards are identified as G.hnem, G3-PLC and PRIME. More...

14 Community Projects Funded by Internet Society Grants

Internet access for students in Senegal, an Internet exchange point in Palestine, and computer training for exploited women in Kenya are among the 14 community-based projects funded by grants from the Internet Society. Each project will receive up to $10,000. More...

New TIA Standard Addresses M2M Technologies

The Telecommunications Industry Association has released its first standard covering machine-to-machine (M2M) technologies. TIA-4940, "Smart Device Communications Reference Architecture," addresses requirements and interoperability of essential intelligent/smart devices and could be used in smart metering, remote healthcare monitoring, intelligent transportation and other situations. More...

New Members Join TM Forum Board

The TM Forum has brought six new members onto its board of directors for 2012, including David Burton, Chief Technology Officer for NATO. More...

USB-IF Adds USB Audio/Video Device Class Specification

The USB Implementers Forum has released a new specification covering the transfer of audio and video data over USB to devices such as cell phones, webcams and TVs. More...

WCAI Webinar on FCC Funds Is Now Online

The WCAI has posted its recent webinar the U.S. FCC's Connect America and Mobility funds. The webinar consists of a discussion between former FCC staff members Russ Hanser and Chuck Keller and is moderated by WCAI counsel Paul Sinderbrand. More...

WiMAX Forum Announces 2012 Operator Summits

The WiMAX Forum will continue its series of Operator Summits in 2012 with events in Buenos Aires, Taipei, Cape Town, Dubai and other locations. The summits are intended to highlight opportunities, challenges and strategies for WiMAX operation in different regions of the globe. More...