deployment
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The Navy wants to deploy railguns on its latest destroyer
The US Navy's latest toy, a railgun that can fire projectiles at seven times the speed of sound, maybe be deployed sooner than thought. The original plan was to test it on joint high-speed vessels (JHSVs) in 2016, but the Navy is reportedly building an operational unit that could be installed on the USS Lyndon. B. Johnson, according to the Associated Press. That ship, the last of three Zumwalt-class destroyers, would be an ideal candidate because its Rolls Royce turbine generators produce 78 megawatts, more than enough to power the electromagnetic weapon.
Verizon quietly expands LTE capacity and speeds in select cities
To stay in front of the LTE pack, Verizon purchased $3.6 billion worth of spectrum from a cable consortium last year, then sold off a bunch of its own to gain FCC approval. The fruit of that labor is now arriving in force, as Big Red has quietly turned on the new Band 4 frequencies in the commercial corridors of major cities like Chicago, Seattle and Atlanta. The rollout began last month in New York, when customers began reporting higher internet speeds. The carrier told GigaOM that flipping the switch will triple the LTE capacity in the new centers and bring significantly faster surfing: up to 80Mbps for now, with 100-150 Mbps speeds theoretically possible. Most markets east of the Mississippi and some western cities will eventually see that kind of zip, made possible with the deployment of 40MHz of spectrum, or double what Verizon was using until now. Some cities like San Francisco and LA, however, will get 30MHz only, which will still boost carrying capacity and speeds by 150 percent. Verizon said it's not advertising the new speeds for now, admitting "you could see 80 Mbps today and 20 Mbps tomorrow and then 10 Mbps the next day." Of course, you won't see them at all unless you have the right hardware, which is limited to the iPhone 5s and 5c, Samsung Galaxy S 4, and several Motorola Droid models. However, Verizon has promised it'll arrive to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and other Android handsets soon.
iOS enterprise deployment presentations from MacIT now online
Held concurrently with Macworld/iWorld 2013, MacIT is a conference dedicated to the deployment of Mac and iOS products in enterprise. Our own Mike Rose delivered a great writeup on this year's MacIT, and now a number of the presentations given at the conference have been made available in PDF form for those who weren't able to attend in person. Enterprise iOS has rounded them up, and will be adding to its list as more authors contribute the presentations in digital form. Some of the current offerings include "7 iPad Deployment Mistakes," "App Deployment Strategies for iOS" and "The Changing Role of IT to Service Provider." If you're an IT professional whose company is one of the many turning to iOS in enterprise settings, they're all must-reads.
Verizon CFO: LTE rollout should wrap up by mid-2013, months ahead of expectations
Most of Verizon's strategy talk surrounding its long-term LTE plans has conservatively aimed at upgrading all existing coverage areas to 4G by the end of 2013. If we're to believe a CFO Fran Shammo presentation, the carrier may have underpromised and overdelivered: the executive now expects LTE to reach the whole network by the middle of next year, or as much as half a year sooner than first thought. What prompted the quicker rollout wasn't mentioned, although Shammo was eager to point out a surprisingly strong reception to Verizon's (frequently mandatory) shared plans as well as the ample number of airwaves that came from a spectrum transfer deal with cable providers. Having a lot of customers on premium plans with the capacity to support them tends to help with faster expansion, we'd say. No matter the exact reasoning, the shortened schedule could underscore the advantage of Verizon's early start on LTE versus those carriers taking a more relaxed pace.
Microsoft details its own Windows 8 rollout, lessons learned from 'dogfooding'
If a company won't use its own products, how can it expect others to? Many customers, especially on the enterprise side of the equation, are understandably a little wary of the drastic change that awaits them when upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8. So, Microsoft decided to share what it has learned from its own experience dogfooding the new OS around the Redmond campus (and likely beyond). While the company is a little light on specifics of the low-volume rollout, it does highlight some of the features available to IT departments that should make transitioning easier. It even offers a few pointers along the way. Sure, there's plenty of back-patting involved, but tips like using IT Easy Installer to automate deployments and trim install times by half shouldn't be dismissed. There's also some information about its support system for early adopters which included a knowledge base called Pointers that helped highlight the most important issues needing to be addressed. For more details hit up the source link and get ready to embrace your inner IT nerd.
Clearwire starts building LTE network this month, wants to salve (and profit from) Sprint growing pains
Clearwire doesn't have much time left before its promised LTE rollout goes live in early 2013, so it's with some relief that we know the deployment is getting underway. CFO Hope Cochran told those at Goldman Sachs' Communacopia Conference this week that construction of the first cell sites starts this month, with efforts truly swinging into full gear during the fall. The executive also reminded us of a very pragmatic reason why many of the 5,000 LTE sites due by June 30th will target high-traffic areas -- as Clearwire is only selling the faster data access to other providers, it should pocket more money in any regions where Sprint needs all the help it can get. Call it a virtuous cycle. Cochran certainly does: while Clearwire is free to make deals with others, Cochran says her company weighs any alliances against what it still considers a very special pact with Sprint. No doubt the 4G pioneer is hoping that it's making the right choices, as other carriers aren't waiting around.
Sprint LTE makes early appearance in Bay Area
Sprint's LTE signal is well and truly out there, but it looks like roll-out is going smoother than the Now Network had predicted, appearing (though, not "officially launched") ahead of schedule in the San Francisco Bay Area. Tipsters have told Android Police that they've already managed to connect to the 4G network around both Palo Alto and Mountain View, reaching speeds of over 13MBps down and 8MBps up. Coverage doesn't yet extend to San Francisco, but bodes well for a swift roll-out -- and for Sprint fulfilling its promise of voice over LTE by the end of next year.
Sprint LTE spreads its wings to four more areas by Labor Day
Sprint may have played slightly fast and loose with its definition of a 15-city LTE launch this month -- some of those areas were mighty close to each other -- but it's taking that expansion a little further down the road with its next stage. Hand-in-hand with its second quarter results, the pin-drop network has outlined plans to revisit its 4G hometown in Baltimore as well Gainesville in Georgia, the Junction City-Manhattan area in Kansas and the Denison-Sherman region in Texas, giving them all LTE by Labor Day. The expansion will certainly please Georgian Galaxy S III owners; unfortunately, it still leaves many major cities fending with EV-DO 3G until later in the year, if not 2013. Maybe Sprint's Hitchcock-inspired nightmares are to blame.
Qantas replacing staff BlackBerrys with iPhones, Australian flights may be held up by Tiny Wings
RIM has already been feeling the sting of lost customers. That sting isn't getting any gentler, as Qantas just outlined plans to replace all 1,300 BlackBerry phones in the fleet with iPhones. As the airline explains to The Australian, a mix of cost overhead and employee feedback is steering the decision to wing it Apple's way. We also imagine Qantas may be facing the usual airline dilemma of having to replace large swaths of equipment after clinging to old technology for dear life. Naturally, the company is keen to reassure passengers that the security is up to snuff as well, and a Bring Your Own Device effort could see Android fly once it's approved. The time scale is indefinite enough that it's unlikely that we'll see the airline crew members distracted by a game of Amazing Alex on that next flight to Melbourne -- we only know that they'll be weaning themselves off of BlackBerry Messenger before too long.
PSA: Sprint LTE goes live today, honest and for true (update: includes Missouri)
Sprint's decision to take its LTE live in Kansas City marked a short prelude to a full orchestral performance -- the carrier's upgraded 4G network is now official. Kansas City and St. Joseph in Kansas and Missouri, as well as 13 urban areas in Georgia and Texas, are taking the leap past WiMAX speeds as of today. Senior network VP Bob Azzi has warned the Kansas City Star that the current LTE access is still mostly for use outside until it expands to the 3G network's range, although he adds that there will be a coverage map available from July 16th onwards to let EVO 4G LTE, Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy S III owners know when their phones reach full potential. Just remember that the real party starts in 2013, when Sprint hopes to both flick on voice over LTE and ramp up to extra-speedy LTE-Advanced. [Thanks, Alex] Update: As locals in the comments have helpfully reminded us, St. Joseph is in Missouri and just sits along the border with Kansas -- you know what they say about horseshoes, hand grenades and being close enough.
Rogers details 28-city LTE upgrade for rest of 2012, RIM's hometown included
Rogers' LTE network is old enough to mark its first birthday. Unless you happened to live in one of the seven largest cities in Canada during that time, however, you've largely been left out -- that status indicator on the Rogers version of the One X may as well have been a subtle form of mockery. To the delight of our friends up North, the carrier has detailed a much more aggressive LTE rollout for the rest of the year: a total of 28 more cities will get that sweet 4G nectar in the next few months. Most of these expansions will blanket the southern half of Ontario, but major cities in the Prairies, Quebec and the Maritimes will all get their fair share. Arguably, the most important upgrade is coming to RIM's home base of Waterloo; when the company is virtually betting its future on likely LTE-ready BlackBerry 10 devices, having widescale LTE to test against is a slightly important prerequisite. The full city list is available after the break.
US Cellular reassures us of LTE plans: first tablet by March, smartphone by April
Last we heard, LTE was supposed to land on US Cellular last November, but months passed with nary a peep on the carrier's progress. Finally, a little ray of light shone from its official Twitter account as it confirmed today that high-speed mobile broadband is still on the radar, but its deployment was simply pushed back to the end of March, when we'll see the first LTE-capable tablet arrive. For those craving to have the service on something a little smaller, the company also told us to expect the first smartphone in April. And we have a pretty good idea of where: brief jaunt to US Cellular's website offers a few 4G coverage maps in select parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Maine, Texas and North Carolina. We'll give US Cellular a mulligan this time -- let's just make sure it doesn't happen again, shall we?
Sprint caps year of Network Vision milestones with first LTE cluster deployment in Kankakee, Illinois
Overhauling a nationwide wireless network isn't exactly for the faint of heart, but Sprint continues marching toward its LTE future and the broader plan known as Network Vision. With a majority of the rollout to be in place by 2013, the carrier is working to bring multi-modal functionality and spectrum integration to its towers, which the provider suggests will deliver expanded coverage, stronger signal and fewer dropped calls for all customers. Earlier this year, Sprint launched its first multi-modal tower in Branchburg, New Jersey, and has now completed its first cluster of sites in Kanakee, Illinois. With the first LTE-capable devices on track for a mid-2012 arrival, Sprint claims that it's wrapped-up field tests and is poised for a rapid LTE deployment. We certainly hope so, because AT&T and Verizon are hardly wasting time in flooding the airwaves with blistering 4G goodness. You'll find the full PR after the break. [Thanks, Xavier]
AT&T commits to LTE-Advanced deployment in 2013, Hesse and Mead unfazed
This should come as no surprise, but following Sprint and Verizon's previous commitment to an LTE-Advanced future, one who breathes could justifiably assume that AT&T might have something to say on the matter. Well, that time has come. Speaking at the LTE North America conference in Dallas, the CEO of AT&T Labs, Krish Prabhu, has confirmed that Ma Bell intends to begin the deployment of its LTE-Advanced network in 2013. Sadly, he didn't elaborate any further, (which leaves a pretty wide target, if you ask us). Still, with the potential for improved capacity, coverage and stupid fast speeds, we're not exactly complaining. As for that target year of 2013, bring it on.
3LM resurfaces, still wants to make Android secure enough for the IT guys
Remember when Motorola bought 3LM, a startup dedicated to offering enterprise-class device management to Android users? After eight months of silence, there's finally some news about the company and its handset-agnostic solutions. It's called, erm, 3LM and you (yes, you) can begin the scintillating process of installing it on your servers and company-issued smartphones later this week. Administrators will get the power to encrypt data and removable storage on Android devices like the Motorola ET1, remotely install / uninstall / blacklist applications, connect to the devices over VPN and behave like the killjoys we all know and love admins to be. There's no word on how much this shebang will cost, but you'll find most of the other important facts in the press release, tucked after the break.
Clearwire announces deal with China Mobile to accelerate TD-LTE deployment
The world's largest mobile operator and the heretofore scrappy WiMAX provider have linked arms to accelerate the rollout and adoption of time-division LTE (TD-LTE) across China. While there's little chatter about an infrastructure build-up itself, China Mobile and Clearwire have established an agreement "to cultivate a robust device ecosystem that supports multi-mode, multi-band devices with minimum component complexity and cost," with particular emphasis on the common 2.5GHz spectrum. More specifically, the collaboration will work to build up a high volume of TD-LTE chipsets and devices for commercial availability in 2012. If Sprint were to purchase (or make a significant investment in) Clearwire, this deal could be especially important, but for the time being, the company is finding some independence from the uncomfortable love triangle that's brewing between itself, Sprint and LightSquared. While there's no telling what sort announcement will come on October 7th, it's nice to see Clearwire secure an international lover that's willing to commit to a shared LTE vision. You'll find the full PR after the break.
AT&T to officially deploy its LTE network September 18th
Mark this Sunday on your calendars, if you're the kind that still has a paper calendar and a pen lying around somewhere. The magic date has now been declared by AT&T CFO John Stephens to be the official launch of the carrier's LTE network. The exec used the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Entertainment & Communications conference as the company's golden opportunity to announce the upcoming deployment. Just to play it safe, we also reached out to an AT&T spokesperson and received confirmation that the carrier is indeed ready to make the upgrade from "faux G" to true, vanilla 4G. We don't see it pushing any more Jetstreams out the door, but travelers relying on the almighty USB data stick will certainly be hoping for the company's promised speeds of up to 28Mbps.
Lockheed Martin's SMSS autonomous vehicle wins Army competition, ships off to Afghanistan (video)
The US military's fleet of unmanned vehicles may soon get some extra support, now that Lockheed Martin's Squad Mission Support System (SMSS) has received the Army's official blessing. Designed to support infantry squads or special ops forces, the company's autonomous craft was recently crowned the winner of the Army-sponsored Project Workhorse Unmanned Ground Vehicle competition, after more than a decade of development. Measuring 11 feet in length, the SMSS is capable of transporting more than 1,000 pounds of equipment over rugged terrain, and features a set of onboard sensors that can automatically track individuals by recognizing their 3D profiles. Both the SMSS and its Block I variant can be carried aboard CH-47 and CH-53 choppers, with the latter offering a driving range of 125 miles. Three of the beasts will deploy to Afghanistan for a three-month evaluation later this year, when they'll become the largest unmanned vehicles to ever deploy with infantry. Shoot past the break for a video tour of the SMSS, along with the full press release.
Drama Mamas: The case of the reluctant temporary guild leader
Drama Mamas Lisa Poisso and Robin Torres are experienced gamers and real-life mamas -- and just as we don't want our precious babies to be the ones kicking and wailing on the floor of the checkout lane next to the candy, neither do we want you to become known as That Guy on your realm. Don't let our own guild get run by anyone else but you. Anyone else but you. Anyone else but you. No, no, no! Hi there, My wife is our guild leader, and as such, I am kind of the co leader when she is gone for her deployments (usually about 4 months). we both love to play WoW, after all we met on WoW, found out we have common interest out side of the game, got married, had a child, and continued to play WoW. So here is the issue. We started our own guild because we were tired of the drama, the headaches of hardcore raiding, and the general snobbery that was associated around us. And our little guild prospered. Then my wife was deployed for 5 months, and I had the reigns of the guild (along with my brother). And under our guidance the guild grew in to a 25 man raiding guild that did endgame content, but we still kept it casual and friendly.
Good Technology reports blowout quarter for iPhone 4, iPad 2
Good Technology's latest report on enterprise deployment of mobile devices shows that iOS device activations continue to dominate the enterprise sector. Last quarter, iOS devices accounted for just under 70 percent of device activations, with the iPhone retaking the lead from Android activations and iPads representing 20 percent of total activations. Good's report for this quarter (PDF) shows iOS's dominance of enterprise activations continuing to trend upward. The iPhone represented 2/3 of all smartphone activations, with Android taking the remaining third. iOS devices accounted for 75 percent of device activations for the quarter, and total iPad activations outnumbered all Android device activations combined due to heavy workforce deployment of the iPad 2. "While Android may be gaining smartphone market share with consumers, our business users are clearly gravitating to the iPad and doing so in large numbers," said John Herrema, senior vice president of corporate strategy at Good Technology. iPads accounted for 95 percent of total tablet activations, which represents a moderate decline from the 99 percent lead the iPad enjoyed last quarter. The Motorola Xoom was once again the most popular Android tablet for the quarter. Good expects Android to narrow the activation cap eventually, but the company says "we don't see that happening in 2011. The iPad 2 simply has too much momentum, especially when it comes to the large company-driven activations we are seeing." Good's report indicates that the Financial Services sector is accounting for the majority of iPad activations, with 47 percent of net monthly activations for the device. Good notes that the iPad is deployed as a "complimentary" device not meant to replace a laptop or PC, but the iPad is proving to be a viable choice for "executives, sales and client services staff, insurance agents and adjusters, and doctors." Despite being nearly a year old during the quarter measured, iPhone 4 activation rates actually grew during the quarter, accounting for 22 percent of device activations. All five of the top five devices were Apple products: the iPhone 4, iPad 2, Verizon iPhone 4, iPad, and iPhone 3GS. The remaining top ten devices (four Android phones and the iPhone 3G (!) accounted for a total 2 percent of device activations. Good's analysis doesn't account for RIM devices or Windows Phone 7, but other reports have shown that RIM is sinking fast and Windows Phone 7 accounts for a tiny sliver of the overall market -- some reports have shown Windows Phone 7 activations outpaced by earlier versions of Windows Mobile. The window that Good Technology provides into enterprise deployment of mobile devices, while limited by those factors, still shows that Apple's mobile platform is seeing a level of growth that defies the traditional view of enterprise IT being hostile to deploying Apple's products.
