Wireless Start-up Artemis Reaches Deal With Nokia

A little over a year ago, a start-up in San Francisco called Artemis Networks announced a new technology that it said could enable much faster Internet access speeds over wireless networks, which often slow dramatically when too many people use their smartphones in busy locations.

The only thing Artemis needed was big companies from the wireless industry to buy into the idea of using its technology. But it has been challenging for a small start-up to get those deals.

Now Artemis, founded by the entrepreneur Steve Perlman, who created Web TV and other companies, finally has a big wireless industry partner willing to give its technology a look. On Monday, Nokia Networks, the Finnish networking equipment provider, said it planned to begin testing Artemis’s technology, called pCell, starting next year with wireless carriers. The tests will be an attempt to prove that the technology works as advertised.

Traditional cellular networks rely on antennas carefully placed around cities. They cannot be positioned too closely or they interfere with their wireless signals.

According to Mr. Perlman, wireless networks that use pCell antennas do not need to worry about interference from nearby antennas. Instead, data centers connected to the antennas perform instantaneous calculations that create a coherent wireless signal for every user of a smartphone or another device within range.

Those users gain access to the full capacity of the wireless spectrum of a pCell network, instead of seeing their Internet speeds degrade sharply, especially in crowded areas like a stadium or a train station.

Because pCell antennas are compatible with existing smartphones that run on standard 4G LTE networks, users of Android smartphones and iPhones won’t have to do anything to receive the benefits of the technology, Artemis promises. “Their phone is going to work like it has a cable modem connection even if you’re in a high-density crowd,” said Mr. Perlman.

Mr. Perlman has demonstrated that pCell works in a laboratory setting. In a phone interview, Hossein Moiin, executive vice president and chief technology officer of Nokia Networks, said he had seen the demonstration in the lab and now wanted to see it in action in an ordinary setting outside.

“To get to the bottom of how real it is, we have to take further steps, which means we have to deploy it in a real setting outside the lab,” said Mr. Moiin. “Once we do that, we’ll know the answer.”

Mr. Moiin said Nokia plans to test pCell at a stadium with a global carrier outside the United States by March. “I’m going into this venture with open eyes,” he said. “It might fail, but it’s definitely worth trying.”

Why 5G will be the superfast Swiss Army knife of wireless networks

Hans Vestberg, CEO of telecom equipment vendor Ericsson, sees the next decade’s 5G networks being smart enough to know what kind of device is using it, and why.

When it comes to the wireless networks of the future, speed won’t be everything.

The advent of so-called 5G, or fifth-generation, wireless technology will bring incredible speed, for sure, with the industry aiming to see your network connection jump by 100 times. (Yes, 100.) More importantly, the network will be smart enough to act differently depending on how it’s accessed, whether from a heart monitor when you’re relaxing at home or from a self-driving car zipping down a crowded highway.

That’s according to Hans Vestberg, CEO of Ericsson, one of the world’s largest suppliers of telecommunications equipment.

His comments provide a glimpse into what tomorrow’s wireless network will look like. While carriers around the world are still deploying 4G networks, which have brought broadband speeds over the air, there’s increasing chatter about what’s next. In the US, Verizon Wireless has already said it plans to field-test its own take on 5G next year, and the industry is starting to talk about the new kinds of devices and connected services that will spring from the technology.

“Many industries will look at how 5G will transform their business,” Vestberg said in an interview on Friday. “It’s my job to build a network to handle that.”

As fast as Verizon is moving, the industry isn’t expected to invest in the technology in earnest until 2020. The speed and capacity 5G brings could offer a legitimate alternative to the physical connection available via Internet service providers and companies such as Google, which use fiber optics to deliver super-high speeds. 5G is supposed to be even faster.

Depending on the device, 5G may have a range of behaviors, he said. The network has to be responsive enough to tell a self-driving car where to go and how to react to situations that require a split-second reaction. It has to be consistent enough to maintain a connection with a hypothetical chipset in your body that can monitor your vitals, but know to instantly ping emergency services in case something goes wrong. It also has to operate efficiently enough that farms can use sensors that can ping the network for 10 years on a single charge.

In other cases, 5G wireless technology may replace the broadband service coming into your home via wires or cables, Vestberg said. It’s already happening with 4G in some parts of the world, but 5G adds higher speed and capacity. With 5G, carriers could also deliver super-sharp 4K video to the home.

One of the reasons Verizon is holding its test so early is to figure out what kinds of applications can take advantage of 5G, the New York-based telecommunications company said in September.

While 5G may bring many things, it’s unlikely that unlimited data will be one of them. In the US, Verizon and AT&T have already eliminated their options for an all-you-can-eat data offering, while T-Mobile and Sprint have limits in place for excessive users. The curtailing of unlimited plans has more to do with economic issues than technical ones.

Vestberg declined to comment on the plans of his carrier customers, but noted that there was a cost to building out these networks, with players such as AT&T projected to spend roughly $10 billion this year. He also warned that as capacity and speeds have increased, so too has usage.

Ericsson could use the boost in equipment sales. The Swedish company posted a third-quarter profit that fell below expectations as carriers around the world slowed down their network deployments.

Netgear router exploit detected

A security researcher in the US has said his Netgear router was hacked after attackers exploited a flaw in the machine.

Joe Giron told the BBC that he discovered altered admin settings on his personal router on 28 September.

The compromised router was hacked to send web browsing data to a malicious internet address.

Netgear says the vulnerability is “serious” but affects fewer than 5,000 devices.

Mr Giron found that the Domain Name System (DNS) settings on his router had been changed to a suspicious IP address.

“Normally I set mine to Google’s [IP address] and it wasn’t that, it was something else,” he said.

“For two or three days all my DNS traffic was being sent over to them.”

This means that the attacker could have tracked what websites Mr Giron was visiting, or even redirected him to malicious sites had they chosen to do so.

He has decided to turn off the router and not use it for the time being.

‘Serious’ bug

The vulnerability itself has been documented by security researchers at Compass Security and Shellshock Labs in recent months.

“Is it serious? Yes it definitely is,” said Jonathan Wu, senior director of product management at Netgear, one of the top three router brands in the US.

“Because whenever anybody gets access to your router, they can alter settings to direct traffic to places you don’t want it to go to.”

The vulnerability allows attackers to gain access to the router settings without needing to provide login credentials, according to security researchers Daniel Haake and Alexandre Herzog of Compass Security in Switzerland.

Mr Giron thinks that in his case, access was gained remotely because his router settings had been configured so that they could be accessed from outside his network.

Imminent patch

While a patch has not been available for the firmware on the affected devices to date, Netgear has confirmed to the BBC that one will be released on 14 October.

Mr Wu said that Netgear router owners would be prompted to update their firmware if they logged into their router’s admin settings or if they had the Netgear genie app installed on their computer, tablet or smartphone.

It’s problematic that firmware updates can’t be automatically “pushed” to routers, according to Mark James, IT security specialist at Eset.

“The average user will throw the router in place and just use it,” he told the BBC.

“The biggest problem that we have with these types of scenarios are people don’t keep the software up-to-date.”

What’s more, anti-virus software for computers doesn’t generally cover vulnerabilities on routers meaning that it would not detect such problems.

WiFi, Move Over – Here Comes LiFi

Disney researchers last week demonstrated Linux Light Bulbs — a protocol for a communications system that transmits data using visible light communication, or VLC, technology.

Linux Light Bulbs can communicate with each other and with other VLC devices — such as toys, wearables and clothing — over the Internet Protocol, according to Disney scientists Stefan Schmid, Theodoros Bourchas, Stefan Mangold and Thomas R. Gross, who coauthored a report on their work. In essence, they could establish a LiFi network that would function in much the same way that WiFi works.

Scientists have been experimenting with the concept of using light to channel data transmissions for years. Previously, however, the use of VLC supported simple communication between devices. Linux Light Bulbs may take that process one step further by enabling networking on VLC devices.

However, the throughput is critically small compared to other visible light approaches, and the technology suffers from proximity limitations, noted James T. Heires, a consultant at QSM.

“Visible light technology is viable for the Internet of Things, but only on a limited basis. This is due to the physical limitations of visible light,” he told LinuxInsider. The transmitter and receiver “must be within line of sight of each other.”

How It Works

Modern light-emitting diode light bulbs, or LEDs, can provide a foundation for networking using visible light as a communication medium, according to the Disney researchers’ report.

The team modified common commercial LED light bulbs to send and receive visible light signals. They built a system on a chip, or SoC, running the Linux operating system, a VLC controller module with the protocol software, and an additional power supply for the added electronics.

The key to the project’s success was the Linux software that enabled the signals to work with the Internet Protocol. The VLC-enabled bulbs served as broadcast beacons, which made it possible to detect the location of objects on the network and to communicate with them.

The Linux connection is at the software level. The Linux kernel driver module integrates the VLC protocol’s PHY and MAC layers into the Linux networking stack.

The VLC firmware on a separate microcontroller communicates with the Linux platform over a serial interface, the report notes.

Slow Going

The drawback is the speed. The network’s throughput maxed out at 1 kilobit per second, noted SeshuKiran, founder of XAir.

“A data rate of 1 Kpbs means a maximum 2 to 3 pixels of a good photograph can be transmitted per second,” he told LinuxInsider. “Good luck with an entire photo. For half of an HD photo to go, it will take 10.66 days.”

The technology may not be fast enough to compete with other technologies. WiFi operates around 3 GHz, and invisible light frequency starts at 3 THz. That is some 1,000 times higher than the WiFi frequency.

“Technically, it should [seem] that light has a better promise in delivering data. It is true in theory — but electronics and circuits say otherwise,” said Kiran.

Made for IoT

Developers have proposed a wide range of applications for VLC tech — using LiFi in place of anything currently supported by commercial wireless technologies such as WiFi.

“The Disney effort is fairly limited in terms of performance, but other projects suggest that broadband quality data transfer performance is possible, said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

“The real issue driving VLC is the pervasiveness of the base technology,” he told LinuxInsider.

Data transfer solutions like Wi-Fi require specialized equipment, installation and maintenance. However, light fixtures are virtually everywhere.

“Since LED represents the future of commercial lighting, developers are suggesting that VLC capabilities could easily be enabled in existing homes and businesses without the need for expensive extraneous systems,” King said.

“On the IoT side, VLC would provide an easy way of connecting endpoint sensors to back-end systems without needing to build expensive, dedicated networks,” he pointed out.

The Disney researchers developed hardware peripherals that effectively turn a consumer LED fixture into a Linux host, including a kernel module that integrates the VLC’s physical and MAC (media access control) protocol layers with a Linux-based networking stack, King added.

Trying Times

Light has been used as a communication medium for decades. Major uses include fiber optics and infrared devices, noted Heires. Auto industry researchers have been investigating the incorporation of VLC tech into headlights and sensors to allow cars to communicate with each other and thus avoid collisions.

“Applications such as using light to extend the range of a WiFi signal are within reason. However, since light does not travel through solid objects, such as walls or floors, light is impractical for applications such as TV control, sensor monitoring or security,” he said.

Brighter Ideas to Come

One of the lowest data rate uses for VLC and the IoT is for automatic door openers equipped with light sensors at the lock. Point your smartphone at the door and flash a modulated-light app with a specific code to open the door.

Such a system would work for homes, hotels, garages and more.

Another use is modulating streetlights to deliver specific information, such as alerts and emergencies, across an entire city.

It also could be used to safeguard top secret communications between coworkers.

“If a light bulb in the garden could deliver commands for the automated sprinkler, … that would be “a definite possibility,” Kiran suggested. “Data rates are not yet crucial there.”

British scientist develops radiation-proof ‘underpants for superheroes’

Underpants that block potentially harmful electromagnetic radiation from smartphones and laptops have been developed in the UK

A British scientist has developed a new line of underpants called Wireless Armour, that aims to protect male fertility by blocking electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi devices such as smartphones and laptops.

Described by Sir Richard Branson as “underpants for superheroes”, the pants use a mesh of pure silver woven into fabric, which disrupts the flow of electromagnetic radiation due to silver being a conductor of electricity – a bit like a Faraday cage.

Any electromagnetic radiation becomes distributed evenly around the silver mesh, preventing it from flowing through the fabric, according to Joseph Perkins, who developed the underpants after a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

Independent tests show that Wireless Armour’s “RadiaTex” fabric shields against 99.9 per cent of the radiation emitted between 100MHz to 2.6GHz. This covers the entire range of radiation emitted by wireless devices, from voice and text through to 4G and Wi-Fi.

Furthermore, the silver fibres in Wireless Armour are highly anti-microbial, which means they increase hygiene by preventing the spread of bacteria and other microbes that cause smells.

“Like so many people, my smartphone and laptop use has increased dramatically in recent years which made me realise that I was exposing myself to large amounts of electromagnetic radiation, mostly centred on my groin” said Mr Perkins.

“With my Physics background I knew there must be a way to shield from electromagnetic radiation using a simple solution.”

While the theory that phones can damage sperm is highly debated, a recentreview by the University of Exeter revealed a correlation between electromagnetic radiation and lower sperm health.

A separate study conducted in Argentina showed that only four hours of exposure to a WiFi-enabled laptop kills 25 per cent of the sperm in the sample.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation claims that electromagnetic radiation is possibly carcinogenic to humans, assigning it to the category 2B – the same category as petrol exhaust fumes and other pollutants.

The Wireless Armour underpants cost between £24 and £35 and can be purchased at www.wirelessarmour.co.uk.

Apple denies report it’s getting into wireless business

The company says it has no plans to launch a mobile network similar to Google’s Project Fi.

Apple on Tuesday shot down a report that it’s in talks to introduce its own wireless network in the US and Europe.

Business Insider, citing unnamed sources, on Monday reported that Apple was working on a mobile network similar to Google’s Project Fi. The publication said Apple’s wireless service would allow customers to pay the company directly for data, calls and texts, while automatically switching between carriers to give users the best service. Business Insider said it would be at least five years before Apple’s service would launch.

But Apple on Tuesday said it hasn’t explored a wireless service.

“We have not discussed nor do we have any plans to launch an MVNO,” an Apple spokeswoman said.

The initial report from Business Insider said Apple was privately testing a mobile virtual network operator service, or MVNO, in the US. An MVNO is a wireless service provided by a company that doesn’t own the network infrastructure that powers the service. FamilyTalk Wireless, FreedomPop and Republic Wireless are examples of companies that rent wireless service from network providers — like Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — and then provide the service to their own customers.

The newest MVNO came from Apple rival Google. The Internet giant earlier this year unveiled a wireless service — called Project Fi — that switches between cellular and Wi-Fi signals and lets customers pay for only what data they use. Typically, smartphone owners pay wireless carriers like AT&T and Verizon a bulk rate for a certain amount of data.

Gadget Ogling: Gritty Tablets, Wireless Storage Sticks, and Swapped-Out Speakers

Salutations, and welcome to another edition of Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that sinks the battleships of terrible gadget announcements while prowling for the submarines of the exquisite.

On the grid this week are a rugged tablet, a wireless external smartphone storage stick, a modular speaker system, and a wearable for storing headphones.

As ever, the ratings mean zilch, other than to reveal my interest level in trying out each item. Also, these are not reviews, partly because some of these products don’t fully exist yet.

Tough Tablet

Dell’s Latitude 12 Rugged Tablet (pictured above) is designed for people who work in the field, for the military and explorers, for industrial work and first responders. This system can handle some harsh conditions, including temperatures between -20 and 145 degrees and drops from more than four feet, as well as spills, mud, dirt and sand.

It boasts an 11.6-inch screen, fifth-generation Intel Core CPUs, up to 12 hours of battery life, and up to 512 GB of solid-state storage.

That sturdiness is something I’m all for. My poor smartphone has been through the ringer. It’s somehow, by something or someone that is definitely not me, been dropped so many times the volume rocker no longer works, and it’s a chore to lock my screen with its temperamental power button. So, yes, I am all for a more durable mobile device.

Pricing hasn’t been announced as of yet, but that sturdiness surely will come at a premium. Still, even if the Latitude 12 might break the bank, it’s a lot less likely than most other tablets to break itself.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Off-Road Tumbles

Super Storage

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to smartphones and tablets is the cost of extra storage beyond the basic model. Adding more storage to a device without a memory card slot can cost hundreds of dollars, even though the cost to the manufacturer is tiny.

So I’m more inclined to take a base model and look at external storage options where possible, and Sandisk’s Connect Wireless Stick seems a strong bet. The device aims not only to defy tyrannical storage limits on smartphones and tablets, but also to help transfer files between devices with greater ease. I’m already sold.

The wireless USB stick can hold up to 128 GB of files and stream data to devices over Wi-Fi for up to 4.5 hours on a sole charge. It also automatically backs up photos and videos captured with the device’s camera.

It honestly sounds like a treat. I think I’d rather spend US$100 on a 128-GB wireless memory stick than to get an extra 48 GB of onboard storage for the same price on my next iPhone, as slightly cumbersome as the wireless streaming process might be.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Extra Movies

Block Beats

I’m extremely intrigued by modular devices at the minute, such as Phonebloks and Google’s Project Ara. So when a crowdfunded speaker system dropped into my feed this week, it grabbed my interest immediately.

You can use whichever speaker components you like with SparkBlocks and arrange them as you see fit. The MainBlock — which should be evident as to its purpose — houses the volume controls and amplifier that apparently delivers HiFi sound.

The in-development SmartBlock, meanwhile, offers functions such as taking calls, changing songs, downloading apps (including YouTube), and viewing notifications.

There’s an optional bike attachment, which is neat, even if I don’t quite understand why you wouldn’t just use earphones while cycling. There’s also a USB block option, which allows one to charge one’s smartphone.

It’s an impressive-looking system, and it truly does seem to offer myriad options for listening to audio. I’m eager to try these out, if only to pretend I’m using a toy construction set from the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Cornerstones

Helix Hex

Helix is a wearable wrist cuff that houses a set of Bluetooth earphones. The idea is that you’ll keep a pair of quality earphones close by for whenever you need them, without having to deal with messy, tangled cables in a desk drawer or pocket as much.

I’m not sure a fancy way of storing an aesthetically standard set of Bluetooth earphones is something I’m particularly keen to invest in — especially when there are other, more compelling crowdfunded earphone projects, such as the Dot headset we looked at earlier this month.

It doesn’t look as though there’s anything special about the cuff itself either. I’m bullish on fitness trackers, though it seems odd Helix didn’t see fit to add even a pedometer to the cuff.

So did T-Mobile really surpass Sprint as the No. 3 wireless carrier?

The answer is a little complicated, but T-Mobile will almost certainly officially eclipse Sprint in the current quarter.

T-Mobile is making the case that it’s already the nation’s third-largest wireless carrier by subscriber base.

T-Mobile John Legere makes his case that it is the No. 3 wireless carrier in the nation.Josh Miller/CNET

The crux of T-Mobile’s argument lies in a line in Sprint’s financial filings with the Securities Exchange Commission that counts 1.7 million customers through resale partners that have been inactive “for at least six months.” T-Mobile CEO John Legere believes those customers shouldn’t be counted, and suggested Sprint meddled with the numbers to put it on top.

Sprint, however, maintained that it has used this accounting method for years, following a policy to not remove a customer from its records until its resale partner officially notifies the company. The company declined to comment further on T-Mobile’s comments.

Sprint is hanging on to its No. 3 position, as long as you follow its accounting rules.Troy Thomas/Sprint

That there’s even a debate shows how statistically close the two carriers were to end the year, a testament to the progress T-Mobile has made over the past two years and, conversely, the struggles that Sprint has dealt with. Sprint officially ended the quarter with 55.9 million customers, while T-Mobile ended up with a little more than 55 million.

Legere had previously projected passing Sprint by the end of the year. In his own way, he’s keeping to his word.

There’s little at stake in this debate beyond bragging rights, and it may end up being a footnote in the ongoing wireless wars. Given the different trajectories at T-Mobile and Sprint, T-Mobile will almost certainly surpass its rival.

“We expect to surpass them, shenanigans included,” said Chief Operating Officer Mike Sievert.

T-Mobile earlier Thursday reported fourth-quarter results, which included a surprisingly strong profit and the addition of 2.3 million customers and 1.3 million customers who pay at the end of the month, also known as post-paid customers.

Sprint added 900,000 net new customers, but only 30,000 post-paid subscribers, seen in the industry as the most valuable segment of the market.

Google planning to sell wireless phone service, reports say

Google is planning to sell wireless phone service directly to consumers using the networks of Sprint and T-Mobile, according to reports published Wednesday.

If everything falls into place, Google Inc. could offer discounted wireless data plans that would pressure other major carriers to offer better deals and services or risk losing customers to a powerful rival.

More affordable plans, in turn, could bring more people online, something that Google is trying to do because it runs the Internet’s dominant search engine and largest advertising network. The Mountain View, California, company would profit from a potentially larger audience for its services.

Google also implants its services in its Android mobile operating system, the mostly widely used software on smartphones.

Both the technology news site The Information and The Wall Street Journal reported Google’s intention to become a wireless service provider. The reports cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Representatives from Google, Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile US Inc. declined to comment on the reports.

It’s unclear how widely Google plans to sell wireless plans to smartphone owners or when the service would launch. The company already is selling an ultra-fast Internet and cable TV service directly to homes, but that Google Fiber product so far is only available in parts of Kansas City, Kansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Provo, Utah; and Austin, Texas.

Google’s plans to make its entry into the wireless Internet market by buying access on the networks of Sprint and T-Mobile is known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, agreement. Google probably will still have to set up its own operations to handle customer service and billing, an area in which the company doesn’t have much previous expertise.

Leasing space to Google represents a calculated risk by Sprint, the third largest wireless carrier, and T-Mobile, the four largest. While a deal with Google figures to boost their revenue, it also opens the door for a deep-pocketed company that could turn into a competitive threat.

T-Mobile already has been shaking up the industry during the past year by cutting prices and introducing new service plans that have prompted the two biggest carriers, Verizon Communications and AT&T Inc., to match some of the features.