http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/telecom/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:41:33 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418406/posts AT&T Inc. said Thursday it would no longer sponsor Tiger Woods, joining Accenture in dropping support for the world’s top golfer, who’s taking a break from the sport to focus on his marriage after his admitted infidelity. The phone company hasn’t used Woods’ image extensively in advertising, but its logo appeared on his golf bag. That deal had been billed as a “multiyear” agreement when it was signed early in 2009. Woods has also been the host of the AT&T National PGA Tour event since it started in 2007. The phone company said it would continue to sponsor the event,... Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418406/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:41:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418456/posts NEW YORK (AFP) – US telecoms giant AT&T announced Thursday that it was hanging up its sponsorship deal with disgraced golfing star Tiger Woods who has been embroiled in a sensational sex scandal. "We are ending our sponsorship agreement with Tiger Woods and wish him well in the future," the company, which backs the US PGA Tour event operated by the golfer's foundation, said in a terse, one-line statement. It was the latest blow for Woods since he inexplicably crashed his car into a tree and fire hydrant outside his Florida home in the early hours of November 27, unleashing... AFP on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418456/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:33:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418359/posts NEW YORK - AT&T says it will no longer sponsor Tiger Woods, joining Accenture and Gillette in dropping support for the golfer after numerous allegations of infidelities. AP via MSNBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418359/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:34:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418274/posts WASHINGTON (AFP) – US telecom giant AT&T has asked US regulatory authorities to waive a requirement that it and other carriers maintain costly landline networks. AT&T, the oldest US telephone company, made the request in a filing last week with the Federal Communications Commission in which it also asked the FCC to set a "firm deadline" for phasing out wireline service. "The business model for legacy phone services is in a death spiral," AT&T said. "With an outdated product, falling revenues, and rising costs, the plain-old telephone service (POTS) business is unsustainable for the long run." AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418274/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:15:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416646/posts PARIS — Mobile satellite communications startup OverHorizon of Sweden has selected Thales Alenia Space of France and Italy, and Orbital Sciences of Dulles, Va., to build its first satellite, to be launched in early 2012 under a contract announced by the manufacturers Dec. 23. Space News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2416646/posts#comment Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:31:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409146/posts Starting in January 2010, US McDonald's restaurants will no longer charge for Wi-Fi: The quick-service chain has service in 11,000 of its 14,000 locations in the US, and previously charge $2.95 for two hours access. The network is operated by AT&T, originally contracted by Wayport which was acquired by the phone giant last year. Most AT&T subscribers get free access at McDonald's, Starbucks, and a few thousand other locations... Wi-Fi Net News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2409146/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:06:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400467/posts Verizon has launched a new ad for the Motorola Droid, "Pretty." Electronista reports, "The new spot directly attacks the iPhone and calls Apple's handset a 'digitally clueless pageant queen,' making fun of its focus on style and even mocking the glass case Apple used to display the phone at its launch in 2007." MacDailyNews Take: Focus on style? Just because iPhone has style, doesn't mean that Apple focuses on it. If anything, Apple focuses on the apps available for iPhone. Something with which, along with style, the brick heavy Droid simply cannot compete. Electronista continues, "It meanwhile thrives on the... Mac Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2400467/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 20:43:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397991/posts This October, Chris Soghoian — computer security researcher, oft-times journalist, and current technical consultant for the FTC's privacy protection office — attended a closed-door conference called "ISS World". ISS World — the "ISS" is for "Intelligence Support Systems for Lawful Interception, Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Gathering" — is where law enforcement and intelligence agencies consult with telco representatives and surveillance equipment manufacturers about the state of electronic surveillance technology and practice. Armed with a tape recorder, Soghoian went to the conference looking for information about the scope of the government's surveillance practices in the US. What Soghoian uncovered, as he... Electronic Frontier Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2397991/posts#comment Tue, 1 Dec 2009 23:24:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1671006/posts LOS ANGELES – Starting Wednesday, seven-digit dialing will be a thing of the past for a broad swath of coastal Los Angeles County. Residents of such posh enclaves as Santa Monica, Malibu and Brentwood will be among the first Californians to be required to dial 11 digits each time they pick up the phone, even if they are calling a next-door neighbor. The change comes as part of the state's first-ever area code overlay, in which future phone numbers within a region receive a new area code while existing numbers keep the old one. It contrasts with the more common... The San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1671006/posts#comment Sun, 23 Jul 2006 23:15:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2381667/posts The second half of 2010 could finally bring a much-anticipated Verizon Wireless iPhone. A new hybrid chip developed by Qualcomm makes it possible to communicate with several different network technologies using only one component. This means Apple can manufacture one device, the "world mode" iPhone that will work on all of the networks it's currently compatible with as well as Verizon's CDMA network. Previous reports speculated that Apple would wait until at least 2011 for Verizon's launch of LTE technology. The iPhone FAQ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2381667/posts#comment Sun, 8 Nov 2009 20:14:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374051/posts Paris, France (AHN) - France's largest telecommunications firm is setting aside $1.48 billion to fund a stress-reduction program for staff aimed at ending a spate of suicides among its workers. France Telecom SA revealed the plan Wednesday in the face of lower third quarter profits. Under the planned program, staff aged over 57 or those who feel full time work is adversely affecting their health will be offered part-time jobs. Last year, 28 staff of the firm committed suicide. The suicides were blamed on poor working conditions at the company, which is trying to cut cost to meet profit targets. All Headline News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2374051/posts#comment Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:55:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2370102/posts Cell Phone Service Interruption vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2370102/posts#comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:50:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368501/posts Telecom firms face net-neutrality defeat LOBBYING BLITZ MAY FALL SHORT FCC expected to approve plan to develop Web access rules By Cecilia Kang Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, October 22, 2009 Facing a major regulatory issue that could be worth a fortune in future business, AT&T has unleashed the kind of lobbying blitz that makes it one of the grand corporate players of the great Washington game. And yet, for all the money AT&T and other old-line telecom and cable companies have spent pushing their cause, they are poised to lose a key vote to a bunch of younger technology... WP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368501/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:36:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2363389/posts A France Telecom employee committed suicide on Thursday, becoming the 25th staff member to kill himself over the past 20 months, a company official said. The 48-year-old engineer hung himself in his Brittany home, one month after he had taken medical leave following a recommendation from the company doctor. The latest death brought to 25 the number of employees who have taken their lives since February last year at France Telecom, a former state monopoly that has been under major restructuring. Many of the employees have left notes blaming management decisions or stress at work. The 25th death came just... watoday.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2363389/posts#comment Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:36:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2355583/posts Homeland Security: Provisions of the law that spared New York another 9/11 are set to expire Dec. 31. So why do Democrats want to gut this law and remove the immunity telecom companies have for helping protect America? To borrow a British expression from World War II, it was a very near thing. The capture, arrest and indictment of 24-year-old Afghan immigrant Najubullah Zazi before he could set off bombs made from store-bought chemicals prevented a tragedy of potentially devastating proportions. It wouldn't have happened if the critics of Patriot Act had their way. The capture of Zazi was made... IBD Editorials http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2355583/posts#comment Tue, 6 Oct 2009 00:03:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2338053/posts Now, it can't deny there is a problem. France Telecom, the once proud and efficient French public company, is in trouble, big trouble. Twenty-two of the company's employees have killed themselves in the last 20 months and all have left letters or testimonies incriminating their work conditions. This week, another employee tried but failed to take his own life. Some have even committed the desperate act in their own office. For months, France Telecom denied these "accidents" had anything to do with the company's work ethics. Now, the problem is staring it in the face. For the first time this... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2338053/posts#comment Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:02:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326927/posts They're not much happier about a revised version that aides to Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, have spent months drafting behind closed doors. CNET News has obtained a copy of the 55-page draft of S.773 (excerpt), which still appears to permit the president to seize temporary control of private-sector networks during a so-called cybersecurity emergency. The new version would allow the president to "declare a cybersecurity emergency" relating to "non-governmental" computer networks and do what's necessary to respond to the threat. Other sections of the proposal include a federal certification program for "cybersecurity professionals," and a requirement that... CNet.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2326927/posts#comment Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:39:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2320869/posts "APPLE HAS CHANGED THE WAY THE GAME IS PLAYED", says MSFT Win Mob chief Thu, 08/20/2009 - 01:21 by Jonny Evans "Apple has changed the way the game is played," Loke Uei, senior technical product manager for mobile developer experience at Microsoft said at the company’s first Windows Mobile Developers Camp (WinMoDevCamp) yesterday. His comments came during the developer meeting at which Redmond hopes to inspire/attract application developers to its platform. Attendees also got to see a preview of Windows Mobile at the event. The company hopes to take on Apple when it launches its Marketplace for Mobile later this... 9to5 Mac [online magazine] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2320869/posts#comment Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:43:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317705/posts Ever greater numbers of Americans are disconnecting their home telephones, with momentous consequences MUCH has been made of the precipitous decline of America’s newspapers. According to one much-cited calculation, the country’s last printed newspaper will land on a doorstep sometime in the first quarter of 2043. That is a positively healthy outlook, however, compared with another staple of American life: the home telephone. Telecoms operators are seeing customers abandon landlines at a rate of 700,000 per month. Some analysts now estimate that 25% of households in America rely entirely on mobile phones (or cellphones, as Americans call them)—a share that... The Economist (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317705/posts#comment Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:21:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313499/posts The federal government is spending $7.2 billion over the next year to bring better broadband to the masses, a lofty goal by any measure. But the feds are making it loftier than it needs ... giga om http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2313499/posts#comment Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:23:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2310215/posts Communications firms warn of unprecedented extension of state powers Wednesday, August 5, 2009 A group of over 300 internet service providers and telecommunications firms is fighting back against the British government’s plans to monitor all emails, phone calls and internet activity nationwide. The London Internet Exchange (LINX), which represents some 330 companies, including BT, Virgin and Carphone Warehouse, says that the government is misleading the public about the extent to which it plans to monitor their communications and internet activity. LINX has described the Government’s surveillance proposals as an “unwarranted” invasion of people’s privacy. A statement from the group to... dprogram.net http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2310215/posts#comment Fri, 7 Aug 2009 03:12:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300969/posts TORONTO - Swedish telecom giant Ericsson won the auction for Nortel's wireless division, with a bid of US$1.13 billion, the Canadian-based company announced late Friday. Nortel will seek Canadian and U.S. court approvals of the proposed sale agreement at a joint hearing on July 28, 2009, the financially troubled company said in a statement. www.thelocal.som http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300969/posts#comment Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:41:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2287640/posts Wireless Market, Generic Drugs Reviewed as Justice Department Steps Up Enforcement The Department of Justice has begun looking into whether large U.S. telecommunications companies such as AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are abusing the market power they have amassed in recent years, according to people familiar with the matter. The review, while in its early stages, is an indication of the Obama administration's aggressive stance on antitrust enforcement. The Justice Department's antitrust chief, Christine Varney, has said she wants to reassert the government's role in policing monopolistic and anticompetitive practices by powerful companies. The Wall Street Jouornal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2287640/posts#comment Tue, 7 Jul 2009 23:10:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277616/posts The Wall Street Journal reports on the German firm's shady dealings with the Iranian regime, which included helping the country develop "one of the world's most sophisticated mechanisms for controlling and censoring the Internet, allowing it to examine the content of individual online communications on a massive scale." This story was even more shocking the first time I read it in the Washington Times. Weekly Standard http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2277616/posts#comment Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:40:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276532/posts Two European companies — a major contractor to the U.S. government and a top cell-phone equipment maker — last year installed an electronic surveillance system for Iran that human rights advocates and intelligence experts say can help Iran target dissidents. Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), a joint venture between the Finnish cell-phone giant Nokia and German powerhouse Siemens, delivered what is known as a monitoring center to Irantelecom, Iran's state-owned telephone company. Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2276532/posts#comment Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:50:53 GMT