Verizon Sales Miss Estimates as Home-Phone Users Fall

Verizon Communications Inc., the second-largest U.S. phone company, reported fourth-quarter sales that missed estimates as home-phone users defected to cable rivals and wireless service.

Net income climbed 3.9 percent to $1.07 billion, or 37 cents a share, from $1.03 billion, or 35 cents, a year ago, the New York-based company said today in a statement. Revenue rose 5.5 percent to $23.8 billion, less than the $24 billion average estimate of analysts in a Bloomberg survey.

Chief Executive Officer Ivan Seidenberg's plan to spend $23 billion over seven years to offer TV service and higher Internet speeds hasn't yet stemmed customer losses to cable companies. Investors are worried that an economic slowdown could cause more phone-line losses for Verizon and larger rival AT&T Inc., said Jeff Brimhall of National City Private Client Group.

``They both face a little bit of a challenge because they obviously have significant exposure to the consumer,'' the Cleveland-based analyst said in an interview. His firm manages $34 billion, including Verizon and AT&T shares. ``Line loss to wireless and to cable is a concern going forward, but the macroeconomic situation just adds uncertainty.''

Profit, excluding items such as severance pay for fired workers, was 62 cents a share, meeting the average estimate of 21 analysts in the Bloomberg survey. The wireless unit's operating margin, the percentage of sales remaining after deducting the costs of providing service, expanded to 26.2 percent from 25 percent a year ago.

Line Losses

Verizon rose 35 cents to $38.11 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock is little changed in the past 12 months.

Verizon lost 875,000 phone lines in the quarter, including 476,000 primary home-phone lines, as customers switched to cable voice plans or began using wireless service exclusively. Some of those mobile users are Verizon Wireless customers. Total phone lines dropped 8.1 percent from a year ago to 41.4 million, accelerating from an 8 percent drop the previous quarter.

AT&T also reported fourth-quarter revenue that fell short of analysts' estimates. While San Antonio-based AT&T blamed the results on shutting off service to nonpaying customers, Verizon pointed to competition from cable companies such as Comcast Corp.

U.S. retail sales fell last month, unemployment climbed, and factory production has slowed. The Federal Reserve cut the benchmark lending rate Jan. 22 in its first emergency reduction since 2001. President George W. Bush is working with lawmakers to pass an economic stimulus package to avert a recession.

Growth Concerns

After a 17 percent gain in 2007, Verizon shares have fallen 13 percent this year amid investor concerns about economic growth. AT&T said a slowing economy cost it about 100,000 of the 656,000 primary home-phone customers it lost last quarter. Verizon hasn't detected a similar trend, company president Denny Strigl said.

``Whether they face a challenge or not, investors are concerned by the fact that they are going to,'' Brimhall said.

Verizon continued to trim jobs. The company recorded a charge of 16 cents a share in the fourth quarter for severance pay to fire 9,000 phone-line workers from last quarter through the end of this year. Verizon has about 235,000 employees.

``It's not related to any kind of economic trend,'' Chief Financial Officer Doreen Toben said in an interview. ``When lines go down, when you have less lines, you have less need for force.''

Selling Businesses

The company is awaiting regulatory approval for a $2.72 billion deal to hand over about 1.6 million phone lines in the northeastern U.S. to FairPoint Communications Inc. Verizon spun off a directories unit and sold assets in the Dominican Republic, incurring expenses of 22 cents a share in the quarter.

Verizon added 226,000 TV subscribers to its fiber-optic network, fewer than the 234,000 projected by UBS AG analyst John Hodulik in New York. The company also recruited 245,000 fiber Internet customers, missing Hodulik's 284,000 estimate.

The fiber-optic network, called FiOS, is now available in parts of 17 states, the company said today. Verizon plans to make it available to 18 million homes by the end of 2010, about twice last year's total. Customers are less likely to cut phone lines when they order TV and fiber-based Internet services, Toben said.

``It sounds like, as video continues to roll out, the retention should improve,'' said Jonathan Atkin, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets in San Francisco. He said he expects the shares to perform in line with the broader market.

Verizon's capital expenses in 2008 should fall below the $17.5 billion it spent last year, Toben said.

Wireless Customers

Verizon Wireless, jointly owned by Verizon and Vodafone Group Plc, added 2 million customers, including 1.6 million on long-term contracts. Subscribers who sign contracts are more profitable because they're more likely to stay with the company over time than those who pre-pay for service.

Verizon Wireless took subscribers from smaller rival Sprint Nextel Corp., which lost 683,000 contract customers last quarter. AT&T, owner of the biggest U.S. mobile-phone service, added 2.7 million users in the quarter, including 1.2 million on contracts.

Wireless customer turnover, or churn, narrowed to 1.2 percent from 1.3 percent in the previous quarter. The company has kept users by spending to maintain the quality of its network, said Todd Rosenbluth, an equity analyst at Standard & Poor's in New York.

``It was a strong quarter, driven by wireless,'' Rosenbluth said. He had estimated Verizon Wireless would add 1.5 million subscribers. ``They continue to be the most efficient operator out there.''

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AT&T Reverse Cell Phone Directory - Does it Exist?

AT&T was part of the U.S. cell phone collective that was developing the now defunct Wireless 411, the national wireless directory. The official Wireless 411 is now an after thought because of public outrage and government pressure. So no official AT&T directory or reverse directory exists. However, if you are in need of finding the owner to an AT&T number, you can get help from a reverse phone resource (more on that below).

There is no other cellular network that can claim the success of AT&T; not only has it become the largest provider of service within the United States but it offers one of the most diverse set of benefits found within any company. From residential uses to plans tailored for businesses, AT&T is known for its wide variety, multiple products and reliable service.

But, of course, not even the giant of the cellular industry can manage what so many of its clients want: a listing of numbers for easy explanations over unknown calls. AT&T might have the strongest listing of extras but it falls short of perfection with this one area. We believe that can be forgiven, though, since there are other options to be found. You are not being withheld any information; you merely have to seek it elsewhere.
Getting back to reverse phone searches, a reverse phone book works with limited incentives. It allows you to type in an unknown number and see where it is located and, in many cases, to whom it belongs. While the typical phone book relies on names and other essential pieces, this idea works within the concept that, sometimes, you simply do not have enough to tell. You do not have the answers so you can´t ask the proper question.

Reverse phone search companies will help you find the owner to any phone number. Many are paid searches or paid subscriptions. Here is one that will walk you through your free reverse phone search options before you decide to pay a fee. This page essentially provides you with a reverse phone book.

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Pink BlackBerry Pearl Coming to Verizon Wireless

Perfect for the fashion-forward professional on-the-go, the BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM) 8130 in pink makes it easy to perform essential tasks away from the office, such as managing e-mail, and connecting instantly to the Internet. It also lets customers take pictures, listen to music, watch videos, and much more. The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 in pink also includes built-in navigation to support the location-based application, VZ Navigator(SM), that offers customers audible turn-by-turn directions to wherever they want to go. (PRNewsFoto/Verizon Wireless)

Verizon Wireless, the company with the nation's most reliable wireless
voice and data network, and Research In Motion (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; TSX:
RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, announced today the
availability of the BlackBerry(R) Pearl(TM) 8130 smartphone in pink. Coming
to Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online at
http://www.verizonwireless.com tomorrow, the pink BlackBerry Pearl is packed with
the same powerful communications features and wireless broadband
connectivity as the original, but it comes encased in a new pink finish
that's chic and sophisticated.

8130 in pink makes it easy to perform essential tasks away from the
office, such as managing e-mail, and connecting instantly to the Internet,
and it also lets customers take pictures, listen to music, watch videos,
and much more. With built-in navigation to support the location-based
application, VZ Navigator(SM), customers can get audible turn-by-turn
directions to wherever they want to go. The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 also
offers the following features and capabilities:



   --  Wireless broadband (EV-DO) connectivity for high-speed data transfers,
       perfect for fast Web browsing
   --  Premium phone features including Voice Activated Dialing,
       speakerphone, and noise and echo cancellation technology for clearer
       calls
   --  2 megapixel camera with flash and 5x zoom, able to record video
   --  Advanced media player and enhanced desktop media manager software
       allowing customers to easily manage music, pictures and video between
       their PC and the BlackBerry Pearl 8130
   --  Externally accessible microSD(TM)/SDHC memory card slot
   --  Bluetooth(R) with support for hands-free headsets, stereo headsets,
       car kits, and other Bluetooth accessories
   The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone in pink is available Friday for
$199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.
An additional $100 credit toward the purchase of the device is available
for customers who sign up for qualifying voice and data plans at the time
of purchase. In addition, Verizon Wireless offers Nationwide E-mail and Web
for BlackBerry customers, which includes unlimited data, for an additional
$29.99 per month on top of a voice plan. The plan provides access to up to
10 supported POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts via BlackBerry(R) Internet
Service.

   For more information on products and services from Verizon Wireless,
visit http://www.verizonwireless.com. Business customers may contact a Verizon
Wireless Business Sales Representative directly at 1-800-VZW-4-BIZ.

   About Verizon Wireless

   Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and
data network, serving 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless
company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon
Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees
nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:
VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at
http://www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video
footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on
to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

   About Research In Motion (RIM)

   Research In Motion is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of
innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications
market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and
services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides
platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information
including email, phone, SMS messaging, Internet and intranet-based
applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third party
developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with
wireless connectivity to data. RIM's portfolio of award-winning products,
services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations
around the world and include the BlackBerry(R) wireless platform, the RIM
Wireless Handheld(TM) product line, software development tools,
radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984
and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America,
Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq:
RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RIM). For more information,
visit http://www.rim.com or http://www.blackberry.com.

   Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to
the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used herein, words such as "intend" and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
Forward- looking statements are based on assumptions made by and
information available to Research In Motion Limited. Investors are
cautioned that such forward- looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements include, without limitation, possible product defects and
product liability, risks related to international sales and potential
foreign currency exchange fluctuations, the initiation or outcome of
litigation, acts or potential acts of terrorism, international conflicts,
significant fluctuations of quarterly operating results, changes in
Canadian and foreign laws and regulations, continued acceptance of RIM's
products, increased levels of competition, technological changes and the
successful development of new products, dependence on third-party networks
to provide services, dependence on intellectual property rights, and other
risks and factors detailed from time to time in RIM's periodic reports
filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and other
regulatory authorities. RIM has no intention or obligation to update or
revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.

   The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols
are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited.
RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service
marks are the properties of their respective owners. RIM assumes no
liability and makes no representation, warranty or guarantee in relation to
third party products or services.

Source

Verizon Wireless to Purchase SureWest Communications' Wireless Assets In Northern California

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless and SureWest Communications announced today they have signed a definitive agreement for Verizon Wireless to purchase SureWest Communications' wireless assets in northern California, operating as SureWest Wireless, for $69.0 million.

The purchase includes SureWest Wireless' spectrum licenses, and network and operations assets in the greater Sacramento area. The licenses, which cover a population of 3.8 million people and overlap with areas currently served by Verizon Wireless, will expand the company's capacity in that area. Verizon Wireless plans to begin serving SureWest Wireless' more than 50,000 customers when the deal is finalized.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2008 and is subject to federal regulatory approvals.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 63.7 million customers. The largest U.S. wireless company and largest wireless data provider, based on revenues, Verizon Wireless is headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 68,000 employees nationwide. The company is a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone . Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at
www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.
Source

Cell phone bill on the rise? Check your SMS charges

If you've been paying attention to mobile carriers' SMS pricing lately (and something tells us you haven't) you'd be surprised to discover a fairly disturbing trend amongst providers: price hikes.

Over the past year or so, nearly every major carrier in the US has raised their per-price cost of SMS messages, with Verizon and Sprint jacking up the fee from $0.15 to $0.20 a message, and AT&T and T-Mobile adding another nickel to their $0.10 charge. Of course, this trend of rising prices accompanies a major spike in the use of text messages amongst customers, with some surveys marking a 130-percent jump over SMS use since June 2006 -- and telcos are taking it to the bank.
What's most insidious about the inflated costs is the fact that SMS data is particularly low-bandwidth, and analysts say that the price increases aren't related to higher operating costs -- these companies are simply gouging customers for a service which they have embraced. Companies say the hikes are meant to encourage customers to go for more expensive "bundles," though we're confident they won't mention it when your Mom uses more messages than her plan allows and unwittingly pays a few extra bucks on her bill -- that stuff adds up, you know?

Panel split over ban on hand-held phones in cars

Sen. Michael G. Lenett is sponsor of the bill to ban use of hand-held phones while driving.
It's talking on the phone, not holding it in your hand, that leads to auto accidents, opponents of a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving told lawmakers yesterday.

But proponents of the ban - who have been trying for nearly a decade to enact legislation restricting cell phone use while driving - said that handling phones and the increasingly prevalent practice of typing messages on them while behind the wheel increase the likelihood of driver distraction, which accounts for more than a million car crashes a year.

Lawmakers appeared split on the issue during a committee hearing yesterday, and proponents said the measure is within one vote of success or failure.

Gary M. Horewitz, a government affairs representative for Sprint Nextel, said the Maryland law would "lead to greater risk on the highway" because it would encourage drivers to talk on hands-free devices - and that it is the potentially distracting conversation, not the handling of phones per se, that is the real danger.

"The bill will potentially lead to more crashes, not less," he said.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Michael G. Lenett, a Montgomery County Democrat, would allow drivers to use wireless communication devices only with hands-free accessories, such as headphone sets equipped with microphones.

At least five states and the District of Columbia have passed bans on driving while talking on hand-held cell phones, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation. Among them are Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

After yesterday's hearing, Lenett said the proposed ban - variations of which have deadlocked Maryland's legislature since 1999 - faces a tough hurdle in the nine-member Judicial Proceedings committee.

"It's extremely close, maybe within one vote," Lenett said. But he maintained hope that support from Gov. Martin O'Malley's administration as well as a national trend toward similar bans would swing the issue this year.

But Sprint lobbyists and several Republican committee members pointed to accident statistics from the Maryland State Police that list cell phones as causing only one half of 1 percent of all crashes.

Sen. Brian E. Frosh, the Montgomery County Democrat who chairs the committee considering the bill, said he supports the measure but added that it is too early to predict whether his members would vote to send the legislation to the Senate floor for a full hearing.

"It's a very controversial issue, one in which people are going to try and figure out how their constituents feel about it," Frosh said.

If the bill does make it out of committee, leaders in the Senate and House of Delegates said it stands a good chance of becoming law.

Both Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch said yesterday that they would support the ban.

If it passes the Senate, Busch predicted the bill would have a "strong possibility" of support in the House, though he said the law would be difficult to enforce.

"I know it would be a great inconvenience to many, but it's a life-saving measure," Miller said. "I'm sure people will give it a fair shot."

Sen. Nancy Jacobs, a Republican representing Harford and Cecil counties, told members of the Judicial Proceedings Committee yesterday that she believed using a cell phone while driving could actually save lives in some circumstances.

"When somebody's whizzing by me at 100 miles an hour, I'll often call the police and report the license plate," Jacobs said to Lenett during the hearing.

Emergency calls would be exempted from the ban, he responded.

"What about a call from one of your children to you because of what they thought of as an emergency situation?" Jacobs asked.

Amazon Kindle: Save Trees, Support E-Book Readers

As much as I love to read, turning pages one by one, breaking a new paperback book into a well-weathered memory to trophy in my book case, I realize it is costing some forest, somewhere, a tree.

Although e-books have existed since the 90’s a portable platform designed just for e-books that is truly functional has not been available until recently. I read up on two products out there, Sony Reader, which I liked, and the Amazon Kindle, of which I liked a little better.

he Kindle retails at $399 and in my fair and balanced opinion, it comes the closest to getting all things right for this relatively new medium. It lets you download a mini library of books, magazines, and blogs wirelessly. It can do this from just about anywhere you might find cell phone service, kindle specifically uses the Sprint wireless network to link up. The key feature to the wireless kindle is an integrated high-speed EVDO antenna (similar to the ones found in the 3G phones). This antenna allows users to download a 544-page book in 45 seconds. This rockin’ bonus to this wireless access is that it’s free. However, there is a but, do remember that subscribing to magazines, blogs, and newspapers can cost you.

The unit weighs 10.3 ounces and is smaller than many hardback books. The E-ink display screen does not need constant poser to feed it allowing the battery to last much longer. A full QWERTY keypad can be used to do text searches or insert remarks.

The kindle makes reading as close to the real “paper” experience as possible. The unit contains a 6-inch screen that produces a high-contrast E ink display that will not flicker nor does it use a backlight. This E-ink technology allows you to read for hours without eye strain. The text can be instantly resized for easy reading or those who have adjusted vision requirements.

There are large Next Page/Previous Page buttons on the side of the screen that are convenient but they are so big that you can accidentally bump the buttons and throw yourself off by a page or two. Also, the scroll-wheel-based menu system does take some getting used to.

The Kindle store via Amazon is the supply portal for the e-books, complete with some 90,000-plus available titles. The supply proves to be both plentiful and cheap, with best sellers going for $9.99, and many e-books out there are free or mere pennies compared to the paper copy. It holds over 200 titles at once and it has a very long battery life. According to Amazon, leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day or turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. The unit fully recharges in 2 hours.

After spending $399 it can be a major disappointment not to find a title you are searching for. Although it is costly to get into and it still costs more than it should for simple e-books in my opinion, this alternative allows you to store many novels and periodicals and helps save the planet one e-book at a time.

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Sprint to launch Samsung Ace World Phone

Sprint is expecting to launch the Ace, a BlackJack-Like Samsung Smartphone. This is a Windows Mobile 6 Standard smartphone will be a WorldPhone, offering seamless transitioning from the US to other countries.

The Samsung Ace rocks a 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.0, and EVDO on the CDMA-side of things. Unfortunately, jet-setters will be relying on the Rev. 0 flavor of EVDO, while GSM-surfers will have to deal with a lowly GRPS data connection to get their wireless data-fix.

Look for Sprint to drop the Samsung Ace on February 17th, at a $449.99 price-point (most likely sans contract)

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Cell phone calls to 911. It's not what you think.

If you think help is on the way when you call 911 from your cell phone, think again. Many phones don't tell dispatchers where you're calling from and that makes it hard for help to get to you.

This can be a big problem for police, firefighters, paramedics. A call comes in for an emergency but they have no idea where to go. Nearly everyone has a cell phone. But is you used it to call 911 would police or firefighters be able to find you?

The answer is, maybe not. Because mobile phones are, well, mobile and the call could be coming from anywhere.

Sean Collins of the Kern Co. Fire Department, "It is very difficult, at this time, to know exactly where a caller is from. When the call comes in on a land line, emergency dispatchers can automatically track it back to a specific address. But when the call comes in on a cell phone, often times they have to rely on a caller that may be panicked and scared."

And if they're too shaken to give details, dispatchers are left guessing.

It happened this week in Taft. Someone called 911 from their cell phone to report a fire, but the phone couldn't give specific details about the location.

As a result, three people were forced to jump from the second story of a burning building.

Sean Collins, "If we do not know that address explicitly, we then have to wait for another caller or try to keep calling back the cell phone user, *if* we get there telephone number."

But they don't, they have to rely on information from the cellular provider and some are better than others.

Elizabeth Trujillo of J's Communication, "It just depends on whether the provider has something enabled on the phone that way."

For example, Sprint and Verizon use global positioning satellites to locate callers which can pinpoint a location.

Other companies like AT&T and T-Mobile use their cell towers which only give a general location. But neither way gives a specific address.

And in an emergency where time is critical, a few minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

We can only respond to what we know. Obviously we cannot determine or make things up or assume.

If you want to know if a 911 call can be traced back to your phone, take a look at the settings.

Look for something that says, "GPS" or "Location".

If you still can't figure it out call your wireless service provider.

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Wireless TV & Studios Inc. Introduces nightVision: Live Video Browsing -- the Next Great Leap in Search Engines

This new technology takes search engines to the next level. Citysearch and Google offer the consumer archived information. nightVision offers live search -- allowing users to search the moment.
New York, New York (PRWEB) January 5, 2008 -- New Year's Eve, just after midnight, the ball has dropped. The lines at New York's hottest nightclubs run around the block, as bouncers fend off hordes of revelers. A black Cadillac Escalade SUV pulls up to the curb, a striking reporter and a camera crew exit the vehicle, greet the doorman and walk seamlessly through the velvet rope and into the club. Once inside, they are waved into the VIP section, where they rub elbows with New York's nightlife elite. Is it for TV? No. The internet? Wrong again.

Welcome to live TV on your cell phone ... free to all, regardless of cell phone carrier.

"Years of research and development are finally coming to fruition," said Eduardo Lipschutz-Villa, president of Wireless TV & Studios, Inc., as he and an assistant monitored the live broadcast unfolding in front of him, via cell phones from all the major carriers: Verizon, ATT, Sprint and T-Mobile.

"With this new technology, we're taking search engines to the next level. Citysearch and Google offer the consumer archived information. nightVision offers live search -- we allow people to search the moment. Can you imagine being out and about, and being able to see if a bar is hopping, what the crowd is like, how they're dressed, if your ex is there," Lipschutz-Villa smiled. "Now we have achieved content specific to the device and tailored to the lifestyle and needs of the user."

"What's so great about this service is that we offer not only live reporting, but comprehensive video archives of the best New York has to offer -- restaurants, bars, live music and events -- and they're all constantly updated," commented Lisa Lyons, Executive Producer of nightVision. "So if you're out in the city and you want to, say, find out what bands are playing downtown, in less than a New York minute you're checking them out in a video on your cell phone, or getting a preview of the ambiance and food being served in the restaurant of your choice. Ultimately, the service will include easy ticket purchase and restaurant reservations."

The team behind nightVision, Wireless TV & Studios Inc., is no stranger to wireless content and technology. In the late 1990s, WTV developed and implemented 2-way interactive wireless communication systems, and in 2007, created wireless video content and user interface for Digital Dispatch Systems, to obtain the final Notice to Proceed for the NYC Taxi Technology Enhancement Project for the TLC (New York Taxi and Limousine Commission).

nightVision's infrastructure consists of several reporter and camera crew teams enabled to deliver real time data, which is treated and broadcast for access from any cell phone browser in the world, regardless of carrier. Wireless TV & Studios Inc. uses 3G technology, an innovative networking and encoding. This ASP platform, powered by Nexage, has proven to be more dynamic and faster to use than internet sites modified for cell phone usage.

This free service is commercial-driven, and expects to generate revenue through advertisements. "After all, New York City's nightlife is a $10 billion a year industry, with plenty of opportunities for product branding," commented Lipschutz-Villa.

Having successfully delivered the technology, and with a solid marketing strategy in place, Wireless TV & Studios Inc. is projecting a March 1, 2008 launch of nightVision in New York City, soon to be followed by other major cities across North America and Europe.

The third revolution in television has arrived.

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CAPITAL CURRENTS: Cell phone E911 location update

The FCC has just released a decision that requires cell phone companies to meet the location accuracy requirements over much smaller geographical areas than is the current practice, and you can hear their screams for miles. Even though the FCC allowed five years for full implementation, the screams seem justified.
There are two kinds of cell phone location technologies, and the FCC has different accuracy requirements for them. For “network-based” technologies, accuracy must be within 100 meters for 67 percent of calls, 300 meters for 95 percent of calls; for “handset-based” technologies, within 50 meters for 67 percent of calls, 150 meters for 95 percent of calls. The remaining 5 percent of calls are handled on a “best efforts” basis.

“Network-based” generally means Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) – a carrier has receivers located at cell towers and determines a cell phone location by processing the signals received from that cell phone, which arrive at slightly different times at the different receiver locations. “Handset-based” generally means a cell phone has a built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver – it calculates its own location by receiving transmissions from at least three GPS satellites.

They both work well in some areas but not so well in other areas. Network-based systems work well in urban areas where there are many receiver locations, but not so well in rural areas. Handset-based systems work well in rural areas where there is a clear line-of-sight path to the satellites, but not so well in urban areas and indoors where the satellite signals are blocked by buildings.

Cell phone companies claim that they meet the FCC accuracy requirements. But the national operators (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile) have been meeting the requirements on a national average basis. Now the FCC has decided that they must meet the accuracy requirement within the geographical coverage area of every Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). According to Consumer Reports magazine, accurate location information is not delivered at the PSAP level in nearly half of the country. According to a list maintained by the FCC, there are around 6,000 to 7,000 PSAPs in the U.S. Verizon says it has deployed E911 wireless location capability in areas served by more than 2,800 PSAPs. But it has run into cases where cities and counties conflict with one another, each claiming PSAP jurisdiction over the same area. And PSAP service areas vary in size and shape. But the FCC said, “We recognize that geographical variations in service areas can present challenges to the provision of E911 service, but in the interest of public safety, we cannot permit those challenges to justify diminished location accuracy.”

The FCC accuracy rules are statistical in nature, and hundreds of test calls are required to determine the 95 percent confidence level. That would translate into millions of test calls if accuracy had to be confirmed for each PSAP separately. So the operational burden is evident. But the FCC was unsympathetic, saying, “While we acknowledge that meeting the deadline and benchmarks may require the investment of significant resources by certain carriers, we believe that such expenditures are more than justified by the accompanying public safety benefits.”

But more importantly, there is widespread agreement among everyone but the FCC that achieving the accuracy requirements within every PSAP area with today’s technologies is infeasible. For example, using GPS in urban areas with tall buildings or indoors, it may be impossible to achieve any location fix at all in more than 5 percent of locations, so the 95 percent requirement could never be satisfied.

Several companies proposed a hybrid approach, using both GPS and TDOA. The carriers that have deployed GPS handsets would have to add cell tower receivers for TDOA. The carriers that have deployed cell tower receivers for TDOA would have to include GPS in new cell phones. But while the hybrid approach would improve location accuracy, and might satisfy FCC requirements in the majority of PSAPs, even proponents agree that improvement might not be sufficient to satisfy the accuracy requirements in every PSAP. While the accuracy standard applies to 95 percent of calls, it applies to 100 percent of PSAPs.

This new requirement is potentially a big deal for cable operators, if the FCC decides to apply it to VoIP phone service. Cable MSO VoIP service is intended to be used only at the subscriber location, which is known precisely. But what about “over-the-top” voice services like Vonage and Skype? Suppose the FCC creates a VoIP location accuracy requirement, and then imposes it on the underlying ISP rather than the “over-the-top” vendor.

This new FCC requirement will certainly be appealed in court. Courts have not been too sympathetic to the cell phone industry, affirming earlier FCC decisions that required aggressive deployment of existing location technologies. But this is different, because the FCC has no evidence that it is technically feasible to meet the accuracy limits within every PSAP area. The last time I can recall that a court had to review an FCC decision that was technically infeasible, it dealt with noise figure limits for UHF TV tuners, and the FCC was reversed. It could happen again.

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