CHEAP TELECOM. CHEAP T-1

Cheap Cellular Phones

2013-08-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

Not everyone can afford name brand expensive phones or the expensive data and service plans that often accompany this sort of phone. For some it just doesn't fit within their current budget or perhaps they would rather save and spend the money on something they will get more enjoyment out of. It is impossible in our modern culture to forgo having a cellular phone completely. Fortunately, if you are in need of a cheap cellular phone there are a wide variety of cheap cellphones with affordable services available.

Evaluate Your Needs

The first step towards figuring out which cheap cellular phone is right for you is to evaluate your needs. If you work in business or a job in which you need constant email access you are going to need a different sort of phone than someone who wishes to have a cellphone for just making calls or texting. Phones with the ability to send and receive emails will usually be slightly more expensive and will usually come with a data plan which costs a little extra money. There are still many phones with the option to email that are affordable. In addition to figuring out what features are essential for you to have with your cellphone it is a good idea to set a maximum price you want to pay for a cellular phone this will also help to narrow down your selection of options.

Prepaid Cellular Phones

One option which is capable of saving large quantities of money is opting to buy a prepaid cellphone. Prepaid cellphones can usually be purchased for relatively cheap and with a variety of options. If you rarely use a cellphone a prepaid plan is by far the best option. With a prepaid cellular phone there is usually a small minimum amount of minutes that can be purchased and this minimum will cost next to nothing. Many prepaid plans also offer the option of pre-purchasing data making a prepaid cellular phone a good option for those that need access to the internet as well. If your cellular phone usage is greater than a certain amount per month a prepaid phone will end up costing you more than going with a contract based plan with one of the larger providers. The best way to determine if a prepaid phone is right for you is to try to determine your cellular phone usage per month and then based off of that determine whether prepaid or contract is the best option for you.

Contract Cellular Phones

If you choose to go with a big cell provider and buy a monthly plan there a fortunately a few ways to still obtain a cheap cellular phone. Many cell providers offer deals sometimes even including free cellphones if you make a one or two year contract. At the very least cell providers often offer cell phones at a discounted price to their customers. Another way to save money and get a cheap cellular phone is to buy used. The cellular phone industry is also changing rapidly making this years hot phone already outdated by the next year. Last years model of cellular phone can often be picked up for a very small price. Most cellular service providers will allow you to add a used phone to your plan, but it is good to double check this before purchasing a used phone.

http://cheapcell-phone.com/

A Fast, Affordable Broadband DSL Provider

2013-07-07T23:11:00.003-07:00

With the explosion in Internet usage, the need to offer faster connection speeds continues. Traditional technology like modems often can't offer the desired increase in rate (bandwidth). A variety of new technology is being developed with DSL that provides high speeds over existing phone wiring, and it's becoming quite popular. Vicomsoft has gained valuable experience and knowledge about DSL online accessibility and would like to make this information available to those who are intereste. DSL accessibility is becoming progressively available at decreasing prices, either directly or indirectly from many phone companies, including Telcos.

Some DSL providers include Verizon DSL, Juno Platinum, NetZero, Qwest DSL, EarthLink DSL/Cable, DirecWay Satellite, Pacbel DSL, Pacific Bell DSL, GTE DSL, AT&T DSL, AOL Plus, AOL DSL, AOL, Yahoo, Yahoo DSL, Covad DSL, Earthlink DSL, MSN DSL, and other Verizon companies.

A digital potential subscriber line (DSL), a relatively new technology, transforms current twisted-pair phone lines into accessibility tracks for multimedia and high-speed data emails. DSL can transfer more than 6 mbps downstream (to a subscriber), 640 KB per second upstream, and as much as 1.1 mbps in both guidelines. Such rates increase current accessibility capacity by a factor of 50 or more without new wiring. DSL can basically convert the current public details network from one that's limited to speech, text, and low-quality design to a powerful, popular system capable of providing multimedia, such as full-movement movies, to everybody's home this century. DSL will play an important role over the next 10 or more decades as telephone organizations enter new marketplaces for providing details in movies and other multimedia. New high-speed Internet wiring will take decades to reach all prospective members. But success of these new services will rely upon attaining as many members as possible during the first few decades. By providing films, television, movie online catalogs, distant CD-ROMs, corporate LANs, and the Internet into homes and small companies, DSL will make these marketplaces practical and successful for phone organizations as well as application providers.

Company DSL from MegaPath provides the cost-effective business Website that you need for your small business, division workplace, or home business workplace with the added benefit of the best possible speed. Company DSL is efficient, cost-effective, and scalable to fit your organization's needs. DSL assistance provides rates of up to 20 mbps over a national, multi-redundant private network that increases performance and security. DSL is an ideal high-speed Internet solution for small- and medium-sized businesses that obtain large files or use the Internet substantially. If your business depends on fast and efficient online performance, MegaPath DSL is for you. MegaPath offers total customer care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Plus, we back up our assistance with 30-day satisfaction guarantee. DSL assistance from MegaPath is available in all 50 states and throughout North America.

http://www.cheapt1.org/index.html

Choosing a Quality T1 Provider

2013-07-07T22:59:00.004-07:00

Finding a quality T1 service provider can be quite the task. First what exactly is T1 service? A T1 line is typically made from fiber optic cable, but also sometimes copper. A T1 line can function as a phone line able to carry twenty-four digitized voice channels at once or if it is used to carry data it is able to carry 192,000 bytes per second. That is around sixty times more than the standard modem, allowing over a hundred users to use the same line comfortably for browsing on the Internet.

Kinds of T1 Lines

T1 Services usually cost around $500 though there are some companies that offer prices as low as $149 and as high as over a $1000. The first thing to take into mind when choosing a T1 service provider is what features are needed for the application of the T1 line. There are five different kinds of T1 lines so it is important to check which sort of T1 line is needed as well as check to make sure the company chosen offers that sort of line. The first kind is an integrated T1 line. This allows voice as well as data to be sent over the same line. A fractional T1 service is where a the provider offers shared channels on a T1 line that is already in place in the area. This means the company will not be getting as much power out of the T1 line because it is being shared with other businesses. Its cheaper cost however is ideal for smaller companies. The third sort of T1 line available is a private T1 line. Private T1 lines are typical installed when a business wants to set up its own private VPN network to communicate with other offices off location. Another T1 service commonly offered are voice T1 lines. These are designed to be used in applications such as a call center or a telemarketing company. The final sort of T1 line available is a dynamic T1 line. A dynamic T1 line is similar to an integrated line, but it can change how many channels are allocated to data or voice at one time. For example if a phone call is placed on the T1 line it will reallocate some channels for the phone call and when the call is done it will reallocate the channels back to data.

Location of T1 Provider

Another factor important to consider when choosing a T1 service provider is the location of the provider in relation to the company that needs the T1 to be installed. A lot of providers are regionally based and will offer lower rates for services within their area. Even some nationwide providers have areas where T1 service is cheaper. So it is very important to see what the provider's rates are in the area the T1 line is to go. Another thing to think about is if a company needs T1 service in multiple offices a wide distance apart, it may be cheaper to get different T1 service providers based on what is cheapest for the region of each office.

Finding Your Quality T1 Service Provider

Now, with knowing the kinds of lines typically offered, and the differences of T1 providers based on region, finding a quality T1 service provider is as simple as doing a bit of homework based on your companies location and needs.

http://www.cheapt1.org/index.html

Business DSL Providers

2013-06-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

A Fast, Affordable Broadband DSL Provider

With the explosion in online usage, the need to offer faster connection speeds continues. Traditional technology such as modems can often not offer the desired increase in rate (bandwidth). A variety of new technology is being developed with 'DSL', that provides high-speed over existing phone wiring becoming popular. Vicomsoft has gained valuable experience and knowledge about DSL Online accessibility and would like to make this information available to that intere DSL accessibility the Online is becoming progressively available at decreasing prices directly or ultimately from many phone companies 'Telcos'.

Some of DSL providers are Verizon dsl, Juno Platinum,Net Zero, NETZERO, Qwest DSL, EarthLink DSL/Cable, DirecWay Satellite, pacbel dsl, pacific bell dsl, gte dsl, att dsl, aol plus, aol dsl, aol, yahoo, yahoo dsl, covad dsl, earthlink dsl, msn dsl, and verizon companies.

Digital Potential subscriber Line (DSL), a new device technology, transforms current twisted-pair phone lines into accessibility tracks for multi-media and high-speed data emails. DSL can transfer more than 6 Megabyte per second downstream (to a subscriber) and 640 Killer bytes per second upstream, and as much as 1.1 Megabyte per second in both guidelines. Such rates increase current accessibility capacity by a factor of 50 or more without new wiring. DSL can basically convert the current public details network from one limited to speech, text and low quality design to a powerful, popular system capable of providing multi-media, such as full movement movie, to everybody's home this century. DSL will play an important role over the next ten or more decades as tele- phone organizations enter new marketplaces for providing details in movie and multi-media types. New high speed internet wiring will take decades to reach all prospective members. But success of these new services will rely upon attaining as many members as possible during the first few decades. By providing films, television, movie online catalogs, distant CD-ROMs, corporate LANs, and the Internet into homes and small companies, DSL will make these marketplaces practical, and successful, for phone organizations and application providers as well.

Company DSL from MegaPath provides the cost-effective business Websites you need for your little company, division workplace, or home business workplace with the benefit of the best possible speed as well as. Company DSL is efficient, cost-effective, and scalable to fit your organization's needs.DSL assistance provides obtain rates of speed up to 20 Megabyte per second over a national, multi-redundant private network that increases performance and security. DSL is an ideal high speed internet solution for little and medium-sized businesses that obtain large files or use the Online substantially. If your little company depends on fast and efficient online performance, MegaPath DSL is for you.MegaPath offers total customer care 24/7/365, and we back up our assistance with 30-day satisfaction guarantee.DSL assistance from Mega Path is available in all 50 states and North America.

Line share ADSL Online contains rates of speed which range from 1.5 Megabyte per second to 6.0 Megabyte per second. Prices start at $45/month.Dedicated ADSL Online is a information line designed for clients who want the pros and cons of DSL on a separate relationship, with rates of speed which range from 1.5x.384 Megabyte per second up to 20x1 Megabyte per second.
http://www.cheapt1.org/index.html

Order Your Miami Heat Tickets

2013-06-04T16:56:00.001-07:00

You can buy Miami Heat tickets online or by phone. Click on the link to order tickets online. We have a huge selection of cheap Miami Heat tickets for you to browse through. Whether you're coming from Chicago, New York, Boston, LA, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas or anywhere else, we want to help you see Miami Heat live. Think of us as your Miami Heat ticket brokers, guiding you through the process of finding the best tickets at the lowest price. That's what you'll get at Tickets Plus. We're the best ticket broker for Miami Heat fans. enjoy the game in style with Premium Seating at every HEAT home game. Options include American Express Dewar's Rail Seating, Flagship and Floor seating, Junior Flagship seating, Center Court Suites, Loge Suites, and Party Suites.

ickets, Sports, Concerts and Other Events

Welcome to our event tickets section! TicketNetwork is the leading technology provider in the industry that offers the best and most efficient solutions for ticket buyers anywehre. With a comprehensive selection of more then $1 billion in real-time ticket inventory, TicketNetwork provides tickets to sporting, music, or theater events worldwide!

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NHL Playoffs
Floyd Mayweather Jr
Canelo Alvarez
NBA Playoffs
NBA Finals

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Event	Date	Venue	Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 1	06/06/2013 9:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 2	06/09/2013 8:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat - Home Game 1	06/11/2013 8:00PM	AT&T Center San Antonio, TX	View Tickets
NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat - Home Game 2	06/13/2013 7:00PM	AT&T Center San Antonio, TX	View Tickets
NBA Finals: San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat - Home Game 3 (If Necessary)	06/16/2013 8:00PM	AT&T Center San Antonio, TX	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 3 (If Necessary)	06/18/2013 9:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 4 (If Necessary)	06/20/2013 9:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets

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NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers

2013-05-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

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Sports Popular Tickets
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Event	Date	Venue	Tickets
NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat - Home Game 2	05/28/2013 8:30PM	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Formerly Conseco Fieldhouse) Indianapolis, IN	View Tickets
NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers - Home Game 3	05/30/2013 8:30PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Indiana Pacers vs. Miami Heat - Home Game 3 (If Necessary)	06/01/2013 8:30PM	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Formerly Conseco Fieldhouse) Indianapolis, IN	View Tickets
NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers - Home Game 4 (If Necessary)	06/03/2013 8:30PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 1 (If Necessary)	06/06/2013 9:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 2 (If Necessary)	06/09/2013 8:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 3 (If Necessary)	06/18/2013 9:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
NBA Finals: Miami Heat vs. San Antonio Spurs - Home Game 4 (If Necessary)	06/20/2013 9:00PM	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL	View Tickets
Preseason: Charlotte Bobcats vs. Miami Heat	10/11/2013 7:30PM	Sprint Center Kansas City, MO	View Ticketswww.cheaptelecom.net

Clearwire Urges Shareholders to Accept Sprint Offer

2013-05-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

Clearwire hasClearwire has sent a letter to the company's shareholders urging them to support Sprint's acquisition for $2.97 a share, insisting that Sprint is their best option at getting the necessary funds for continued operations and their planned LTE network build and scheduled June LTE launch. "On the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the Clearwire board has unanimously concluded that the proposed transaction with Sprint is the best strategic alternative for stockholders, representing fair, attractive and certain value, especially in light of the Company's limited alternatives and the well-known constraints of its liquidity position," insists the letter. The letter omits Dish's offer of $3.30 a share. urging them to support Sprint's acquisition for $2.97 a share, insisting that Sprint is their best option at getting the necessary funds for continued operations and theirClearwire has sent a letter to the company's shareholders urging them to support Sprint's acquisition for $2.97 a share, insisting that Sprint is their best option at getting the necessary funds for continued operations and their planned LTE network build and scheduled June LTE launch. "On the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the Clearwire board has unanimously concluded that the proposed transaction with Sprint is the best strategic alternative for stockholders, representing fair, attractive and certain value, especially in light of the Company's limited alternatives and the well-known constraints of its liquidity position," insists the letter. The letter omits Dish's offer of $3.30 a share. and scheduled June LTE launch. "On the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee, the Clearwire board has unanimously concluded that the proposed transaction with Sprint is the best strategic alternative for stockholders, representing fair, attractive and certain value, especially in light of the Company's limited alternatives and the well-known constraints of its liquidity position," insists the letter. The letter omits Dish's offer of $3.30 a share.

T1 Providers for Business

2013-05-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

T1 Providers is changing the very nature of way businesses communicate with each other and they way they access the outside world via the Internet. T1 Internet is rapidly gaining popularity due to many factors, most notably the low start-up cost. Over the last ten years, the cost of T-1 Internet has dropped substantially. Today, $1000 per month can get you, depending on availability, 20 MB of commercial-grade broadband.
What can I expect?
To begin the engagement process, the only thing you need to do is enter your contact information in the GeoQuote Real-Time Search window, shown here up above. In less than 4 minutes we’ll provide a preliminary list of the options that we are allowed to show you in public. Once we receive your information, we connect you with an in-house T1 Providers consultant whose top priority is to understand and resolve your needs. We take your privacy seriously so you can rest assured that your information is secure and confidential.
How much can I save?
By turning in your signed contract to the carrier through us, we’ll provide you with installation updates and full support in case of problems to ensure that your T1 Providers purchase is a smooth experience. In many cases, our consultants also have access to pre-approved Special Pricing that we are prohibited to show in public per their request. The exact amount you can save could be anywhere from 5% to 50%. Again, feel free to leverage your T1 Providers consultant to find the best solution for your business as they have access to special pricing and promotions not available on our site.

Google Fiber takes on AT&T, Verizon in Shawnee, Kan.

2013-05-04T08:48:00.002-07:00

Google Fiber (Nasdaq: GOOG) on Thursday said that it is extending its fiber to the home (FTTH) service into Shawnee, Kan., where it will take on established telcos AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon (NYSE: VZ).
The Internet giant has recently been on an active streak of network expansions. Google announced in April that it would bring the service to Austin, Texas and, no less than two weeks later, to Provo, Utah.
Similar to these network expansions, Google Fiber will offer speeds that will far surpass what residents can get from AT&T and Verizon, both of which currently offer speeds on their DSL networks between 10-25 Mbps.

Although Shawnee is located southwest of Kansas City, which will make for an easier extension plan, the service provider has not given a timeline of when the service will be available.

Rachel Hack, community manager for Google Fiber, said in a blog post that they have a "lot of planning and engineering work to do before we're ready to bring Fiber to Shawnee."
Google said that the debut of its fiber service fits in well with Shawnee's mentality of using technology to help support residents and businesses.
"We've also been impressed by Shawnee's vision to keep their citizens informed and involved using the Internet," wrote Hack. "Recently, the City modernized their website, so that locals can easily access city info--from crime maps to fiscal reports to streamed audio of city council meetings."

After city officials voted to approve the service provider's move to bring their service to the city, Google and the city announced the news together.
"The ultra-high speed Google fiber network will enhance the quality of life for people in Shawnee by providing faster access to essential digital resources," said Shawnee's Mayor Jeff Meyers in a release announcing the new agreement. "This will grow and strengthen Shawnee's competitive advantage in the years to come."
While it's still unclear how broad Google Fiber is going to go with its FTTH plans, it is prompting two of the top telcos--AT&T and CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL)--to reveal their own 1 Gbps plans.
CenturyLink announced this week that it would begin a 1 Gbps FTTH pilot deployment in Omaha, while AT&T earlier in the month revealed its plans for a similar network in Austin.

AT&T to expand U-verse to 33M homes, increase broadband speeds to 75 Mbps

2012-11-08T22:39:00.000-08:00

AT&T (NYSE: T) said it plans to expand its U-verse TV, Internet and VoIP phone service to 33 million homes and increase the speeds of its Internet product to up to 75 Mbps.

The telco announced the U-verse expansion, which is part of a $14 billion investment that AT&T said it will make on its wireline and wireless networks, on Wednesday. AT&T says it currently passes about 24.5 million homes with U-verse. While Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has halted expansion of its FiOS TV and Internet platform, AT&T is banking that it will be able to recruit enough subscribers from Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and other pay TV and broadband providers to turn a profit on the U-verse expansion.

AT&T said it will be able to offer speeds of 75 Mbps, and increase the speed of its U-verse IPDSLAM service, an IP-based DSL product, to up to 45 Mbps, "with a path to deliver even higher speeds in the future."

Adventure. Excitement. Luxury. Value.Revolutionize your vacation and everyday life

2012-10-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

Luxevo elevates your travel expectations, putting an entire catalog of the world's best and most sought-after destinations at your fingertips. Beaches? Mountains? Cruises? Spas? Resorts? You choose the destinations and activities that appeal to you and Luxevo will deliver, all without the stress and work of planning an unforgettable getaway.

Working with your very own personal Certified Luxevo Agent every step of the way, you won't have to worry about a single thing-and you won't miss a moment of fun and excitement. Whether on vacation or at home, luxury is affordable and never out of your reach. Utilizing our Advantage Benefits Program, you'll save on purchases, activities and events--at home or away. Luxevo takes the standard of travel and service to the next level, bringing the perks of extravagant living to your everyday life. Enjoyment, convenience, service, savings, value-that's the LuxPerience.

http://affordableluxurycruises.org/

Take a peek inside to explore all that Luxevo has to offer you.

Making a Dent in the 21st Century: Women and Technology

2012-10-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

"WISENET (Women in ICTs Shared Excellence Network) is the International Bureau’s convening platform that aims to leverage the experience, resources and connections of the international ICT community to better the situation of women, their communities and their countries. As part of this work, the FCC has invited prominent women in technology from around the world to post blogs sharing their experiences."

Monique Morrow holds the title of Distinguished Consulting Engineer within the Office of the CTO at Cisco.

I love technology, and I am passionate about getting people, particularly women, excited about choosing a career in technology.

That is why I attended the Women@theFrontier event, “Design the Future 2012” which was hosted at NASA Research Park in Moffett Field, CA. At the event, I met the most amazing women from a variety of backgrounds who are each exponentially making a difference in this world using technology.

With NASA Research Park as the backdrop, I could not help but remember scientist and astronaut Dr. Sally Ride who passed away this summer. Dr. Ride was passionate about science and stimulating that passion in grade school. She knew that inspirational teachers make a difference in shaping the path of a potential technologist.

Ping Fu, CEO of Geomagic, a leading provider of 3D software (yes, she wore platform shoes and a necklace that she had designed with her 3D software during her presentation) stated that instead of women moving upward to an artificial glass ceiling, we should move forward, just move forward!

Coke CEO, Muhtar Kent also spoke at the event. He explained that the 21st century is for women. Kent began a program called 2020, designed to promote gender equality within the company. In three-and-a-half years, Coca-Cola’s management went from 22 percent women to 40 percent. But to that impressive figure, Kent said, “I’m still not satisfied.”

My own career path in technology began with a focus on computer networking, and now I am looking at how Machine-to-Machine communications and eHealth can contribute to assisted living cases. The latter example is more poignant to me as my mother, my hero, has been struggling with Stage IV breast cancer, and continues to follow my numerous achievements whilst asserting, “Nothing is impossible Monique.”

“Nothing is impossible” has been my modus operandi in everything I do; especially in technology and pursuing technical paths I was told I could not take.

Be curious; ask questions and invent!

FCC Releases Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0 to Empower Small Businesses with Customizable Cybersecurity Plans

2012-10-24T20:55:00.001-07:00

Small businesses are more dependent on the Internet than ever before, but 83 percent don’t have a formal cybersecurity plan to protect against cyber threats [1] As larger companies improve cyber defenses, American small businesses are becoming more vulnerable targets. According to Symantec, they were subject to hundreds of millions of cyber threats in just the first few months of 2012.[2] A typical cyber-attack that infiltrates a small business can cost, on average, close to $200,000 – enough to put many of them out of business.[3]

This week, the FCC is re-launching the Small Biz Cyber Planner 2.0, an online resource to help small businesses create customized cybersecurity plans. Originally launched in October 2011, it is the result of an unprecedented public-private partnership between government experts and private IT and security companies, including DHS, NCSA, NIST, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Chertoff Group, Symantec, Sophos, Visa, Microsoft, HP, McAfee, The Identity Theft Council, ADP and others.

The Cyber Planner 2.0 features new details about cyber insurance to mitigate interruptions to business and financial loss from cyber-attacks, best practices on spyware, including how to avoid advanced versions of spyware and what immediate steps to take in case of infection, and recommendations to install new software systems that enable remote cleaning and tracking of laptops and mobile devices in the case of theft. The FCC is also releasing an updated one page Cybersecurity Tip Sheet. The quick resource features new tips on creating a mobile device action plan and on payment and credit card security.

Voice T1 Service

2012-05-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Many web sites you will find during your search for dedicated services will focus exclusively on broadband (Fractional T1 through OCX). Here at CheapT1 you will find that we have a unique focus on voice t1 services, both local and long distance, including the popular PRI (23 voice channels plus 1 data channel dedicated for the transfer of information, such as Caller ID for example). Our product specialists have many years of experience helping inbound and outbound call centers, customer support centers, dental offices, law offices, and other business who rely heavily on reliable business telephone service. Not only will we save you the most money, we'll figure out a way to do it without sacrificing the integrity of your t1 voice service.

Recently we added dynamic integrated T-carrier service which has been a hugely popular with SMB's throughout the country. These digital trunks allow you to use all 24 channels for high-speed data broadband connectivity in the event that none of your voice channels are in use. The majority of the time you are able to effectively receive a full 1.54 Mbps, not to mention a new feature-rich voice T1 with local PRI and voice access to the outside world. Not only do these dynamic T1s come with more capability, they also come at a fraction of the cost of old analog circuits. Currently, the average price of a dynamic integrated circuit is $450, as opposed to $750 for a standard integrated access line.

Why cable should bank on broadband and thank Netflix

2012-05-01T22:20:00.000-07:00

With initiatives like TV Everywhere and broadband usage caps, is the cable industry biting the hands of the streaming video companies that are driving its most vibrant prospect for growth?
Now that Time Warner Cable, AT&T and Verizon have kicked off the latest round of quarterly earnings reports by multi-channel operators late last month — a series that continues Wednesday when Comcast releases its first-quarter numbers — a case can be made that the cable industry has a better future in providing broadband services rather than TV/video bundles. And they have Netflix and YouTube to thank for that.
This notion has picked up stream recently, with research company Sandvine releasing data last week showing that streaming on Netflix accounts for 29 percent of broadband usage over fixed networks during peak hours (8:15 p.m. – 10:45 p.m.), up 4 percent from last year. YouTube is second in line, accounting for 12.2 percent, up nearly 2.5 percent.
Overall, Sandvine found that “real-time entertainment” accounts for 58 percent of peak fixed-network traffic, up from 49.2 percent a year ago (see chart). Overall, median U.S. broadband usage has more than doubled over the last year to more than 10 gigabytes per month per household.
“The faster bandwidth consumption escalates, the better the cable industry is positioned,” wrote BTIG Research’s noted media technology analyst, Richard Greenfield, on his blog Tuesday. “With an increasing number of IP-enabled devices ‘on net’ in the home all the time, consumers will demand increasingly robust bandwidth and be willing to pay for it.”
For the last several years, cable companies have been losing multi-channel video subscribers to telco-based service providers. But as Greenfield also pointed out, with 214,000 net subscriber additions for high-speed data services in the first quarter, Time Warner Cable had more broadband growth than Verizon and AT&T combined.
The latter two companies are experiencing subscriber losses in the increasingly uncompetitive DSL sector. And their wireless broadband products don’t offer enough bandwidth to keep up with demand, Greenfield added. Neither AT&T or Verizon offers a cap as big as 10 GB a month, for example.
“While the broadband speeds delivered by wireless companies have notably improved, bandwidth caps mitigate the risk of wireless devices replacing in-home fixed broadband connections,” he wrote.
With escalating programming costs and stagnant revenue growth limiting the margins of video services, the performance of Comcast’s broadband services will undoubtedly gather close scrutiny by investors Wednesday.
Time Warner Cable’s revenue for residential video services rose only 2 percent to $2.7 billion, for instance, while revenue for residential broadband was up nearly 10 percent to $1.2 billion.

Best Buy Pulling the Plug on Mobile Broadband Service

2012-04-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

Best Buy will end its Best Buy Connect mobile broadband service for existing customers on June 1 and is not accepting any new activations effective immediately, the company said Thursday.

What gives? Best Buys says it "can achieve greater growth by delivering mobile broadband support in ways other than an exclusive Best Buy-branded service," according to Engadget, which first reported the shuttering of Best Buy Connect.

The retailer launched the service in July 2010, offering 5GB of data usage for about $60 a month for access to Sprint 3G coverage in 18,900 cities and 1,855 airports throughout the United States. Best Buy also offered a cheaper, 500MB data plan for $40 per month, plus a 250MB option priced at $30 available only to non-contract holders which levied overage fees but no early-termination fees (ETFs) like the plans for contract holders.

Those ETFs— $125 for Best Buy Connect users with a one-year contract and $175 for those with a two-year contract—are being waived by Best Buy now that it's shutting down the service entirely. The retailer is also emailing out $125 and $150 gift cards to Best Buy Connect customers "to curb the cost of moving to a different carrier," according to Engadget.

Folks using Best Buy's WiMAX Connect service will also have the option to move over to Clear service, the tech blog reported.

Changes to the ways various Internet service providers deliver service appear to be snowballing as carriers, ISPs, and companies like Best Buy reassess the economics of old ways of doing business. Earlier this month, for example, it was reported that Verizon is preparing to end-of-life its standalone, or "naked" DSL service because it isn't making enough money to justify building out and servicing fixed lines without a landline telephone account associated with them.

Best Buy, meanwhile, is going through some restructuring pains in other areas. The company announced in March that it will shut down 50 big box store in the U.S. in 2013, though it does plan to increase the number of its smaller Best Buy Mobile stores from a little over 300 to as many as 800 by the end of 2016.

2011-09-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

Cellular South Sues AT&T to Block T-Mobile Acquisition

Cellular South today filed a lawsuit against AT&T today looking to block its acquisition of T-Mobile USA. The lawsuit was filed as a "related case" to those already filed by the Department of Justice, Sprint Nextel, and the states of California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. "AT&T's proposed takeover of T-Mobile would profoundly impact the interests of the wireless industry as a whole," said Eric Graham, Cellular South Vice President for Strategic & Government Relations. "If AT&T were to complete this deal, not only would it substantially lessen competition, but it would essentially consolidate the market into the hands of the 'Big Two' – AT&T and Verizon. Today's filing is another step in Cellular South's unwavering effort to pursue the best interests of competition, wireless consumers, and our nation's economy." Cellular South further contends that the merger would prevent regional carriers from obtaining the best devices in a timely fashion; would force regional carriers to pay higher roaming prices (if they can get them at all); and would raise prices, and reduce innovation, consumer choice, and competition. AT&T is scheduled to meet with the Department of Justice on Wednesday this week to discuss a possible settlement.

more at Cellular South »

Hackers In “Largest Identity Theft Case Ever” Stole Over 130 Million Card Numbers :: Personal Background Check Blog

2009-08-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

Hackers In “Largest Identity Theft Case Ever” Stole Over 130 Million Card Numbers :: Personal Background Check Blog

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Text size: increase text sizedecrease text size Cable wars focus on HD channels

2009-07-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Let the race begin! Cable television providers RCN and Service Electric are going head-to-head to strengthen their foothold in the region by increasing the number of high-definition channels each provides.

The fallout? Some customers may have to purchase additional equipment to keep viewing.

RCN will be unveiling Project Analog Crush in September, a plan to phase out analog service in order to multiply the number of high-definition channels available to its Lehigh Valley's customers from the present 29 to 100. Allentown, the first area to be upgraded, will be completed by September and the entire region is planned to be all digital by the end of the year, said Randy Nungester, RCN's vice president and general manager of the Pennsylvania market.

The upgrade will come at a cost to RCN customers, who will need a converter box to view the additional channels. The first converter box is free but additional units are $2.95 per month.

The cable provider has already done such upgrades in New York, Boston, Washington and Chicago.

''Over the past three to four years there has been a proliferation of HD television sets and the marketplace has exploded in the years as the prices went down and the size of the sets has gone up,'' Nungester said. ''In a competitive world you have to listen to the needs of your customers and if you do not change you will not be very competitive for long.''

High definition produces crisper picture quality, with images about six times sharper than analog. HD's added features are theater-like wide-screen display programming and Dolby digital audio capabilities.

RCN plans to add 15 to 20 channels on its expanded cable lineup, officials said.

Many cable providers, including the nation's largest provider, Comcast, have launched similar HD and digital expansion programs to remain competitive with satellite systems and Verizon's fiber-optic cable service called FiOS.

Cable providers have been gradually scaling back analog programming in recent years, replacing it with digital, which multiplies a cable provider's channel capacity. Each analog channel is the equivalent of three HD or 10 standard-definition digital channels.

RCN and Service Electric are the two largest cable providers in the Lehigh Valley, competing with other paid subscription services such as DirecTV and Dish Network.

The region's paid television market has been even more competitive since Verizon announced in April that it signed a 10-year deal with Allentown, allowing the company to begin laying groundwork for its FiOS service later this year.

FiOS, a service that touts high-speed Internet, clear picture quality and many HD channels, is offered in parts of 13 other states.

Verizon has said it chose to start service in Allentown because it has an infrastructure in the city with its DSL Internet service. Verizon has not said if it would be spreading FiOS service to neighboring areas.

Jack Capparell, Service Electric's general manager, said the company plans to have 100 HD channels by the end of the year. Service Electric is currently the lead HD cable provider in the area, providing about 40 such channels, viewable by a digital converter box.

Capparell said Service Electric provides the first digital converter box free but charges $5.95 per moth for each additional box. He added that the company will continue its analog service for customers that prefer the option.

Supreme Court whacks DSL antitrust suit against AT&T

2009-03-02T20:01:00.000-08:00

The Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a lawsuit against AT&T charging that the telco engaged in "price squeezing" against smaller Internet providers. A group of carriers led by Linkline Communications complained that the DSL giant charges high rates for wholesale access and low rates to consumers, effectively pushing competitors out of the market.

But the Supremes ruled on Wednesday that AT&T had "no duty to deal" with these carriers, at least as far as the Sherman Anti-Trust Act is concerned. The key to this logic is that while the Sherman Act forbids a company from monopolizing trade or commerce, it doesn't force the business to sell its services to other firms.

"If AT&T had simply stopped providing DSL transport service to the plaintiffs, it would not have run afoul of the Sherman Act," declared Chief Justice John Roberts, speaking for the court. "Under these circumstances, AT&T was not required to offer this service at the wholesale prices the plaintiffs would have preferred."

Lower courts did not see the matter this way. Linkline and three other carriers first brought their case to a California district court in 2003, charging that AT&T's retail and wholesale pricing policies effectively allowed it to "preserve and maintain its monopoly control of DSL access to the Internet." That venue agreed that AT&T's alleged squeezing techniques could run afoul of the Sherman Act. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco backed this perspective in 2007.

At issue for these courts was a ruling that the Supreme Court issued in 2004, Verizon vs. Trinko, which concluded that "a firm with no antitrust duty to deal with its rivals at all" doesn't have to provide a baseline level of service to them. As soon as the Supremes made that call, AT&T invoked Trinko in a bid to get the Linkline case dismissed. But majorities on both lower courts said that the "price squeezing" aspect of the dispute made the matter more complicated.

It got even more complex in 2005 when the Federal Communications Commission issued its Order releasing telecommunications carriers from the obligation to share their networks with unaffiliated ISPs. But in exchange for FCC permission to acquire BellSouth in late 2006, AT&T agreed to continue to offer DSL transmission access to smaller telcos "at a price not greater than the retail price in a state for . . . service that is separately purchased by customers who also subscribe to AT&T/BellSouth local telephone service."

The Supreme Court did not rule on whether AT&T has kept its end of that bargain. But it did uphold its own position in Trinko. "Trinko holds that a defendant with no antitrust duty to deal with its rivals has no duty to deal under the terms and conditions preferred by those rivals," Roberts wrote.

The Chief Justice seems to have had some fun with this case, e.g. this flourish: "[Linkline and company] tried to join a wholesale claim that cannot succeed, with a retail claim that cannot succeed, and alchemize them into a new form of antitrust liability never before recognized by this court."

And furthermore: "If AT&T can bankrupt the plaintiffs by refusing to deal altogether, the plaintiffs must demonstrate why the law prevents AT&T from putting them out of business by pricing them out of the market."

Perhaps they can demonstrate that, but they'll have to go back to the lower courts now with different arguments. The other plaintiffs involved this dispute are In-Reach Internet, Om Networks, and Nitelog, Inc.

DSL FORUM

2007-10-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

The DSL Forum today unveiled a major new phase of work at this year's Telco TV in Atlanta. The BroadbandSuite Release Plan -- an industry toolkit for broadband advancement - - represents a significant change in how the Forum issues its specifications.
Over the last fourteen years, the DSL Forum has developed approximately 150 Technical Reports (TRs) that address issues that range from interoperability to remote management of the digital home. The goal of the Forum's new Release Plan is to clearly identify which TRs are associated with specific milestones of broadband development. The Release Plan also provides for the first time, a defined roadmap of Forum work in the pipeline -- spelling out exactly what is the next stage of development.
-- Moving to the BroadbandSuite Release Plan enables service providers to better identify best practices and provides a reference map of future developments. For vendors, this new approach creates a benchmark against which to position their solutions and accelerate time-to-market. It also provides a roadmap of new contributions and work in development, allowing the industry and other organizational bodies to see the direction in which the Forum is moving.
BroadbandSuite Release 3.0 is tentatively scheduled for completion and release third quarter 2008.

Cell carriers fined over missed e911 deadlines

2007-09-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

The Federal Communications Commission had set a December 31, 2005 date by which all mobile carriers had to ensure that 95 percent of their subscribers had location-sensitive handsets--that is, those that allow emergency responders to pinpoint a caller's location upon connection to the 911 switchboard.

Sprint Nextel and large regional operators Alltel Corp. and U.S. Cellular Corp. "failed to meet this critical deadline by a significant margin, despite the clear requirements of the commission and the needs of their consumers," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in a statement (PDF).

In fact, Sprint Nextel recorded only an 81 percent penetration rate and, according to the FCC, still has not reached the required levels. It was hit with the largest fine, at $1.33 million.

Alltel, which admitted it had reached a penetration rate of only 84 percent by the deadline and did not achieve the target until 17 months later, received a $1 million fine. U.S. Cellular, which reported about an 89 percent penetration rate as of the deadline and reached full compliance eight months later, was ordered to pay $500,000. Each of the companies had applied for deadline waivers but had their petitions denied in January of this year.

Martin said he considers "facilitating the ability of the public safety community to help those in need" among his agency's highest priorities and said enforcement actions like Thursday's are "a valuable and necessary tool in achieving this mission."

Each of the companies now has 30 days in which to pay up or to petition for the fee to be reduced--or dropped entirely.

Apparently, compliance with the FCC's rules relies in part on the ability of wireless carriers to force their subscribers--through incentives and otherwise--to switch to compatible phones, which has drawn reservations in the past from the wireless industry.

Alltel spokesman Andrew Moreau said his company "took extraordinary measures to convince our customers to swap phones, (but) many just didn't want to make the change. We believe the FCC's timetable for compliance may have underestimated customers' willingness to exchange phones." He declined to comment specifically on the FCC order because the company was still reviewing it.

Sprint Nextel spokeswoman Stephanie Walsh said her firm has faced an extra setback. In July 2004, a "software glitch" rendered the location-tracking capabilities useless in 4.7 million Motorola handsets using then-Nextel's iDEN network. The pre-merger Sprint CDMA network, she added, was poised to be the first carrier to reach the 95 percent mark.

Right now, the carrier has reached 94.7 percent compliance, Walsh said, but she declined to comment specifically on what the company plans to do about the fine, except to "recognize" it has been levied. She also said that no other wireless carrier met the December 31, 2005 deadline--although she acknowledged her company was "farther behind" than the others

Verizon, AT&T and Qwest share a huge contract, Sprint spurned

2007-04-07T02:58:00.000-07:00

Good news, AT and T (T), Sprint Nextel Corp (S), Verizon Communications (VZ), Qwest Communications Intl (Q)
The General Services Administration announced last week that teams of companies led by AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T), Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) and Qwest Communications International Inc. (NYSE: Q) have won the Networx sweepstakes to provide the federal government telecommunications for the next decade. Noteworthy by its absence was Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), which has provided these services via the previous two 10-year contracts. Those companies winning the contract will be eligible to bid for federal telecommunications services currently estimated to be worth up to $20 billion, although some suggest the total worth may be twice that amount. For AT&T Government Solutions, this builds on the many existing contracts it holds with departments of the government including Justice, Homeland Security, and the IRS. 4,000 employees already work for this division of AT&T. Its partners in this bid were Bechtel, Cingular Wireless, EDS, Global Crossing, GTSI Corp., Northrop Grumman IT, and SRA International.Verizon packaged its bid with Comtech Telecommunications, G2 Satellite Solutions, HP Proxim Wireless Networks, and WilTel Communications/Level 3 Communications, and Verizon Wireless.For Qwest, this decision represents a huge step forward as a major player in telecommunications services. It brings Akamai, Americom, Lucent Technologies, SAIC, Sykes and WireOne.Sprint's losing bid partners were Hughes Network Systems, InterCall and Lockheed Martin.A second, much smaller part of the Networx program, Networx Enterprise, will be awarded in May. That contract will cover emerging technologies.

Sprint Customers Can Use GPS To Find Apartments Right On Their Sprint Phones

2007-02-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

Smarter Agent Apartments for Rent Gives Sprint Customers Nearby Apartment Listings and Information in the Palm of Their Hand Now Sprint customers have the power to do more with the GPS technology on their wireless phones than ever before. In addition to Sprint’s current lineup of GPS-enabled navigation, location and specialty applications, Sprint and Smarter Agent today launched a new tool to give customers the power to view nearby apartments for rent right on select Sprint or Nextel phones. Smarter Agent Apartments for Rent uses GPS to deliver information about the closest available apartments without requiring the customer to enter an address or ZIP code.
"Sprint leads the industry in providing GPS applications that make everyday tasks easier, and Smarter Agent Apartments for Rent is an exciting example of that,” said George Ranallo, director of wireless data applications for Sprint. “Customers are increasingly coming to rely on our powerful networks and GPS technology to provide navigation and location tools on their Sprint phones. With applications like Apartments for Rent, Sprint is giving customers the power to use GPS in even more ways to quickly and easily get personalized information on the device they always have with them.”
Property information is provided by Apartments.com, a leading national online apartment Internet Listing Service affiliated with more than 150 newspapers across the nation. All properties advertised directly with Apartments.com are uploaded to Smarter Agent for access by mobile subscribers. Apartment information available through Apartments for Rent includes rental prices and full apartment details such as unit and building amenities and pet policies. In many cases, the listings even include interior pictures and floor plans. Customers can view the locations of available properties on MapQuest maps powered by industry digital map leader NAVTEQ.
“Because of Smarter Agent’s patented GPS mobile real estate searching, once a user downloads the application, every time they engage it, they can use a GPS search to automatically locate apartments for rent closest to them,” said Brad Blumberg, CEO of Smarter Agent. “One-third of the nation’s renting households move each year, and more than 12 million apartment units will be rented in 2007. Apartments for Rent makes finding the right apartment easy for Sprint customers.”
In addition to local GPS-powered searches, customers can also use Smarter Agent Apartments for Rent to search for apartments anywhere in the United States by entering a city and state to research multiple areas of interest.
Apartments for Rent is available nationwide on select Sprint and Nextel phones, such as the Motorola RAZR V3m and the Motorola KRZR, for $2.99 per month, plus standard data charges. Sprint also offers Recently Sold Homes by Smarter Agent for $4.99 per month.
Sprint Nextel, which offers the largest voice calling area and a nationwide mobile broadband network, also has the longest history of providing location-based services in the wireless industry, beginning in 2000 with location and mobility services, the first GPS-enabled phone to support E911 services in 2001, the first navigation service on wireless phones with turn-by-turn driving directions in 2003, and the first family location service in 2006. Sprint Nextel continues its leadership in location-based services by offering the largest portfolio of wireless mobility solutions for enterprise, general business and consumers. Sprint offers more than a dozen consumer GPS applications, including navigation, local search and specialty applications, such as Sprint Family Locator, TeleNav GPS Navigator, Garmin Mobile and BiM Active by Bones in Motion.

Sprint ''Powers Up'' Alabama with Largest Mobile Broadband Network

2007-02-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Sprint today announced expansion of its high-speed wireless network, the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, to Auburn and Dothan. Sprint wireless customers will be able to use a variety of devices, including handsets and connection cards, to access information, download songs over-the-air, watch live and on-demand television programming and check and send e-mails at broadband-like speeds. Sprint Mobile Broadband launched in Birmingham in 2005.
“Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network is unmatched in delivering mobility and speed to our customers,” said Jeff Bennett, area vice president for Sprint. “Now, whether a customer is conducting business or at home in Auburn, Dothan and Birmingham, they have a more convenient way to stay connected to each other and the power to send and receive information at broadband-like speeds.”
Sprint offers the largest wireless broadband network of any carrier reaching more than 200 million people across the country and covering 9,268 cities and 878 airports. The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network is based on state-of-the-art EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized) CDMA technology, delivering wireless data at average download speeds of 400 – 700 kilobits per second and a peak rate of up to 2.0 megabits per second.
The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network can be accessed by plugging a high-speed Connection Card into a notebook computer or via a Sprint Power Vision phone. Sprint Power Vision Packs include compelling content for all plans and are priced at $15, $20 and $25 – all of which include steaming radio channel from SIRIUS, streaming live news from ABC News Now, and unlimited Web and data access. Flexible pricing plans for laptop connection card access start at $39.99 per month.
New or enhanced services now available to Sprint customers:
The Sprint Music StoreSM was the first service in the U.S. to allow wireless customers to purchase and download full-length songs over-the-air to be enjoyed on their phone or PC. Sprint offers a full universe of music and video content, including streaming music and exclusive video of musical performances. Customers can browse, preview, purchase and listen to music from a song library of more than one million songs while on the go, right from their Sprint Power Vision Phone. The service is easily accessed from the Music icon on the main menu of the phone. Customers receive two copies of the song – one formatted for their phone and another for their PC – and can organize their music and create playlists from the phone.
Sprint TVSM is an Emmy Award-winning service that allows customers to enjoy TV on the go with more than 50 channels to choose from, including CNN, ABC, FOX, ESPN, The Weather Channel, MTV, E!, The Cartoon Network, Looney Tunes and Comedy Central. Sprint was the first to offer live programming, full-length movies, live concerts, Spanish-language programming and many other features on U.S. mobile phones. Some of the other key capabilities that are available include Sprint Power View (the only made-for-mobile video programming network in the United States with original sports and entertainment shows) and NFL Mobile (with video highlights from the end of NFL games and a live stream of NFL Network).
Sprint Family Locator is the first GPS-enabled service in the U.S. to enable a parent to use a phone or PC to identify the location of a child on a map, along with the address, surrounding landmarks and accuracy of the information within a specified radius. Sprint has the longest history of providing location-based services in the wireless industry, and continues to be the industry leader with the largest portfolio of GPS-enabled applications such as TeleNav GPS Navigator, AllSport GPS and Recently Sold Homes by Smarter Agent.
Web Browsing at broadband-like speeds on your phone makes it easier and quicker to stay informed whether you are at home, work, play or somewhere in between.
The expansion of the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network in Alabama is further demonstration of Sprint’s commitment to ongoing network enhancement and expansion. Through third quarter 2006, Sprint invested more than $17 million in both the Sprint PCS Nationwide Network and the Nextel National NetworkSM in Alabama. Nationwide, Sprint spent more than $7 billion in capital expenditures in 2006, most of which was invested to enhance its wireless and wireline networks. This year, Sprint expects to significantly increase this investment, primarily to further enhance its powerful networks.