High Speed Internet Is Here

The Industry group that promotes WiFi technology standards is launching a simplified method for configuring the security settings between a wireless router, laptops and other devices, addressing a long-standing complaint that keeps many users from protecting their home networks.

The WiFi Alliance is planning to announce that it has certified the first products featuring the new specification, which is called WiFi Protected Setup. By making the setup easier and reducing the number of steps, the industry group hopes to encourage more consumers to turn on the security features that already come standard with WiFi equipment, but frequently go unused due to confusion and complexities.

An unprotected network can be vulnerable to hacker or. at the very least, slowndowns in an Internet connection due to neighbours and passerby “borrowing” the wireless signal.

The average monthly price for DSL and cable modem services dropped by 2.5% and 2.1%, respectively, Point Topic notes. With such a small drop over the quarter, cable modem is losing its price competitiveness, the firm asserts.

The average DSL monthly price is now under $25, $4.50 less than the average for cable. Compared with the second quarter of 2006, the general downward trend of broadband service pricing for DSL and cable modem service slowed down slightly.

FTTx tariffs decreased 12% to $28.10, 3% lower than the average monthly price for cable modem services, Point Topic states. If the decline continues, it is likely that FTTx will overtake cable modem to become one of the main players in high-speed broadband services, Point Topic says.

Broadband usage is expected to nearly double by 2010, according to a new report by IDC. The consulting firm says that at the end of 2005 there were 205 million broadband users around the world. IDC says the increase comes from lower prices, more service provider and technology choice for users and the proliferation of new broadband devices and applications.

“Consumer demand for broadband remains strong, with three out of four global online households connecting to the Internet via broadband in 2010,” said Amy Harris Lind, program manager for consumer broadband markets, in a press release. “However, as competition intensifies and new subscriber growth begins to lag, providers will need to focus on bundling, tiering, and promoting applications that take advantage of broadband’s faster speeds to differentiate their broadband offerings, increase average revenue per user, and reduce customer churn.”

Broadband usage hit a significant milestone in 2005 as the number of users with high-speed Internet access connections surpassed the number of dial-up users, according to IDC.

Dial-up services top out at about 52Kbps, while broadband DSL and cable modem services can support data transfer speeds in megabits per second. DSL remains the leading choice of broadband service for users around the world, with 67% of high-speed Internet access users subscribing to DSL.

DSL Broadband customers will reach 11.5 million in Germany in 2007, up from 7.3 million from 2005. Deutsche Telekom AG, the company said in a slide-show presentation at its investor day.

The German telecoms giant reiterated that it still expects wireless unit T-Mobile’s EBITDA to reach 10.0-10.2 billion euro this year.

It also confirmed its guidance for T-Systems of 2006 revenues between 13.4-13.6 billion euro and 2006 adjusted EBITDA of between 1.5-1.6 billion.

Speaking at the investor day, chief executive Kai-Uwe Ricke said his company wants to participate in the consolidation of the European telecoms industry.

Nearly 40 million people subscribed to DSL service for the first time in the past year, according to a new analysis by Point Topic, for a growth rate of 45%.By the end of 2005, 140 million global homes and businesses will have DSL, the report found. European Union countries account for the greatest number of DSL subscribers, with 40% of the total. The UK and France led the way, with 3 million subscribers each. The USA extended its lead over Japan as the second largest DSL population in the world. China currently has 10 million subscribers and is rapidly approaching 25 million. A total of 19 countries will have more than one million subscribers at the end of this year. Australia, Belgium, Turkey, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland have recently broken this barrier.

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3Com Corp has introduced a local area network switch designed to meet small-to-mid-sized businesses’ need to support Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) and other data-convergence applications.

The Switch 4500 is a low-cost stackable 10/100 megabit per second switch featuring standards-based security for user authentication, together with Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing functionality to provide the intelligent switching capabilities. It support Tipping Point X505, the first integrated security platform built on Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) technology, device authentication through either the 802.1X protocol or RADA (RADIUS Authentication of Device Access), and has dynamic plug-and-play support for multiple vendors’ VoIP services.

It also offers the option of Power over Ethernet, which allows the Switch 4500 to provide electricity to IP-based phones and other powered network devices over an Ethernet connection. This eliminates the need to locate these devices near a plug point, or rewire the premises.

The Switch 4500 is available in four versions, with 26 ports or 50 ports, and with or without Power over Ethernet. Price range from USD1,059 for the 26-port version without Power over Ethernet to USD4,295 for the 50-port configuration with Power Over Ethernet.