Mike,
here are some comments and observations about Verizon Wireless EVDO
usage policy and its (and ATT's) new Mobile TV service which provides an
alternate means for delivering broadcast (but not on demand) network
content to a mobile device.
1.I don't think that Verizon, at least, is filtering its EVDO packet
traffic explicitly based on the protocol or TCP/UDP port #. Verizon
Wireless has settled on an Acceptable Use Policy for its EVDO
broadband service that imposes a 5gb/month threshold limit, above
which the contract is deemed eligible for cancellation/termination
by Verizon Wireless.
In my opinion, it would be better for Verizon Wireless to impose a
surcharge for such excess usage than to cancel the users contract.
2. Here is the url to a www page at the EVDO info www site that
refers to that limit imposed by Verizon Wireless and provides a
table of how much "content", on average, a user could receive and
still remain within that 5gb monthly envelope.
http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/846/63/
VOIP, for example, is a relatively narrowband application so,
unless you were using VOIP all day/all the time via, say Skype or
some other service, you would not be likely to hit the
aforementioned 5 gb limit because of that application alone, or, for
that matter, streaming audio either. Video is the "killer app" in
this case which, if used will "kill" the user's service contract
with Verizon Wireless.
3. The setting of a monthly usage cap is probably the least-costly
way for Verizon Wireless to police usage since they can, if they so
choose, only perform the usage check at the end of the month, which
is a lot easier for them to implement than a real-time packet by
packet rate limit check.
4. Earlier this year I attended an event sponsored by the (US)
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee on the future of
the Internet. This event was attended by all of the major interested
parties (wireless and wired telcos, Google, Microsoft, etc.) and I
spoke to one of the Verizon Wireless marketing execs about their
EVDO broadband service, and their usage limitation policy. He
followed the "party line" in responding to the effect that Verizon
Wireless imposes the 5gb rule to "....assure the quality of their
overall EVDO service".
5. More recently I met an individual at Google in the Washington
D.C. area who is part of the recently formed Google lobbying
organization. This is the group that made the case to the FCC (with
partial success) to make sure that the upcoming auction in the us of
the upper 700 mhz band allows open access. I briefly demoed the N800
tethered via Bluetooth to a handset that was on-net with the Verizon
EVDO service.
5. Verizon Wireless as well as ATT is launching a live (QVGA
quality) broadcast video service using 700mhz channel acquired by
Qualcomm. Qualcomm converted the channel to digital using a patented
(its Qualcomm of course) OFDM derivative technology marketed by
Qualcomm as MediaFlo^1,2,3,4,5 Mediaflow capable handsets^6 (Samsung
SCH-u620 and the LG VX9400) are already on the market and Verizon
has started rolling this service out in selected markets in the U.S.
under the service name VCAST Mobile TV^7 .
Verizon Wireless, and now ATT thus each have a built incentive to
limit the range of capabilities of their broadband data service
(EVDO in the case of Verizon wireless and HSDPA in the case of ATT)
when it comes to video so that users will have an incentive to
instead purchase the Mobile TV service. Of course with Mediaflo,
the user is limited to the channels (8 currently but with capacity
for up to 20 channels) and content that is being broadcast by the
networks at each point in time and, as far as I know, there is not
yet any DVR capability in the aforementioned handsets for
time-shifting content playback.
It remains to be seen whether or not mobile TV service will be
successful in the U.S. or elsewhere (I think it will be) and which
technology, Mediaflo or DVB-H (backed by the EU) will win out.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaFLO
2. http://www.qualcomm.com/mediaflo/index.shtml
3. http://www.qualcomm.com/mediaflo/news/pdf/network_diagram.pdf
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT%26T_Mobility
5. http://www.wirelessweek.com/article.aspx?id=136850
6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi53R2CDIgg
7. http://products.vzw.com/index.aspx?id=mobileTV#grid
Best Regards,
John Holmblad
Acadia Secure Networks
Mike Klein wrote:
> For use other than simple voice (gsm, 3g) a cellular chip would present
> some REAL political obstacles in US of course.
>
> Most US carriers (except Sprint) terms of service (tos) forbid anything
> other than straight html and pop/imap with ssl all around. Any
> streaming, voip, etc. (sigh) constitutes a violation and your contract
> can be terminated along with you paying fees. Most carriers
> intentionally cripple the hardware (face camera removal on Hermes for
> ATT) or firmware (bt dun removal).
>
> They are very afraid of a web experience they don't control...in part
> because networks aren't where rest of world's are...and also because
> they offer competing 'services' disallowing what you already should be
> able to do on your "unlimited" plan.
>
> Even a business grade account doesn't change tos...your only option for
> privacy is vpn...and this may unnecessarily cripple you...and you're
> still in violation of tos doing this anyways, so...
>
> Maybe gsm could be haggled but full 3g ala evdo or hsdpa may not be
> possible anytime soon. This 'quandary' makes me straddle
> carriers...8525/ATT for most capable phone and ST5111/Sprint data card
> for getting 'work done' while on the road.
>
> I'd love to replace my 8525 with a device I wouldn't have to reboot 5
> times/day. It's quite capable...but 20 clicks to do what s/be a click
> away is getting old.
>
> I like the direction the N800 is going in and finding more uses for it
> all the time. Add an eye-loop on next model though.
>
>
> mike
>
> Quim Gil wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> - Go to maemo.org
>> - Introduce "wimax" in the search box.
>>
>> You get by default 3 results under "maemo.org documentation". But this
>> is not what you are asking for.
>>
>> Change the selection in the dropdown menu to "Mail Archive"
>>
>> - "Results 1 - 10 of about 33 for wimax."
>>
>> Enjoy the reading. :)
>>
>> The first public mention I remember was early on January:
>> http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=113890&WT.svl=news1_1
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 2007-08-08 at 11:22 -0700, ext Gary wrote:
>>
>>
>>> The article below mentions discussion of Sprint's WiMAX N800 "on the
>>> Maemo mailing list and other places" but I've not seen it here on
>>> 'users.' Has this been discussed already or have I been asleep at the
>>> wheel? Either way it's exciting news for users here in the States.
>>> Perhaps this will encourage some non-US 3G carriers to work with Nokia
>>> as well.
>>>
>>> -Gary
>>>
>>>
>>> "At the LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco this week, /LinuxDevices/
>>> spoke with Dr. Ari Jaaksi, Nokia's director of open source. ... Jaaksi
>>> said the WiMAX-enabled N800 would 'most probably' include WiFi and
>>> Bluetooth as well. He felt that interference problems could be
>>> minimized, noting, 'We had the same interference with Bluetooth and WiFi
>>> initially, but we solved that.' ... He said the new device would likely
>>> get more publicity during the process of FCC approval. However, he
>>> declined to announce any timeframe for when that might happen, in
>>> deference to Sprint. Jaaksi declined to say whose WiMAX chip will go
>>> into the planned device. Noting that the WiMAX specifications continue
>>> to evolve, he said he believed the device would support Mobile WiMAX
>>> initially, with support for additional WiMAX variants to follow. ...
>>> Asked whether Nokia might also consider adding a cellular radio chip to
>>> its Linux-based Internet tablet in the future, Jaaksi replied, 'It's
>>> more a business model than a technology barrier.'"
>>>
>>> http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS8069179684.html
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> maemo-users mailing list
>>> maemo-users at maemo.org
>>> https://lists.maemo.org/mailman/listinfo/maemo-users
>>>
>>>
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