Digicel and WiMax 4G Mobile - Barbarians at the Gates

Procrastination is the thief of time:

Year after year it steals, till all are fled,

And to the mercies of a moment leaves

The vast concerns of an eternal scene

Edward Young, Night Thoughts, 1

It seems the leery eyed monster known as Greed has possessed the various CEO of the various Silicon Valley Tech heavyweights. First, Google and Telecom Provider Verizon proposal for Network Neutrality, which is effectively translates to mean that the old Ethernet and Wired Networks would be Network Neutral i.e. ADSL, etc, but the new Networks such as Wireless and Private Networks i.e. smart grids, water meter grids, etc. would not be Network Neutral as stated in the article “Just say no to fake Net Neutrality”, published July 26, 2010 4:00 AM PDT by S. Derek Turner, CNET News - Politics and Law, (http://www.cnet.com), effectively the equivalent of a land grab for future money in the guise of a proposal that obviously goes against Google’s prior statements in support of full Network Neutrality, as Mark Licea, Executive Editor at CNET hints at in his video cast “CNET Loaded”, aired Tuesday August 10 2010 by Mark Licea, Executive Editor, CNET News (http://www.cnet.com).

But who would have thought that local Telecom Provider Digicel would have also been possessed by this same malevolent monster as well? Telecom Provider Digicel has made some utterance via it newly minted so-called WiMax CEO, Alex Boothroyd that make it clear that not only is he very naïve, but Telecom Provider Digicel is indeed possessed by the Greed Monster. In the article “Digicel all set to unveil 4G Broadband offering”, published Friday, August 13, 2010 by AL EDWARDS, the Jamaica Observer (http://www.jamaicaobserver.com), the WiMax CEO, Alex Boothroyd stated that Telecom Provider Digicel is launching ONLY with Netbooks, laptops and 4G-to-Wi-Fi(IEEE 802.11n) Routers or Mobile hotspots, more popularly called Mi-Fi, similar to ones by Telecom Provider Verizon to provide Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) to “jail broken” Apple iPhones. By specifying, the CEO gave the entire game away, and contrary to what anyone wishes to think, it is logically obvious, even if you know nothing about smart phones. John Public Breaks it down………..

Basically Netbooks, laptops, smart phones and Mobile Hotspots are computers, running on various OS, or Operating Systems, be it Apple iOS 4.0, Google Android, Symbian, Blackberry 6.0 or even Windows Mobile 7. Smart phones like the Motorola Droid, the HTC Google Android, the HTC Droid Incredible and ever popular Apple iPhone 4.0, like the aforementioned devices, come with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) built in, a trend that is set to explode.  Smart phones are now being enabled with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) according to a report that ABI Research published in March 2010, stated in the article “Wi-Fi smart phones to dominate”, published March 23, 2010 3:01 AM PDT by Marguerite Reardon, CNET News - CTIA 2010. The research firm, In-Stat, expands this further, however, to a virtual armada of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) enabled devices. In-Stat projects the prevalence of Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) enabled smart phones, Netbooks and laptops to increase from five million (5,000,000) to sixty five million (65,000,000) by 2014 based on statistical data collected from Research firm In-Stat in May 2010 as stated in the article “More people buying Wi-Fi enabled devices”, published May 4, 2010 10:03 AM PDT by Lance Whitney CNET News - Wireless (https://www.cnet.com), with the strongest growth area being smart phones, projected to be embedded in five hundred and fifteen million (515,000,000) such devices.

Even “feature” phones without Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) can get the capability, the Japanese using the clever route of the MicroSD card as stated in the article “Wi-Fi finds back door into ordinary cell phones”, published July 23, 2009 3:04 PM PDT by Mats Lewan CNET News – Crave, (http://www.cnet.com), further lending credence to In-Stat’s claims. WiGig for high speed transfers between DVR (Digital Video Recorders) and 3-D HDTV (High Definition Televisions) as stated in the article “Wi-Fi to cultivate speedy 60GHz band”, published May 11, 2010 11:08 AM PDT by Dong Ngo, CNET News - Wireless (https://www.cnet.com) and Wi-Fi Direct which turns every W-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) modem in every smart phone or Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) enabled device into a Mobile Hotspot, is also available with a simple firmware upgrade on a “jail broken” smart phone, “jail breaking” by the way now being fully legal in the United States of America as stated in the article “Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone will (stil) violate your warranty”, published Tuesday 27 July 2010 by Ben Patterson, Technology Writer, Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com) and further elucidate in the article “On Call: Go ahead an jailbreak, its legal now”, published July 27, 2010 2:20 PM PDT by Kent German, CNET.com - Dialed In, (http://www.cnet.com). Frank Dickson, In-Stat's Vice President of Research, puts it all into perspective when he rounds up his research firm’s finding by stating “Wi-Fi swept through the computing Market, driven by the need to access and share broadband connectivity. That same consumer desire is now resulting in Wi-Fi adoption across the entire range of connected consumer electronics, driving significant Wi-Fi volumes. The ubiquitous adoption of Wi-Fi in consumer electronics is Wi-Fi's manifest destiny.”

But it gets worse. Thanks to the Apple iPad and the Apple iPhone, which Apple debut the Apple iPad on the weekend of Saturday April 3^rd and Sunday April 4^th 2010 AD and the Apple iPhone 4.0 on Thursday June 24^th 2010 AD and Tuesday June 29^th 2010 AD, both of which I designed, the computing world has changed. Demand is so high that there are shortages of certain colours of the Apple iPhone cases as stated in the article “White iPhone 4 faces manufacturing woes; iPad too”, published Friday July 24 2010 by  Ben Patterson, Technology Writer, Yahoo! News (http://www.news.yahoo.com), screen shortages for the Apple iPad as stated in the article “LG overwhelmed by iPad display orders”, published by July 23, 2010 9:56 AM PDT by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker (http://www.cnet.com) which is selling at a rate of nearly one million (1,000,000) units per week. Component shortages are even affecting the competition as stated in the article “The summer of the smart phone shortagee”, published July 13, 2010 4:00 AM PDT by Marguerite Reardon, CNET News - Signal Strength (http://www.cnet.com) and confirmed by the article “HTC Evo 4G, Incrdible shortages make room for Droid X”, published Monday July 12 2010 by Jared Newman, Yahoo! News (http://www.news.yahoo.com).

The demand is so hot for the Apple iPad that it has created a vortex, if you will, which I would like to call the “Apple iPad Effect” that has effectively killed the Netbook and now the Laptop as the prediction that the Apple iPad would kill the Netbook market as stated in the article “ Netbook Sales Sag as the iPad Arrives” published April 7, 2010, 12:27AM EST By Cliff Edwards, CNET News – COMPUTERS (http://www.cnet.com) seems to be bearing fruit as stated in the article “Apple ponders iPad cannibalization of PC's”, published July 20, 2010 8:43 PM PDT, by Brooke Crothers, CNET News Nanotech - The Circuits Blog, (http://www.cnet.com). Apple is now number three (3) in the world behind only Hewlett-Packard and Acer in terms of Global Unit Share, leaping over Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba and Dell as stated in the article “iPad pushes Apple into the top mobile ranks”, published August 2, 2010 9:20 PM PDT by Brooke Crothers, Nanotech - The Circuits Blog (http://www.cnet.com) and confirmed by the article “Apple: We're No. 3, We're No. 3”, published August 3, 2010 10:20am by Eric Benderoff, Appolocious, Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com), a position it gained by selling three million, three hundred thousand (3,300,000) plus Apple iPad’s since the debut of the Apple iPad on the weekend of Saturday April 3^rd and Sunday April 4^th 2010 AD.

Computer manufacturers are now going full tilt into developing iPad-esque knockoffs trying to catch up with the runaway train that is the Apple iPad. India is now building a US$35 tablet built from one circuit board with integrated processor, memory and cameras and using a SD Memory Card as a Hard drive, a surefire Apple iPad killer as stated in the article “India unveils prototype of US$35 tablet computer”, published Friday July 23 2010 by ERIKA KINETZ, AP Business Writer, Yahoo! News (http://www.news.yahoo.com). Even RIM is now playing catch-up with its recently launched spanking new Blackberry 9800 Torch, as stated in the article “RIM looks to make a splash with US$199 touchscreen Blackberry Torch”, published Tuesday August 3 2010 by Ben Patterson, Technology Writer, Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com) and confirmed by the article “RIM unveils new BlackBerry to counter iPhone”, published Tuesday August 3 2010 by Sinead Carew, Associated Press, Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com) and is now in full flight after the Apple iPad with the RIM BlackPad as stated in the article “RIM said to Plan Tablet for November to take on Apple's iPad”, published Friday July 30 2010 by Hugo Miller, the BloomBerg Report (http://www.bloomberg.com).

Netbooks will soon be so cheap due to lower demand that everyone will be able to afford one, thus forgoing the pricy Netbooks that even Telecom Provider CLARO has on offer, already pretty expensive paperweights in their various offices island wide. Even the 3G modem shortage that Telecom Provider CLARO is experiencing will be replaced by a lack of demand as people get to realizing that laptops, Netbooks and PC already come with Wi-Fi (IEEE 082.11n) and worse, you can purchase a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802,11n) modem for about JA$2500.00. Stock prices for chipmakers Intel, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Nvidia and other PC, laptop and Netbook manufacturers are down, prices literally “falling off the cliff” to quote J.P. Morgan’s Christopher Daneley, who like many Wall Street brokers, is forecasting a bearish PC, Netbook and laptop market as the orders are not forthcoming and thus prices are dropping while the Apple iPad is flying free, ratcheting up demand for tablet PC and eReaders as stated in the article “Demand Dichotomy: PC's Down, iPad up”, published August 11, 2010 3:58 PM PDT by Brooke Crothers, Nanotech - The Circuits Blog, (http://www.cnet.com). Telecom Provider Digicel, did you do you really do your research? Because I am not employed, and I know this.

Let’s add up the variables in the equation, dubbed the Deer Broadband Equation. The Apple iPad + Apple iPhone = increased smart phone demand + increased demand for tablet PC. Yep. That looks about right, balanced on both sides, with the Jamaica customer left smiling due to lower prices. So Digicel’s Wimax CEO, who may not have done his research, has made a fatal slip of the tongue. All these devices come with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n), but the reason for only launching laptops, Netbooks and Mobile hotspots is because they can selectively order these devices without Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n), effectively killing the customers right to choice and in principle going against Network Neutrality, no better than Google and Telecom Provider Verizon Network Neutrality Proposal. My suggestion to Telecom Provider Digicel, now so obviously infected and possessed by the Greed Monster is this: follow Telecom Provider AT&T lead and purchase T1 from FLOW and join forces with Telecom Provider CLARO and Telecom Provider LIME and build their own Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.1n) Networks, sharing the costs and access via the implementation of MNP (Mobile Number Portability) to identify persons accessing their network and offer it at rates competitive to Dekal Wireless, who Telecom Provider Digicel obviously fears so much as stated  in the article “Wayne Chen, Lees enter Wireless Broadband Market”, published Friday July 30^th 2010 by Mark Titus, Business Reporter, The Financial Gleaner, (http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com),.

It also explains in part why Telecom Provider LIME has yet to offer smart phones, knowing full well that if they do so, their 3G offering would compete against Dekal Wireless Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.1n) service. This joint Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network can also be used as a shunt for excess traffic when the network eventually becomes congested, as will soon be the case by 2012 AD. Otherwise the saying is indeed true: Telecom Provider Digicel procrastination in launching its WiMax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) Network is indeed not only a thief of time but also of their US$22.7 million investment. All their gadgets for WiMax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.11n), no matter how low priced they are, will become expensive paperweights that only TechJamaica Hardcore techies, few in number, will buy, as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) from Dekal Wireless will always be cheaper, ironically powered by T1 from Triple Play Provider FLOW. Meanwhile, John Public is saving up to buy a Netbook………as they will be cheaper in the future………