My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: Digicel and WiMax 4G Mobile - The Phantom Menace

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Digicel and WiMax 4G Mobile - The Phantom Menace

If I have done the public any service, it is due to patient thought

Sir Isaac Newton, Remark to Dr. Bentley

I would like to think, that like good Sir Isaac Newton, by making it widely known that the reason that Telecom Provider Digicel is avoiding launching with smart phones is because they come with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) modems built in and they cannot be disabled, I, John Public, Judge in the Court of Public opinion, have done the Jamaican people a great Service.

It was not because of cost as per the article “Digicel all set to unveil 4G Broadband offering”, published Friday, August 13, 2010 by AL EDWARDS, The Jamaica Observer, as the WiMax CEO, Alex Boothroyd naively claims, but because Telecom Provider Digicel is deathly afraid of losing revenue to “jail broken” smart phones working on competitor Dekal Wireless, a Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.1n) Network.

“Jail breaking” as the Americans call is it now not only legal in the Great United States of America as stated in the article “Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone will (still) violate your warranty”, published Tuesday 27 July 2010 by Ben Patterson, Technology Writer, Yahoo! News.

 This is 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 News - Dialed In, but every phone unlocker in Jamaica can watch CNET News and their informative CNET TV or even just go on YouTube and learn how to “jailbreak” their mobile smart phones.

“Jail breaking” differs from unlocking, as unlocking enables a mobile smart phone to work on a competing Telecom Provider’s Voice Network, provided that the phone supports the frequencies and modulation technology i.e. GSM (Global System Mobile) or CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) used on that competing Telecom Provider’s Voice Network.

“Jail breaking”, on the other hand, unlocks software restrictions in the mobile phones OS e.g. Apple iOS, Blackberry 6.0 and Google Android OS, enabling not only non-approved apps to be used on the mobile phone, but unlocking features, such as Video Calling and Bluetooth Calling

Even Mesh Networking via Wi-Fi Direct, a firmware upgrade of Wi-Fi that turns a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) modem into a Wi-Fi hotspot, is possible, a feat achieved by Dr. Paul Gardner-Stephen of Flinders University in Australia in his Project Serval using unlocked Google Android smart phones as stated in the article “Cell phone chats in the Australian Outback?”, published July 12, 2010 2:06 PM PDT by Leslie Katz, CNET News - Crave and  another potential source of revenue for Dekal Wireless, the Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network.

Thus, Telecom Provider Digicel launching ONLY with Netbooks, laptops and 4G-to-Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Routers or Mobile hotspots, more popularly called Mi-Fi, or just simple CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) similar to ones by Telecom Provider Verizon to provide Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) as well as used in Russia, will soon start, in short order, becoming expensive paperweights.

This will occur once Dekal Wireless, the Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network that launched with the silence of a stealth bomber as opposed to the noise sonic boom of Telecom Provider Digicel as stated  in the article “Wayne Chen, Lees enter Wireless Broadband Market”, published Friday July 30th 2010 by Mark Titus, Business Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Dekal Wireless is now stress testing its network to see if it will hold up to the load, and will soon start it expansionist move and cover the island with is competitive Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network at only JA$2400 for a Prepaid thirty (30) day subscription versus Telecom Provider Digicel JA$2500 for a PostPaid thirty (30) day subscription.

The emphasis here is on the fact that you have to commit to Postpaid AND purchase a Dongle or a CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) JUST to come close to prices similar to that of the Prepaid bread-and-butter GOLD offering of Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network Dekal Wireless based on the article “Digicel retrofitting stores for 4G”, published Sunday August 22 2010 by The Jamaica Gleaner.

WiMax CEO, Alex Boothroyd is not only naïve, he is a complete moron to believe Jamaicans can be so easily deceived into being overpriced for a service when choices exist that are lower in cost – and ironically designed by yours truly, taking advantage of the fact that Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) will be built into almost every Netbook, laptop and appliance and even purchasing a Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) only costs JA$2500. Jamaican people are not cheap; we are merely bargain hunters, much like my now resting-in-peace Seventh Day Adventist girlfriend Audia Granston, who would scoff at Telecom Provider Digicel offering.

Worse, no University of the West Indies Student or University of Technology student, as rich as they may be, would neither in their right or wrong mind plunk down money to purchase ANY of Telecom Provider’s WiMax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) offerings, muchless Telecom Provider LIME or Telecom Provide CLARO 3G modem offerings, the ONLY persons Telecom Provider Digicel can defeat.

Especially as Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) is present on campus – and is paid for in our now over inflated tuition. Research is key in bargain hunting, and only really rich people will purchase these devices. Already, Telecom Provider CLARO Netbook offerings are beginning to gather dust as people catch wind of the fact that their offerings are overpriced and come with disabled (IEEE 802.11n) modems.

Did I forget the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle Effect in terms of it lowering the prices by lowering demand for Netbooks and Laptops as per the article “ Netbook Sales Sag as the iPad Arrives” published April 7, 2010, 12:27AM EST By Cliff Edwards, CNET News – COMPUTERS and followed on 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?

Apple is now number three (3) in the world behind only Hewlett-Packard and Acer in terms of Global Unit Share, as stated in the article “iPad pushes Apple into the top mobile ranks”, published August 2, 2010 9:20 PM PDT by Brooke Crothers, CNET News Nanotech - The Circuits Blog and confirmed by the article “We're no. 3, We're No. 3!”, published August 3, 2010 10:20am by Eric Benderoff, Appolocious, Yahoo! News.

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 3rd and Sunday April 4th 2010 AD.

But it gets worse. In another blog article entitled “Digicel and WiMax 4G mobile - Gorillas in the Mist”, I pointed out that there are other Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Networks that are coming, and now early information has landed, albeit less quietly than Dekal Wireless.

ANKHS Limited has rebranded itself as Nubian -1 Tech Services Limited and is now pursuing exactly the same strategy as Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network Dekal Wireless by purchasing T1 access from FLOW and is now in the process of setting up their very own Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Network as stated in the article “Another small player emerges in the wireless broadband market”, published Friday August 2 2010 by Mark Titus, Gleaner Writer, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Bit of something to note at this point: both Dekal Wireless and Nubian-1 are names of a type of Droid [the Droid Dekal] and the spaceship of her Royal Highness, Queen Amidala of the Naboo [Nubian-1] respectively.

ANKHS Limited logically had to rebrand, as anything to do with George Lucas’ successful Star Wars franchises will be enough to fire up the imagination of prospective gadget geeks, who will be a bit amused at the name references, drawn straight from Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), making these upstart Municipal Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11n) Networks appear to be the Rebel Alliance fighting against the Empire.

The Empire is herein represented by the overpriced Big Three (3) Networks in the semblance of Telecom Provider Digicel and their WiMax 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d) and Telecom Provider CLARO and Telecom Provider LIME 3G offerings respectively

The Empire, just like in the movie Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) was trying to tax the people of Naboo via a trade blockade. This is what the naïve, moronic blockheaded and now Greed Monster infested  WiMax CEO, Alex Boothroyd  and Telecom Provider Digicel and their Digicel Broadband does not realize is happening.

How naïve is he? Even the Motorola Milestone, which is a rebranded Motorola Droid (did you catch that?) is Star Wars branded. So is the Motorola Droid 2 and the Motorola Droid X as stated in the article “HTC Evo 4G, Incredible shortages make room for Droid X”, published Monday July 12 2010 by Jared Newman, Yahoo! News

It is now in short supply and the soon to debut Motorola Droid R2-D2 as stated in the article “R2-D2 Droid 2 edition to arrive in September”, published August 16, 2010 5:07 PM PDT by Scott Webster, CNET News - Android Atlas, Motorola having formally inked a rebranding deal with George Lucas of Star Wars Directorial fame.

And may I, John Public, be so bold as to predict the next Gorilla in the Mist? It will be another, the chosen one…….. called Anakin and the next Motorola being the Motorola Droid C3PO, with a faster processor and possibly a fiber optic port. Please, just don’t go around using the R2-D2 chirps as your ring tone……………

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