By Nancy Gohring
Special to The Seattle Times
Seattle finally has a high-speed mobile wireless data network.
Known as 3G, or third-generation wireless service, the network has been in the works for years and is now available in a few select cities. I decided to find out if AT&T Wireless’ 3G service, called UMTS and recently introduced in the Seattle area, could possibly live up to the hype.
The third generation succeeds the first-generation cellular networks’ analog voice service and the second generation’s digital voice and some basic data offerings.
More recently, carriers including Redmond-based AT&T Wireless have offered some faster speed data services known as 2.5G that are comparable to dial-up Internet connections on a computer. 3G promises to deliver true broadband connections to phones and laptop personal computers.
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Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The establishment of three private local TV stations, namely JogjaTV, RBTV and TuguTV, here at almost the same time has created tougher competition for state-owned television station TVRI Yogyakarta, which turned 42 last August.
Still, the station is optimistic it can win the hearts of locals, saying it has numerous innovative and highly rated programs to offer.
«We are confident we can survive because we have existed for a long time. Besides, we also have a very good relationship with many institutions, including local administrations, businesses, universities and individuals,» head of TVRI Yogyakarta Bambang Winarso told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.
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An August 25 article in the Wall Street Journal, „Phone Industry Faces Upheaval As Ways of Calling Change Fast,“ analyzed the effect new technologies are having on the way telecommunications services are delivered, priced, and regulated.
Among other topics, the article discussed the pressure unregulated servicessuch as wireless and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)are bringing to bear on traditional regulation, especially rate-setting mechanisms and cross-subsidy schemes. In particular, the article raised questions about the future funding of universal service, particularly in areas where, to date, telecom competition has not arrived.
There are pedantic and practical answers to the issue of universal service and intermodal competition in the era of IP. Neither is likely to make regulators happy. But there’s little choice but to confront reality considering the speed and inevitability of widescale adoption of IP and wireless services.
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