Locate Internet Service Providers

According to an interesting article in Government Technology online, more and more municipalities are turning to voice over internet protocol systems as the technology for their 911 call systems.    The best reason cited was that existing 911 call center technology is obsolete.  It hasn’t significantly changed for decades, so that upgrades are impractical now; conversion is a better answer.  Another reason that VoIP is a good idea is that the system is very mobile.  In other words, if during a natural disaster the call center building gets destroyed, operators can still utilize the system from other venues.  Portability also translates into easy expandability, where larger municipalities can partner with smaller municipalities who might not be able to effectively set up their own 911 call system.  The portability of the VoIP system was tested in Arkansas during a massive snowstorm in January 2011, with very encouraging results.

Without a doubt, fiber optics has dramatically altered the way telecommunications can be performed and Verizon FiOS makes these advancements more accessible. In many ways, the modern advancements in internet and telecommunications would not be possible without fiber optics. One major advancement is Verizon FiOS which is an amazing internet service with speeds 5x faster than cable internet. That means those that enjoy Verizon DSL internet will thoroughly enjoy the benefits of FiOS. That is why it would be beneficial to explore the many FiOS promotions available online. These promotions deliver some amazing offers and that is why they are so recommended to explore. Really, if you want a great deal the internet may be the perfect forum to check out.

On December 14, 2011, Verizon Internet Service announced that it is creating a new global organization that will enable business and government customers to enjoy complete solutions in both their wireless and wireline businesses.  This will also include enterprise mobility, cloud and IT, strategic networking and advanced communications offerings.  Lowell McAdam, Verizon President and CEO, stated “Enterprise and government customers are looking for complete solutions.  By aligning our efforts, we will be uniquely positioned to meet business customer needs.  We know that the intersection of mobility, cloud computing and security will drive a revolution in enterprise IT over the next ten years.  This change will allow us to leverage all of our technology assets to take advantage of growth opportunities around the world.”

According to an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, consumers who are looking for high-speed Internet providers by zip code generally have two questions: How fast and how much? How much will be definitively answered when you receive your monthly billing statement. How fast usually relies upon what the ISPs promise in their ads. But do consumers know how fast their Internet connection really is? Today government regulators in many countries are finding that speeds frequently fail to equal what was promised. As a result, consumers spend more time waiting for photos to load, video to buffer, and online games to resume. “We find many consumers make buying decisions based on ads — but actual speeds often bear little resemblance to promises in advertisements,” said Ian Macrae, of the U.K. Office of Communications. Over the last three years, U.K. and U.S. regulators have been testing broadband speeds and publishing the results in comparison charts that list advertised speeds and actual speeds side-by-side.

For the first time ever, the number of fixed line broadband subscribers in the United Kingdom passed the twenty million mark.  In numbers published by Ofcom this week, it was revealed that the second quarter of 2011 found 20,266,000 fixed line broadband connections in that country. This was an increase of approximately 346,000 more connections than reported during the first quarter. BT, which is the largest of several DSL providers, enjoys a market share of 28% — or slightly more than 5,600,000 customers.  Cable broadband has not fared as well.  The major cable provider, Virgin Media, experienced a decline in subscribers of about 13,000 during the first half of 2011.  The company currently has just over 4,000,000 subscribers.  Of course, like other countries, wireless service is increasing rapidly in the UK, but the Ofcom report did not cover this segment of market.

Did you know that the United Nations now views Internet access as a basic human right? The UN called for universal access to basic communication and information as far back as 2003 at the World Summit on Information.  Following the lead of the U.N., several countries such as France, Estonia, Spain, Greece and Finland have already passed laws making access to the Internet a right guaranteed to all people living in these respective lands.  Of course world-wide usage of the Internet is growing at a very fast pace.  While most industrialized nations have reached market saturation, rapid growth continues in many nations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Middle East. These countries frequently provide public places where their citizens can go to use the Internet.  Of course here in the U.S. all you have to do to get online is to contact the Internet service providers in your area and you will quickly be provided with a fast and reliable 24 hour connection.

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If you are considering satellite Internet service for your home, there are some things you might want to consider.  First off, satellite signals are sometimes scattered by moisture and are susceptible to absorption. Also, for satellite Internet to be successful, there generally must be a clear line of sight from the satellite to the satellite dish. That means if you live in an area that has a lot of trees and woods your signal may be blocked by the vegetation. It’s true that radio frequencies below approximately 900 MHz can often penetrate vegetation. The problem, however, is that most satellite communications operate at a much higher frequency — thus they are sensitive to all types of obstructions.  In fact, if you are installing a satellite dish during the winter months, it is important to take into consideration the foliage that will return in the spring.

A recent study done by ComScore, an analytics company, indicated five Internet Service Providers account for almost three quarters of all Internet page views made by large businesses in the United States. The figure is slightly less for U.S. small businesses, where they was found the five big ISPs provide roughly half of all Internet service. In the small business arena, AT&T has the largest market share with 20%. Verizon is second with 12% and CenturyLink, who merged with Qwest Internet last April, ranks third at 7%. “Looking at which ISPs actually provide Internet services for domestic businesses, we see a marketplace being dominated by a few of the top providers. However, even with smaller providers only contributing a small percentage of the total traffic, the business landscape is still far more competitive than the residential” said Greg Mishkin of ComScore.

The huge satellite communications company ViaSat is currently conducting orbital tests on its new ViaSat-1 satellite which was launched a month ago. Service is slated to begin in December. In a call made to analysts, CEO Mark Dankberg said ViaSat intends to offer download speeds of twelve megabits per second to WildBlue Internet subscribers for a price of about $50 per month. Satellite services currently offer customers approximately one megabit per second for roughly that same price. WildBlue will, however, place caps on monthly data usage, much like cellular phone providers do.  And while Dankberg didn’t say what the caps will be, he said they should be in the “fat part of the bell curve” for typical families that have DSL or cable.  “We’re going to be giving people a great value in speed, even though the value in volume will fall in the median range” said Dankberg. Cable and DSL both offer data usage caps which are much higher offered by wireless phone providers.

AT&T Internet service has started a campaign that will let individuals use a well known actor to represent their case for a new AT&T 4G smartphone during this holiday season. By going to the You’ve Got a Case application on Facebook, you can create a petition requesting one of five separate AT&T smartphones. The Facebook app then creates a “case” in which you will be represented by well-known actor Will Arnett, posing as your attorney.  Arnett will employ his powers of persuasion to get your desired phone.  All you have to do is provide permission to access your Facebook profile and then give your lawyer the phone number of the individual you would like served — be it a spouse, parent, partner, etc.  The case is then played out in the form of a video which will appear on the Facebook page of both you, the plaintiff, and your defendant!

The Denver Post reported this week that Internet-connected TV sets will continue to expand and should reach 60% of all households by the end of the year 2014, according to a survey of 3,000 consumers in Europe, the United States and Asia.  The survey was conducted by Bain & Company, a research & consulting firm. The survey discovered that about one-half of the U.S. respondents believe they will use the search engines much more to locate video programming rather than on-screen television guides. In fact the co-author of the study, Laurent Colombani, said that: “Overall, the majority have expressed real interest in Internet video as opposed to traditional TV channels.”  According to a CenturyLink – Qwest review, consumers have already begun embracing Smart TV (or Wi-Fi TV) which connects their television sets to the Internet using their home’s wireless router.

When a policeman or fireman goes out the door to go to work each morning, it is easy to understand why a spouse might be nervous.  After all, their chosen profession may put them in harm’s way — those jobs are known to be dangerous at times.  But would you ever imagine the spouse of a cable TV installer having a similar worry as they kiss their mate good bye each morning?  Well, maybe they should.  According to a recent incident report filed with the Maricopa Police Department in California, a cable installer for Qwest/CenturyLink was the victim of an armed robbery — while doing his job! The report said the victim was in a home doing an installation when the doorbell rang. After going downstairs, the installer opened the door and found a man brandishing a weapon.  The thief then robbed him at gunpoint.  According to an inquiry and subsequent Qwest review of the incident, the employee received minor injuries. The crime is under investigation by the Maricopa Police Department. They are requesting that anyone with information about the incident give them a call.

C-Net News reported last week that cable companies across the country are steadily losing television subscribers. Many folks believe it’s online TV sites like Hulu and Netflix that are the reason more and more people are cutting their cables. Craig Moffett, an analyst with the firm of Sanford Bernstein, however, believes other forces are at work.  The reason he feels this way is because most Hulu & Netflix subscribers also subscribe to other paid TV services. Moffett believes its increased competition from the big telephone companies and satellite providers that’s bleeding subscribers from cable. For instance, a recent Verizon FiOs review revealed that FiOS added more than 130,000 new TV subscribers during the fourth quarter of 2010. In the second quarter, they added over 180,000 TV subscribers — and yet another 200,000 were added in the third quarter. With the sluggish economy, the majority of these customers are not new to pay-TV — they are customers switching their service.

ATT Uverse uses computer networking & fiber optics to give your home outstanding digital television images, the fastest Internet connections, and smarter digital phones. All of the individual systems are completely interactive — letting you perform some really great functions!  And ATT has recently announced that customers in the United States are being offered wireless Uverse receivers for the first time. These small devices allow subscribers to move their televisions anywhere in their homes!  Before this innovation, consumers had to have a special outlet installed and their TV had to be plugged into this wall outlet. Customers, however, asked for more mobility — and now they have it! The new wireless receivers can be easily moved with your television set — giving you access to U-verse programming anyplace you move your TV — in the game room, outside on the patio, in your bedroom or even in the garage!

The Huffington Post reported last week that AT&T Uverse has gone wireless!  Now, when you install Uverse TV inside your home you can choose a new set-top box that uses your home’s WiFi to deliver your Uverse programming.  This wireless process completely eliminates the need for a coaxial cable. As a result, your TV set can easily be moved from one room to another — without any loss of programming. According to an ATT Uverse review, that is not the main reason why wireless TV was developed, however. AT&T engineers were really seeking new ways to cut down on installation expense — both labor time and equipment costs. With the new wireless boxes, installers no longer need to drill holes in your walls in order to run cables — the new wireless Uverse programming is delivered via Internet technology.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that Radisson Hotels is going to be offering their guests free Internet service with connection speeds of 100 mbps — a speed normally reserved for very large companies and data centers.  The hotel chain has entered into an agreement with a major provider of infrastructure solutions & cloud computing, Enteracloud. The Radisson Suites in San Diego was the first property to receive the upgrade. Located in Rancho Bernardo, California, an area that is home to numerous high tech companies, the location seemed the perfect choice to introduce the faster connectivity.   Guests have already commented that their hotel connection is even faster than what they have in their offices!  Using the Enteracloud fiber network, the hotel has already saved thousands of dollars in hardware costs and byeliminating expensive servers that have be updated every two to three years.

Online home schooling has placed the teaching of your kids back in the hands of professional educators and accredited teachers. Parents are once again able to return to a more supporting role. This, according to an article written by radio personality Kim Komando in today’s edition of USA Today.  Komando says “I was fortunate that I was in a position to hire a certified teacher.”  Today, she added, “dads and moms can do basically the same thing online with little to no cost.” Komando recommends online public schooling which she says is now available in many states.  “It is appealing to advanced students who are bored in normal schools and to kids who are struggling in traditional classroom settings.”  She added that online schooling requires reliable high-speed broadband such as cable or DSL. When these traditional resources are not available, however, she recommends WildBlue or HughesNet Satellite Internet.

Stanley Miller, a writer for The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, told an interesting story in last Friday’s paper. His report, basically an ATT Internet service review, focused on his home Uverse service. He had called the company to upgrade his service by adding a couple of new cable boxes.  He wanted a TV set in his bedroom and the installation technician said he would have to string a coaxial cable across the front of his fireplace in order to reach the TV.  Miller said he “was not about to snake an ugly black coax across his fireplace.”  He said that is when they pitched their new wireless box — and it was really a great call. He described the device as looking like any other cable box, except it only needs to plug into an AC wall outlet.  And, he said, it is “gloriously portable within our Wi-Fi network,” describing the simple procedure of unplugging the box from one TV and connecting it to another.”

The Los Angeles Times reported on Friday that the FCC has enacted a significant policy change that will expand broadband Internet access to all parts of the United States. The policy will particularly target rural areas that traditionally have slower connections, and will involve some of the nation’s best Internet providers. The high speed access will be a result of changes to the FCC’s Universal service, which, according to one FCC spokesman, has been long overdue for reform. The government’s efforts to expand rural high-speed broadband access will take place over the next six years and, according to FCC estimates, will increase economic growth by $50 billion over that time period. “The reforms will result in the creation of a brand new Connect America Fund with a yearly budget up to $4.5 billion. “Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created,” the FCC said.

According to a new Verizon review, the huge telecommunications company has just introduced a new feature for customers that have both FiOS Digital Voice and FiOS TV that will let them check their phone messages on their TV sets. This new application will also allow customers to return missed telephone calls with a simple click of their remote. Just like many  cable operators, Verizon’s FiOS has offered Caller ID on TV for several years. To date, however, no other cable companies offer voicemail on TV. Additional features include email or text notifications for new voicemails; call forwarding (up to three numbers); a record of recent incoming, outgoing and missed calls; a DND option which will ring through only approved callers (others are dropped  into voicemail) and three additional phone numbers — each with its own distinctive ring.

Verizon has announced that it is launching a fixed broadband LTE solution in the form of a wireless antenna that can communicate with computers or other devices via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The LTE connection will serve as Verizon‘s answer to cable or DSL connections that are being offered by other major Internet service providers. The cantenna is a round antenna that is currently being used with DirectTV.  It has been very successful and operates the spectrum extremely efficiently. “Cantennas are can-shaped antennas that are able to communicate back and forth with our national LTE network.  This is a great way to provide wireless broadband service to a fixed location.  We feel if can definitely be used in homes in rural locations where normal wire line broadband service is difficult to reach.” said a spokesman for Verizon. “With no roaming, this service should be very spectrum-efficient for high-speed broadband in particular markets,” he said.  You can check Internet service providers by zip code to determine the companies that offer service in your area.

Good news! Soon new customers signing up for ATT Uverse will no longer be required to have their entire home wired with coaxial cable in order to receive the service.  Instead, they will be able to receive both their live and on-demand programming through a residential gateway that includes a wireless receiver.  Beginning the 31st of October, Uverse customers may begin ordering the new wireless receiver which can be placed just about anywhere in your home,  inside or out, so long as it is within normal Wi-Fi range. The new wireless receiver will not require customers to connect a TV set top box to a coaxial connection. As a result, customers will have the flexibility to move their televisions to any location in their home.  If you would like to see if ATT Uverse is available to your family, try doing a search for the Internet service providers in your area, using your local zip code.

A brand new satellite launched Wednesday in Kazakhstan promises to deliver higher and faster broadband speeds to the folks living in the rural areas of Canada. The satellite, named ViaSat-1, was launched Wednesday afternoon aboard a Proton Rocket and was designed to support 4G download speeds of up to twenty-five megabits per second. The new bird will deliver high-speed broadband to over one and a half million customers in Northern America, according to Xplornet Communications, Inc., Canada’s major satellite internet provider. The company said it will expand access when they launch a second satellite next year and add a number of ground stations across the country. The new stations will be used to bounce stronger signals to customers across Canada.  John Maduri, Xplornet CEO, was quoted as saying: “By the end of next year 100% of Canada can receive high-quality, high-speed broadband — and prices should come down.”