An Ignoble Experiment

2. Microsoft launching TV white-space pilots in two nations

What is left of former WiMAX vendor Alvarion, which is hobbled by $24 million in debt, is reportedly being eyed for takeover by another Israeli company called Sigma Wave.

According to Globes, Sigma Wave is the largest shareholder in SuperCom, a developer of electronic ID (EID) and RFID devices that has a market cap of $28 million. Sigma Wave was reportedly eyeing Alvarion before a Tel Aviv District Court appointed a receiver for the struggling vendor, which sold its WiMAX business earlier this year and is now developing Wi-Fi gear. Sigma Wave is reportedly still interested in acquiring Alvarion out of receivership.

Sigma Wave could acquire Alvarion directly or via SuperCom. SuperCom expects to conduct a secondary issue of stock to raise $20 million after August, said Globes.

SuperCom said in early July that it would use proceeds from the offering for "the possible acquisition of contracts, selected complimentary intellectual property, and software packages from key players in the e-ID and electronic monitoring markets; develop a local presence in Europe and the Far East; and for working capital needs and other general corporate purposes."

Meanwhile, struggling Alvarion received more bad news in the form of a letter from Nasdaq's Listing Qualifications Department indicating the company's ordinary shares are subject to delisting. Nasdaq's letter cited concerns stemming from the appointment of a receiver to enforce liens registered against the company as well as the residual equity interest of the company's shareholders.

Alvarion said it will request a hearing before the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel to review the decision and will remain listed on Nasdaq pending the outcome of the hearing.

A 30-day operating plan for Alvarion submitted by the company's receiver, Yoav Kfir, to Tel Aviv District Court Judge Eitan Orenstin was approved. Kfir reported that Alvarion apparently owes $24 million to various entities, though the information is incomplete. Most of the debt, $17.5 million, is owed to suppliers. Silicon Valley Bank, which initiated the receivership proceedings, is owed $3.3 million

Telrad Networks, which bought Alvarion's WiMAX business in May for an amount that could reach $12 million, claims it is owed $5 million by Alvarion. Telrad alleges Alvarion held back money it received from third parties that was connected to assets sold to Telrad.

Alvarion once employed 1,100 people but only has 98 employees currently at its Rosh Ha'Ayin, Israel, headquarters. Another 39 employees in Yokne'am, Israel, joined the company as a result of the acquisition of Wi-Fi gear vendor Wavion Networks in 2011. The landlord of the Yokne'am property has threatened to evict the company by Aug. 1 over non-payment of a utility bill, said Globes.

The recently approved operating plan calls for the employment of 55 people through Aug. 23.

For more:
- see this Globes article and this article
- see this Alvarion release
- see this Reuters article

Read more about: Wi-Fi, Telrad
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This week's sponsor is Telecom Council of Silicon Valley.

By Tammy Parker

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3. NTT DoCoMo gears up for 150 Mbps LTE service

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is expanding its efforts to leverage TV white-space (TVWS) spectrum to deliver broadband to underserved areas, announcing new technology pilots in South Africa and the Philippines.

Microsoft's pilot project in rural Limpopo, South Africa, is aimed at showing how TV white spaces can be used to meet the South African government's goal of providing low-cost broadband for a majority of South Africans by 2020. Also participating in the pilot are South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the University of Limpopo and local network builder Multisource.

The TVWS-based broadband network will use solar-powered base stations to deliver inexpensive Internet access to five secondary schools in remote parts of the Limpopo province. Each of the five schools will be given Windows tablets, projectors, teacher laptops and training, education-related content, solar panels for device charging where there is no access to electricity, and other support. The University of Limpopo will serve as a hub for TVWS network deployment.

The project is part of Microsoft's 4Afrika Initiative, which is aimed at accelerating economic development in Africa.

Microsoft also ventured into a TVWS partnership with the Philippine government in hopes of improving registration methods for people fishing in the Danajon Reef Marine Key Biodiversity Area in Bohol. The registration, supported by USAID's Ecosystems Improved for Sustainable Fisheries (ECOFISH) Project, will buttress the Philippine government's economic assistance efforts to the fisheries sector.

Using TVWS spectrum, local government units will be able to access the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Fisherfolk Registration System directly from the field, enabling municipalities to immediately distribute IDs, certificates and licenses, even in remote areas.

Additionally, field operatives from BFAR, the Philippine National Police and Bantay Dagat (a volunteer sea patrol group) will use the network to access a central database to monitor compliance in gear and vessels.

Microsoft Philippines will provide Windows 8-powered tablets for the program. The partnership will also provide Internet access for target municipalities, delivering service to public institutions such as clinics, schools and barangay (local government) halls.

The TVWS technology trial is slated for full implementation in September. Results will be assessed for potential program expansion on 2014, said Microsoft

Other countries where Microsoft TVWS pilots have been completed or are underway include Kenya, Tanzania, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

As a member of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, which launched last month, Microsoft is lobbying governments to enact laws and regulations supportive of TVWS technology and spectrum sharing. "We hope governments throughout the world will take note of the increasing momentum behind this technology," said Paul Garnett, director at Microsoft's Technology Policy Group.

TVWS has also been getting a big boost from Microsoft rival Google (NASDAQ:GOOG). One of Google's TVWS pilots is also in South Africa, where the company is working with others on a network trial to deliver wireless Internet connectivity via TVWS to 10 South African schools. Google has been approved by the FCC as a TVWS database administrator in the United States.

For more:
- see this Microsoft release and this joint release

Read more about: Microsoft, TV White Space
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By Tammy Parker

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4. Motorola Solutions addresses FirstNet allegations, NTIA hands out $13.1M

NTT DoCoMo said it on July 30 it will begin verifying an upgrade that will enable its Xi-branded LTE network to deliver maximum downlink speeds of 150 Mbps.

The verification will be conducted in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. The operator expects to officially launch its 150 Mbps commercial Xi LTE service in parts of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya this October. The uplink speed will also increase to 50 Mbps. The improved service will be compatible with select handsets introduced beginning in October 2013, said DoCoMo.

The Japanese operator's LTE network currently delivers 112.5 Mbps downlink and 37.5 Mbps uplink service to more than 130 cities. DoCoMo first launched LTE in December 2010, offering a maximum downlink speed of 75 Mbps and uplink of 25 Mbps at that time.

Last month, SK Telecom rolled out LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation, combining two 10 MHz carriers to support downlink data speeds up to 150 Mbps. The South Korean operator was joined in the 150 Mbps club by its rival LGU+ earlier this month.

U.S. mobile operators have discussed LTE-A as part of their roadmaps but have not been specific about when they will commit to launching its various features. ABI Research predicts global LTE-A subscriptions will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 295 percent between 2013 and 2018 to reach 500 million, which will represent 34 percent of the overall 1.47 billion LTE-related subscriptions.

For more:
- see this DoCoMo release
- see TheNextWeb article

Read more about: LTE, LTE-Advanced
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By Tammy Parker

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5. Sonus, F5 pair their SBC and Diameter solutions

The latest news surrounding the First Responders Network Authority (FirstNet) concerns Motorola Solutions' lobbying activities and the awarding of grants to five states under the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) being run by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

Schassler (Image source: Motorola Solutions)

In an interview with MissionCritical Communications, Bob Schassler, Motorola Solutions senior vice president of government solutions, addressed two recent Politico articles that charged the vendor has been aggressively campaigning against FirstNet. The authority is planning the 700 MHz LTE-based nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN).

Asked whether Motorola Solutions has lobbied state or local officials for or against FirstNet, he replied, "No, we've been asked by our local officials how it should be rolled out. We've given direct input to what our ideas are, but nothing that we haven't communicated to FirstNet and in replying to the RFIs (requests for information)."

Schassler also shot down a rumor indicating Motorola Solutions provided input to help FirstNet board member Paul Fitzgerald draft his April 23 motion for a resolution declaring that the development plan for the NPSBN has been flawed due to possible conflicts of interest or the appearance of such conflicts.

"No, we weren't involved at all," he said.

Schassler added Motorola Solutions has always been ready to share its technical opinion whenever public-safety customers around the country have asked about issues such as sharing spectrum, architecture, local control, devices and the roles of operators. "There won't be anything we're saying to our customers that FirstNet won't know about. We haven't changed our opinion on anything, and we've been very forthright on communicating those views to the FCC and FirstNet," he added.

Fitzgerald, meanwhile, recently returned to full-time work in his role as sheriff of Story County, Iowa, following a severe attack of Guillain-Barre syndrome that began May 7, reported the Ames Tribune.

In other FirstNet news, the U.S. Commerce Department's NTIA has awarded $13.1 million in grants under the SLIGP to five states: Colorado ($2.5 million), Connecticut ($1.4 million), Delaware ($724,613), New York ($4.86 million) and Ohio ($3.6 million).

The awards are aimed at supporting state planning, consultation and outreach activities of these states as they consult with FirstNet on deployment of the NPSBN. The funding does not cover network design or deployment activities.

All 56 U.S. states and territories were eligible to apply for the grants and are required to provide a matching contribution of at least 20 percent.

For more:
- see this MissionCritical Communications article
- see this Ames Tribune article
- see this FirstNet release

Read more about: first responders, FirstNet
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By Tammy Parker

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