So I’m getting ready for work this morning, and my wife has left the TV on. Good morning America is the program and it appears that they are doing a piece at the Detroit Auto Show. I just happen to be walking by, and I catch the tail-end of this one spot. Here’s all the information I got from the few seconds that I saw: They were standing in front of some kind of SUV with some sort of antenna on top of it. It appears that you would have to flip this antenna up, and it was slightly larger than a shoe box. They called it a Mobile T1, and here are the sound bytes I heard: - Secure, always on, T1 speed broadband - Up to ten phone lines if you need it - Digital cable and music - Declassified military technology - $79 a month - will be rolled out in a few months I got to work this morning, and I’ve tried to research it, but I can’t find anything under “mobile T1” (unless you want T1 service in Mobile, Alabama). Have you guys heard anything on this? This definitely sounds like the next big thing….we all knew that next infrastructure would be wireless, but it appears to be right around the corner. I'd like to read more about this, but I guess I've been slacking for the past several months. If anyone can give me any links to discussions on this technology, I'd sure appreciate it. thanks...
What the hell are you gonna do with a T1 line in your car? What the hell are you gonna do with 10 phone lines in your car? I could maybe see why you would want digital cable and music but thats what a DVD and radio are for. I wouldnt spend $80 a month for this. Sounds cool but that would fund a nice little tax sheltered IRA.
Actually, I'm more interested in it for business reasons. We have several installations that ARE the last mile. We have frame relay at these places, but SBC's copper is crap out in the boonies, and service is spotty at best. This solution would be perfect for those places at a third of the cost with several times the bandwidth. I'm not even interested in putting it on a vehicle (though I can see a business need for that as well). I just want to learn more about the technology.
On a silmilar note: Jan. 7, 2004, 8:08AM Digital radio receivers hit shelves Associated Press CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- After years of preparation, digital radio receivers go on sale nationwide today, pairing CD-quality audio in over-the-air broadcasts with text information such as song titles, weather and news alerts. The launch officially began this week in Cedar Rapids, where one station is already broadcasting in digital. Local engineer Nathan Franzen, 25, became the first to have a digital receiver installed in his car, a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. The small black radio by Kenwood USA is about the size of a regular car stereo and costs $350. Digital, high-definition service has been touted as one of radio broadcasting's biggest advances in nearly a century. Unlike satellite radio, a subscription service that also uses digital signals, digital radio represents a technological upgrade of the free service offered by traditional "terrestrial" broadcasters. In addition to providing CD-quality sound, high-definition radio receivers can display whatever text broadcasters choose to offer. The digital broadcasting technology was designed by Columbia, Md.-based iBiquity Digital, a private company partially owned by such media heavyweights as ABC, Clear Channel and Viacom. The Federal Communications Commission voted in October 2002 to adopt iBiquity's technology as the standard for digital broadcasts, and allowed radio stations to begin broadcasting digital signals in addition to traditional analog signals. Only 300 of the United States' 13,000 radio stations have become licensed for digital, but that covers 100 markets, including major cities -- and smaller ones such as Cedar Rapids.
a T1 for $80 a month? And its on a car? Hmm...I always thought a T1 was a 24 channel connection that could carry voice and data, good for businesses because you can designate which channels you use for voice and which for data...they usually cost a lot and you get them through your phone carrier...uhm...interesting
2 satellite firms vying to beam video to cars By MICHAEL P. REGAN Associated Press NEW YORK -- The two satellite radio companies competing for the ears of U.S. consumers are now going for the eyes, too. XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio are both debuting systems that transmit video to automobiles using the same satellites, antennas and infrastructure as their audio networks. Jim Collins, a spokesman for Sirius, said the company hopes to offer three or four video channels within 18 months. Sirius is joining with auto-parts manufacturer Delphi Corp. to develop the system. The price and exact content of the service has yet to be determined, but Collins says the company is looking at tiered plans that would also offer data like stock quotes, traffic information and sports scores for under $20 a month. He said Sirius plans to put full-motion video on screens visible only from back seats, where it would not distract drivers. Washington, D.C.-based XM, which is showing music videos, cartoons and other video on its system, also hopes to offer a video system some day but doesn't believe it's a viable business yet. "We have to look at the investment, the market, the demand and delivering a high quality product," XM spokesman Chance Patterson said. "Those are all factors that today suggest it could be viable down the line, but it's not viable today. "It's a quality issue. When we can deliver a high quality video service we'll take another look at it." Another company, KVH Industries Inc., already sells an antenna that receives live TV signals in automobiles. But with a price tag of $3,500, it has not been selling well. Part of the problem with sending video over satellite radio systems is bandwidth restrictions. Now that consumers are accustomed to high-quality video from in-car DVD systems, choppy video from a satellite might not impress. As a result, Sirius is focusing on cartoons, in part because in-car DVD systems have proved popular with children -- but also because they transmit better on limited bandwidth. "We're taking content that is good for this type of environment," said Larry Pesce, senior vice president for product development and strategic planning at New York-based Sirius. "For example, we're not planning on broadcasting sports because sports is incredibly intensive, since the people move a lot." April Horace, an analyst with Janco Partners, said the quality of the video may not be a huge issue with kids, but she plans to check out the systems, which are on display this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, to see if they will pass muster with average consumers. Horace is concerned about safety, however. "We've already got enough confusion driving when we're talking on our cell phones, let alone checking the screen to see what our stock prices are," she said. Collins said he does not think scrolling stock quotes and sports scores would be enough of a distraction to jeopardize safety. Regardless, the video and data services have the potential to bring in a lot of money for the companies, if the popularity of their radio services is any indication. Both XM and Sirius announced big jumps in subscribers Wednesday. XM is far out in front, with more than 1.3 million subscribers after adding a million new customers since the end of last year. Sirius ended 2003 with 261,061 subscribers, more than eight times what it had at the end of 2002.
So essential uses for it (business wise) would be like driving to a rural area that doesn't have service so you can never escape work and reaching out to more folks. Also I guess it could be used for similar reasons regarding area with little or no service. Seems like it would be ideal for an RV.
Here is a USA Today article Wireless broadband network on horizon I do not own a land phone line. I use a cable modem and cell phone, but something like this would interest me because of its ability to travel.
Thanks DFW. Neither your article nor Faos' article describes what I saw, but they're both interesting.....especially yours on the wireless broadband network.
