Thursday June 29, 2006
P2net went offline...
... but it was nothing to do with the libel lawsuit Sharman Networks (which is the big daddy behind the Kazaa P2P software) and it's CEO Nikki Hemming launched against it. This time it was only a server problem. But the case could still ultimately mean huge trouble for any Canadian site which publishes anonymous, or otherwise, comments.
p2pnet.net went online in August, 2002. It was one of the first Internet web pages to carry daily, frequently updated news stories, features and commentaries discussing developments in the p2p and digital media arenas. p2pnet's focus is on digital media, distributed computing and file sharing, but the ultimate goal has always been to help launch a non-profit, collaborative and censor-free international news service through which on- and offline community print and electronic media outlets can access and exchange news which hasn't been spun, filtered and pre-digested by vested corporate interests.
In a strange new turn of events in the Kazaa saga, Sharman Networks and its CEO, Nikki Hemming, have filed a defamation suit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia against P2Pnet operator, Jon Newton, his ISP, and four as-of-yet-unnamed users of the site. Apparently, Hemming and Co. are feeling insulted over a few of the articles and postings. A detailed article can be found at TheRegisters article: "Kazaa's P2P libel suit threatens to mute Canadians" where you get more background about the whole story.
I understand that publishing anonymously might be problematic. In one way an anonymous post can act the same as a confidential source. But what about lies? On the other hand we know we're all in WWW where everybody is able to post stories, which might be not very close to reality. Nobody really believes a story which can't be doublechecked or proved with other sites (by the way: THIS means Web 2.0!). And perhaps "free speech" means as well the right to do not listen...
Read more about the downtime, or the Blogsuit.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 29 2006, 10:02:02 AM CEST ) Permalink
Friday June 23, 2006
Mobile Data: Messaging or Media?
Analyst Ovum has just published a new report regarding mobile operators which is very interesting. "Mobile messaging services: a market overview" provides an overview of the mobile messaging market, and examines the current status and prospects for MMS, mobile email and mobile instant messaging.
In fact the last years, mobile operators in mature markets have had to deal with a heavy deceleration in their voice revenue growth. Their answer had been to offer mobile data solutions.
But what is meant by "mobile data"? SMS, MMS? Java games? Access to enterprise applications or is it email services? In consumer market they starting to offer mobile TV.
There is, however, a clear distinction between data services that are basically about content and those that are basically about communications: in other words, messaging.
The last thing is easy to do for mobile operators as they know this game. It's more about upgrading the the communication systems...
But while mobile operators are moving to build up their content revenues on the other hand, the process is a very challenging one. It requires them, in effect, to become media companies, and to build the organisational structures, business relationships and marketing strategies that the media business demands.
Additionally they have to migrate from telco networks to all IP networks (Next Generation Network) to offer these new services.
Good for them that they can trust in Sun offering the right strategies and having the best partner ecosystem to manage these challenges.
Read more in Global Telecoms Business: CEO and CFO Guide to Networks in the 21st Century (Issue March/April 2006).
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 23 2006, 04:14:24 PM CEST ) Permalink
Sunday June 18, 2006
The 10th RoboCup World Championships in Bremen/Germany
While everybody is watching high priced FIFA Soccer World Cup (c)/(tm) matches some really amazing people organize their own world cup: At the RoboCup world championships being held at Messe Bremen from the 14th through 18th of June 2006. And today it's already the day of the finalists! 440 teams from 36 countries will fight for 33 world championship titles. Yout think this isn't sooooo amazing like a real soccer match with real human players? Then it might be that you haven't seen this...
From fairest creatures we desire increase... (Shakespeare)
There are many special leagues to compete in. Smaller and bigger robots, 4-legged or on wheels. In the Humanoid league, robots play against each other shaped with human like bodies and configured with sensory equipments. Actually this league sounds fantastic but is more slow than these on wheels - so I found it more boring than the other confrontations... Much more funny - and girls would say "sweater" - the 4on4 League...
Let the dogs out!
Participants within Aibo Dog league at RoboCup aren’t allowed to change the structural design of this robot - so this is a special interest for robotic soccer trainers without indeep SW/HW knowledge... Anyone who wanted could purchase a Sony Aibo Dogs from a dealer - but only until March 2006. As part of its ongoing cost-cutting and reorganization effort, Sony has cut its line of robotic Aibo dogs, along with another, more-expensive, humanoid robot called the Qrio, which was never sold as a product. So it might be that the 4on4-League will not happen next RoboCup Word Championship.
“After 50 years of research within artificial intelligence, it has been determined that these things can be better researched using soccer than the game of chess. We have advanced a fair bit for this 10th year of Robo-Cup” says Hans-Dieter Burkhard, the Vice President of the RoboCup Federation. RoboCup is an international joint project to promote AI, robotics, and related field. It is an attempt to foster AI and intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. RoboCup chose to use soccer game as a central topic of research, aiming at innovations to be applied for socially significant problems and industries. The ultimate goal of the RoboCup project is by 2050, develop a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots that can win against the human world champion team in soccer. Crazy? Perhaps. But it's really funny to watch as well.
In order for a robot team to actually perform a soccer game, various technologies must be incorporated including: design principles of autonomous agents, multi-agent collaboration, strategy acquisition, real-time reasoning, robotics, and sensor-fusion. RoboCup is a task for a team of multiple fast-moving robots under a dynamic environment. RoboCup also offers a software platform for research on the software aspects of RoboCup. One of the major application of RoboCup technologies is a search and rescue in large scale disaster. RoboCup initiated RoboCupRescue project to specifically promote research in socially significant issues.
Catastrophe simulation
So the Robot World Championship began five day ago with a catastrophe. Smashed cars, smoke, flashing blue light, casualties – helpers of all kinds were needed! But above all it was the robot colleagues who had to get down to work. During a disaster simulation on Bürgerweide in Bremen, rescue robots showed what they’re capable of. The scenario portrays the situation after an earthquake in a town whose outline is reproduced in a computer. Robots support the work of human helpers. In a different situation the robots have to prove themselves in an exercise in which they must gather information in a contaminated area resulting from a simulated chemical accident.
More information at www.robocup2006.org.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 18 2006, 03:31:02 PM CEST ) Permalink
Saturday June 17, 2006
Now it's up to you! The Voting process has been started!
It is up to YOU to make the final decision NOW! Who'll be the Java Master 2006? Between June 16 and July 16, you have the chance to select the best applications and vote for your favorites. And if you are lucky you can win some amazing prizes!
After the submission period has ended on May 21, the final decision in Java Masters 2006 is all yours. We have received numerous interesting and innovative applications. We from the jury, comprising Java experts from Sun and BenQ Mobile, have pre-selected the 10 best mobile phone applications in the 'Student' and 'Professional' Java Masters categories.
Never heard about Java Master? What a pitty! Because for some people live has definitly changed by this Java Mobile contest for Mobile Phones. Please read Jiabin Feng's story.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 17 2006, 09:25:16 AM CEST ) Permalink
Friday June 16, 2006
Be a Systemheld!
You think Benchmarks are cool? You like playing around with hardware and software, trying to get evering out of your systems? Now - I can help you!
So here it is: Have you ever thought about how cool it would be to test a Sun System free for 60 days? Or have you done it already? And where can you find so cool stuff about T2000 as an iTunes Streaming Server ?
There are many people out there playing with the same technical stuff, for example with one of those new T1000/T2000 servers! And have been able to get 100% utilization out of all 32 threads of one single processor... And some of them have already published some free tools to proof these benchmarks.
These people we call real system heroes - or in german language (= Vorsprung durch Technik!) Systemhelden! And some of them are sharing their ideas and ideals in Blogs. Those blogs are now aggregated for the Systemhelden community. So go visit the german webpage www.systemhelden.com and read what our heroes write about technology, fun and all the rest of it.
Or link yourself in and be a part of this community!
By thew way: Have you seen the cool Blog from BM Seer? His Blog subtitle is: Benchmarks: Facts & Questions from an Anonymous Source. Go for it. Go.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 16 2006, 10:21:25 PM CEST ) Permalink
Tuesday June 13, 2006
History of Video Games: ATARI 1972
La Petite Claudine, a spanish blog, has found a Discovery documentary about the history of video games from Atari to Nintendo.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 13 2006, 10:00:33 AM CEST ) Permalink
Friday June 09, 2006
World Cup 2006: May the games begin!
Will Michael Ballack play in Germany's opening World Cup match or won't he? Will Lehmann be the only But even with its captain injured and on the bench, Germany is still expected to beat Costa Rica in today's opening World Cup match in Munich... Let's see getting the numbers in and hope for a peaceful, friendly World Cup in Germany!
What this means for telecommunication services? All mobile telcos start mobile Television. For exampel debitel, a mobile service provider in Germany reselling minutes from all Mobile Network Operators (MNO), startet may 31st the first german mobile TV basing on DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting)standard. Partnering with Mobiles Fernsehen Deutschland (MFD) they're first in Germany to provide mobile television services commercially - but starting with only 4 channels (ZDF, MTV, n24 and ProSieben/SAT1). In parallel T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2 and E-Plus use DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld) signal to test their own future offering with 16 channels. The trials will go until mid of august and will be available only in 5 major cities over Germany. Their plan is to establish a joint platform for mobile TV offerings.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 09 2006, 02:15:17 PM CEST ) Permalink
Wednesday June 07, 2006
Mobile picture blog - thanks to Java ME!
The picture you see here is from my Mobile Web camera. A Mobile Web Camera? Yes - as my mobile phone can act as a web camera thanks to russian developers and Mobile Java!
The programm Mobile WebCam gives you a possibility to send the pictures directly from your cameraphone in an internet album. The program can work in two modes: photo camera for a single upload and webcamera (pretty interesting for hobby spies).
Having made a picture you can send it to your online album, and it will become accessible from the WWW immediately. Or the programm can send the images from your phone in given intervals. Additionally with the help of this very small Java ME program (around 22k) you can easily put webcamera to your own webpage.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 07 2006, 05:22:33 PM CEST ) Permalink Comments [1]
Friday June 02, 2006
Update to Telecommunication Conference in Bonn (3)
For Detlef Spang, ad interim CEO, COLT Telecom GmbH it's all about Solution over IP (SoIP). Already 14% of midmarket companies are using VoIP servies. And COLT's hosted PBX solution helps them to have "plug and play" IT services. COLT's strategy is named "Universal Network" and tries to offer simplicity at its best: one device, one number, one directory, one voicemail and only one bill.
My presentation for Sun gave an outlook about the transformation of telco networks to all-IP networks (Next Generation Networks/NGN). Objectives of building NGNs are heavily dependent on Subscriber Management (Identity Management) and Service Management (OSS/J initiative and SOA/Java Composite Application Platform Suite). As the transition to NGN services will be gradual and driven by Services ROI there are two important steps to take: Step 1 - Gain Flexibility: Capitalize on the Subscriber's Identity by introducing flexible (federated) Identity Management. Step 2 – Cut Cost: Streamlining of OSS landscape to cope with New Service complexity while reducing cost of operations.
Roger Fawcett, Marketing Director from HP had exactly 20 minutes for explaining what will happen with Fixed mobile convergence - the future for the fixed line provider versus the mobile provider. To be honest - it was nothing really surprising tohear that there are only three opportunities: full convergence, light convergence or fixed mobile convergence. True but well known. To be fair it was a really entertaining presentation and a not easy to hold slot - right after lunch aon friday afternoon...
"Delivering the Mobility and Convergence Vision" was the name of the presentation of Steve Andrews, British Telecom's Chief of Convered Communications Services. The nightmare customers are facing today (too many access opportunities like WIFI, HSDPA, 2G, 3G and too many voiceboxes, too many portals, tooo many devices...) should be appeased with more convergeced services for consumers (BT Fusion, bringing together fixed line and 2g phones devices) and several services for enterprises.
Philipp Humm, Speaker of T-Mobile Germany expects for T-Mobile growth rates in Germany about 3.1% and in Western Europe around 2.6%. Three main topics are in T-Mobile's strategy: mobile data (UMTS versus DSL), boost voice and segmentation of customer tailored offers.
The market for mobile data is expected to be around 5.5 bEUR in 2010 - a large opportunity to grow in. And compared with around an average of 13% "mobile only" users in Europe, there is an additional growth opportunity in Germany with actual only around 5% subscribers which have no fixed line phone access any more (actually T-Mobile copies the successful strategy of o2 Genion with an own offer named T-Mobile@home, getting in parallel in trouble with their sister T-Com). And yes - people are still not long enough online: While german users are around 81 minutes/user/month in calls, USamericans have an average of 798 minutes/user/month!
Michael Krammer, the new CEO of E-Plus fought for lowering prices per minutes from actual average 23 Euro Cent. He sees a clear correalation between price per minutes and minutes people call (Germany 23 cent / 81 minutes/month and Spain 19 cent /150 minutes and Finnland 9 cent /220 minutes).
Again Telekommarkt Europa was a great event and THE telco conference in Germany to go to.
I'm looking forward to visit the event again next year.
Thursday June 01, 2006
Update to Telecommunication Conference in Bonn (2)
The last part on thursday is all about regulation. Matthias Kurt, president of the Bundesnetzagentur, the german regulation agency, spoke about consequences of high dynamics of competition in Germany and how this affects his daily work. "Neither we face the doomsday in this industry nor that everything would be very easy and happy", so Kurth. The Bundesnetzagentur is supporting the plurality of access technologies and is very interested in all new services like HDTV, IPTV, DVB-H and DMB and sees no problem in the plurality of the standards in this area as well as a value for the customer.
One big discussion in germans telecommunications industry is that the incumbant Deutsche Telekom asked for "regulatory holidays". They say that if they should invest 3 billion Euros in VDSL infrastructure they don't want to open this networks immediatly to their competition and want some years protection (what I can personally understand). But the European Union doesn't want to allow this - other than the german government and the regulator (Bundesnetzagentur) who wants to allow escape rules in new markets. But: What is a new market? So far there is no decision - and after the first discussions and several reports from experts there is still a big confusion: but on a much higher level. (More infos here.) Again - to understand this discussion which seems very specific to Germany's telco market, you have to know that there are only around 10,4 million DSL subscriber (80m inhabitants), 76,1% owned or controlled by Deutsche Telekom and nearly no users with cable access (120k subscriber).
Last discussion topic was Network Neutrality (the principle that network operators should not discriminate among network applications). Kurth assured the strong interest in openess and standardizations - compliant to EU laws. But an existing problem is Quality of Service for special applications and the solution might be in extra fees for extra services as long the customer can decide freely and nobody from other service providers are dicriminated.
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 01 2006, 06:07:27 PM CEST ) PermalinkUpdate to Telecommunication Conference in Bonn (1)
In following you can find some notes I took during the conference today. Sorry - some speakers I don't mention, but they have mostly presented company strategies which can be found already at their webpages and have no really brand new informations for us telco-insiders...
Carsten Schloter, CEO Swisscom AG (Switzerland): At the moment all application worlds (TV, PC, mobiles devices) are stuck in silos. Schloters pointed out that there are many ways to handle convergence and consilidation. E.g. consumer customers struggle with huge gaps between these application worlds. Convergence is for Schloter the key, but he sees that this won't happen because of standardization of services than through integrated service providers (buzz words: Triple Screen / One Service). These integrated service providers can offer bundles which can't be offered by service providers which focus in one or two services only. By this integrated service providers can manage prize battles much better. Additionally they face bigger cost reductions by going to only-IP networks. By convergence of networks they can drive much better consolidation and gain value in an economy of scale.
Rolf Hansen, Founder and General Manager of SIMYO (MVNO, Germany): The manager of germans no thrill-mobile discounter presented right to the first birthday of his own company, the first german MVNO named SIMYO. The joint venture together with E-Plus (the german KPN subsidiary) is still the leader and agenda setter in Germany - and this with only 29 employees. Hansen demonstrated how importent market research is for a new market and how he did his researchs. And finally he dropped some words about marketing: His slogan - combining the simpel DNA of a protozoan with a SIM card - is still a hit! Trends (he named them "Mobile 2.0", let's see if this word will get a own branding as well) Hansen identified in this market: fixed/mobile convergence, marketing (blogs, community, newsletter...), Web 2.0. At the end he gave an outlook that SIMYO might offer fixed line services in future as well - at the moment they're still analyzing the market. Stay tuned for news in this area...
The countdown is running!", told us Carsten Ahrens, General Manager Ericsson GmbH (Germany) and meant the World Soccer Championship in Germany and the revenue opportunities for mobile carriers. In his presentation about New Media Revenues he tried to answer the question where the revenues are coming from in mobile TV market. Opportunities, so Ahrens, are from monthly fees over interactive services and special fees ("Vote and Greet" Model), classic advertisement to transactional models. And again - one of the buzz words of the event: Next Generation Networks & convergence in all-IP networks. As a Sun employee (= IP in my own DNA as well) I can only say, that this is a very good story.
Versatel's managing director Peter Knauer started his slot with a provocing thesis: Wireline is dead - Long live Wireline! Some years ago everybody deckined a growth in fixed line. This was old school and so boring... And now broadband is back - stronger than ever. Why is it? For Knauer it's all about competition - and competition in DSL started in Germany very late in 2004. The broadband market (he is thinking about DSL market, because he argues that cable market has missed the window of opportunity in Germany) is still growing and Versatel as well. Three "C" are important for Knauer: Convergence, Consolidation and consistance in regulation. Exampel consolidation: Its growth is explained though dynamic growth and acquisition of other companies (19 companies since 2001).
Posted by Horst Thieme ( Jun 01 2006, 05:01:29 PM CEST ) PermalinkConference: Handelsblatt Telco Market Europe
Numbers about the telco market in Europe? You can get them in one conference - and the newest update about strategies of leading companies in this great industry! Yesterday Telekommarkt Europa (Telco Market Europe), a telco focussed conference organized by the newspaper Handelsblatt started. Sun is a long time sponsor of this annual conference and we have again a speaking slot as well (in the last years we had our CTO EMEA Hellmuth Broda, VP Telco Darrell Jordan-Smith and many more - this time it's up to me).
Today master of ceremony and key speaker Prof Dr. Torsten Gerpott started the second conference day with his annual view on the numbers. If there are a statistics which shows which mobile services catholic non-smokers in Madrid or Berlin is using and how often - Gerpott knows them. In short here's what Gerpott summarized:
- Growth of telecommunication services (source EITO 2006) in
- Western Europe (EU pls Norway and Swiss): +1,7% from 217 bEUR to 280 bEUR from 2005 to 2007,
- Eastern Europe (Bulgary, Chechia, Estony, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slowakia, Slowenia): +5% from 21 to 23bEUR
- USA: +2,4% from 191 to 200 bEUR
- Japan: +1% from 115 to 118 bEUR and
- Rest of World: 7,5% from 252 to 291 bEUR
- In the same years (from 2005 to 2007) growth will be in Western Europe in
- Classical fixed line calls: 3,1%
- Data services: +5,4%
- Wireless services: 3,3% and
- CATV services: 1,5%.
- Germany has the biggest decline in revenue in fixed line services and as well - compared to other western european - only a average growth opportunity in wireless.
- In Eastern Europe Poland and Romania are the most interesting countries if we have a watch on growth opportunities...
- After the first round of buy-outs in the cellular phone industry the question arose as to the strategic advantages of attempting to move towards consolidation among alternative and established fixed network carriers.
Have a watch on the agenda - it is one of the lonely conferences which really makes sense. It's good to be here, meeting so many of our customers, partners and our competition as well.
By the way: My speaking slot will be on friday morning - the last day of the three day conference - about "Next generation OSS – challenges and outlook". I'll talk about
- Going IP: converging networks
- Stay flexible: SOA-enabled SDP
- Increase profitability: the value of consolidation and standardization
