Table of Contents For This Issue

Heard on the Net

News about People and Companies influencing The Broadband Home

Briefly Noted: Updates, Observations and Trends

Each month, we collect miscellaneous happenings, studies, trends or observations you might have missed. This month's briefs focus on fiber to the home penetration, Internet traffic composition, a legacy of weighty bills, and a new site for connected health information.

Healthcare Unbound: A Progress Report

We have been covering the application of broadband and wireless technologies to home healthcare for four years. Technology to address "Healthcare Unbound" keeps getting more capable and less expensive. Groups such as the Continua Health Alliance are fostering development of health care standards, system interoperability, and device connectivity. But technology is not the limiting factor in Healthcare Unbound -- business models and reimbursement are. Changing these is proving to be slow and painful.

Ubicom--Keeping Media Streams Working

Home networks don't replace everything when a new generation of technology appears. Ubicom is a software/hardware company which helps users get the best out of what they have. Their solutions do pattern recognition on the streams, identifying and prioritizing media traffic ahead of normal data traffic. Their latest gateway design is targeted for supporting HDTV, "toll quality" VoIP and online gaming in wireless networks with 802.11n.

Wireless Broadband -- There's No Free Lunch

Recent articles on municipal Wi-Fi show that we're entering a new phase in the hype cycle for wireless broadband. We are leaving the "peak of inflated expectations" and are entering the "trough of disillusionment". No one should be surprised. Physics still rules and mobility comes with a price. Wireless broadband will be as important to broadband as cellular telephony was to landline service. But nothing comes for free.

Your Voice -- Readers Comments

An email from Andrew Kreig, President and CEO of the Wireless Communications Association, pointed out their website on US Broadband policy.

Upcoming Conferences

Conference time is back in full gear and there are some worthwhile events you should consider attending over the next few months. We hope to see some of you at our presentation and workshop at the FTTH conference in early October in Orlando. We'll also be attending TelcoTV in Atlanta later in October.