Jason's Industry Insights - Issue #33

Author

Jason Presement
August 23, 2024

Your Weekly Broadband, Space Communication and AI Market Insights

Issue #33 - August 23, 2024

Welcome to Issue #33!

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Some headlines of the week:

🙀 Starlink holds a reliability edge over cable

☠️ The Vacuum of Space Will Decay Sooner Than Expected

🪐 The US lays out a road safety plan that will see cars 'talk' to each other

📸 Musk's Grok bot generates AI images with few limits

🍌 'Banana apocalypse' could be averted thanks to genetic breakthrough

💡 Learn About - 802.11az, Next Generation Positioning

Everythign In Here This Week!

..and more.. inside.

Remember to repost, share, like, and comment 

Enjoy Issue #33!

Canada Broadband and Some US Stuff

Telus launches new more casual tech support method

Telus is launching a new feature within the MyTelus app that will let subscribers message the telecom and chat with an agent without the restrictive time limits of the modern live chat windows we’ve become used to.

Read the full article

My Take: Using the app to ask the question is really the benefit here. Insofar as Facebook and “X” offer chats, there’s always the annoying authentication required.

With Subsea Cables Vulnerable, Are the Prospects for Satellite’s Backup Role Improving?

Four incidents in approximately four months may seem surprisingly frequent, but it probably shouldn’t be considering the number and variety of threats facing subsea cables.

Read the full article

My Take: What other options are there for subsea resilience? If you read this document recounting an outage in Svalbard in 2022, you will better understand the real impact of subsea vulnerabilities and the need to mitigate them with space-based solutions.

Customers of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service reported fewer outages than DSL and cable according to a survey, but trailed fibre for reliability.

Read the full article

My Take: Of course, not fiber.. And remember, as a backup service, it’s always a great option. Also, so many stories of people taking Starlink Mini with them on vacation and mobile adventures.

Free-space optical could ‘hop’ over railroads with fiber-like speeds

Free-space optical technology uses laser-light beams to wirelessly transmit data without having to use fiber optic cable. Zev Suissa, chief growth officer with X-Lumin, said of the company’s technology, “It’s the same beam of light that goes down a fiber optic cable. The only difference is, we shoot over free space.”

Read the full article

My Take: Kinda cool, and not new, but perhaps ready for some prime time applications?

Measuring Fixed Broadband - Thirteenth Report

This program is an ongoing nationwide study of consumer broadband performance in the United States. The goal of this program is to measure the network performance realized on a representative sample of service offerings and the residential broadband consumer demographic across the country.

Visit the FCC Site for all the data

My Take: Latency. That’s the ticket.

Learn About - 802.11az (Next Generation Positioning)

What is 802.11az?

802.11az is a standard, also known as Next Generation Positioning (NGP), developed by the IEEE for Wi-Fi-based location services. It evolves previous Wi-Fi standards aimed at improving the accuracy and efficiency of positioning systems. This standard enhances devices' ability to determine their location using existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, providing more precise indoor positioning capabilities.

Why is 802.11az Needed?

The need for 802.11az arises from the increasing demand for accurate indoor positioning systems. Traditional GPS systems are ineffective indoors, leading to the development of Wi-Fi-based solutions. 802.11az addresses this gap by offering improved accuracy and reliability, which are crucial for applications such as asset tracking, navigation in large facilities, and location-based services in retail environments.

Origins of 802.11az

The development of 802.11az is part of the IEEE's broader evolution of Wi-Fi standards. It builds on previous standards like 802.11mc, which introduced Wi-Fi RTT (Round Trip Time) for location services. 802.11az further refines these capabilities, offering enhanced features for more precise location tracking.

Technical Advancements of 802.11az

802.11az, a recent IEEE standard, significantly enhances Wi-Fi location accuracy, achieving precision within centimetres. This is a substantial improvement from previous standards, which had accuracy in the 1-2 meters range. 802.11az introduces several key innovations:

  • Fine Timing Measurement (FTM) Enhancements: It includes angle and Time of Flight (ToF) estimations to improve positioning accuracy, particularly in challenging environments with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions.

  • Security Enhancements: The standard incorporates AES-256-based pseudo-random sequences to protect against man-in-the-middle attacks, enhancing the security of location-based services.

  • Integration with Wi-Fi 6 and Beyond: 802.11az utilizes features from the 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) standard, such as wider channel bandwidths and MIMO capabilities, to improve accuracy and efficiency.

Real-World Applications

802.11az is being used in various sectors to provide accurate indoor positioning for

  • Retail: For tracking customer movements and optimizing store layouts.

  • Healthcare: In hospitals, to track equipment and personnel.

  • Logistics: For asset tracking in warehouses and distribution centers.

Competing Technologies

802.11az competes with other indoor positioning technologies such as:

  • Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE): Used for proximity-based services.

  • Ultra-Wideband (UWB): Offers high accuracy but requires additional infrastructure.

  • Zigbee: Often used in smart home applications.

Vendors with Active Deployments

Several vendors are actively involved in promoting and deploying technologies based on the IEEE 802.11az standard:

  • Aruba Networks : Aruba has been a leader in demonstrating Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Location™ technology, which leverages the 802.11az standard. They have showcased their capabilities in public demonstrations, emphasizing Fine Timing Measurement (FTM) for precise indoor positioning. Aruba's commitment to Wi-Fi-based location services is evident in its Open Locate initiative, which aims to scale indoor location services globally.

  • Google: Google has participated in demonstrations of precise location capabilities using Wi-Fi technology. They have developed applications like WifiRttScan and WifiRttLocator, which utilize the 802.11az standard to provide accurate indoor positioning on Android devices. This collaboration highlights Google's interest in integrating advanced location services into their ecosystem.

  • Samsung: Samsung has been working alongside the Wi-Fi Alliance and other companies to demonstrate Wi-Fi Location technology using their Galaxy devices. They are focusing on developing location tracking algorithms that align with the 802.11az standard, aiming to enhance the accuracy of location-based services on their mobile devices.

Challenges and Drawbacks

Despite its advantages, 802.11az faces several challenges:

  • Infrastructure Dependency: Requires existing Wi-Fi infrastructure, which may not always be available or suitable for precise positioning.

  • Interference: Wi-Fi signals can be affected by interference from other electronic devices, impacting accuracy.

  • Privacy Concerns: As with any location-based service, there are concerns about user privacy and data security.

802.11az represents a significant leap forward in Wi-Fi-based location services, offering enhanced accuracy and security. While it is still in the early stages of market deployment, its potential applications across various industries make it a promising technology for the future.

Space

What’s In Space This Week?

My Take: “Unspecified”. Must be the alien spacecraft that we’re destroying with space lasers.

The FCC said its modified license clears the way for Gen1 Starlinks with upgraded beam-forming and digital processing equipment, enabling SpaceX to provide broadband with narrower beams.

Read the full article

My Take: Remember, all those de-orbiting satellites will ruin the ozone and land in farmer’s fields in Saskatchewan. Seriously, though, one goes up, one comes down..

FCC Approves Globalstar Constellation Refresh Over SpaceX Objections

The FCC granted Globalstar’s request to begin deploying its replacement constellation, authorizing the operator to deploy up to 17 replacement satellites with a 15-year license term. However, the FCC deferred approval for the remaining nine satellites until Globalstar submits an updated orbital debris mitigation plan. 

Read the full article.

My Take: 780,000 direct-to-device users will appreciate this.

What’s the Latest on Amazon’s Internet Service, Project Kuiper?

Amazon’s launch into broadband is flying along, but it’ll be another year or so before you can sign up for home internet from Project Kuiper.

Read the full article

My Take: They’re already delayed. Price. Throughput. Portability. All areas for competition, and because nothing is under contract, it will be easy to change providers. Perhaps Kuiper will act as a backup connection for Starlink, or the SDWAN folks will implement both for another layer of resiliency.

Iridium, Skylo execs detail plan to shake up D2D

L-band non-terrestrial communication players Iridium and Skylo Technologies have targeted strategies to provide direct-to-device services which vary from more well-known rivals including AST SpaceMobile and Lynk Global, and they have a few factors in their favour.  

Read the full article.

My Take: As with everything else, it’s about proprietary vs standards-based solutions..

The Vacuum of Space Will Decay Sooner Than Expected

Vacuum decay, a process that could end the universe as we know it, may happen 10,000 times sooner than expected. Fortunately, it still won’t happen for a very, very long time.

Read the full article

My Take: Not on my list of things to worry about.. for now.

AI

Musk's Grok bot generates AI images with few limits

Misleading, violent and copyright-infringing AI-generated images from a beta version of xAI's Grok-2 are going viral.

Read the full article.

My Take: Isn’t that the fun part of it all, though? Maybe not. See some examples here

The US lays out a road safety plan that will see cars 'talk' to each other

V2X enables vehicles to stay in touch with each other as well as pedestrians, cyclists, other road users and roadside infrastructure. It lets them share information such as their position and speed, as well as road conditions. They'd be able to do so in situations with poor visibility, such as around corners and in dense fog.

Read the full article

My Take: I can only imagine the infrastructure and back-end support required to make this happen. Cars will turn into edge-compute platforms. So many benefits.

Google’s Upgraded AI Image Generator: Imagen 3 Now Available to U.S. Users

Google has long been at the forefront of artificial intelligence, and its latest innovation, Imagen 3, represents a significant leap forward in AI image generation. As the newest version of Google’s text-to-image generator, Imagen 3 promises to deliver images with unprecedented detail, richer lighting, and fewer distracting artifacts

Read the full article

My Take: There are so many image-generation tools, and few are free. This one is only available to US users. So poop on that.

Tidbits

What’s next for drones

Drones have been a mainstay technology among militaries, hobbyists, and first responders alike for more than a decade, and in that time, the range available has skyrocketed. No longer limited to small quadcopters with insufficient battery life, drones are aiding search and rescue efforts, reshaping wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and delivering time-sensitive packages of medical supplies. And billions of dollars are being plowed into building the next generation of fully autonomous systems. 

Read the full article

My Take: I’m hoping what’s next for drones is a resurrection of great stock prices 😉 Anyway, everyone thinks of drones as small consumer-type things, but the commercial ones are huge with significant payload capabilities. Bigger issues around line-of-sight control are being debated now.

Urban Birds Are Harboring Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Urban ducks and crows might offer us a connection to nature, but scientists have found wild birds that live near humans are more likely to harbor bacteria resistant to important antibiotics.

Read the full article

 My Take: Well, we all know how to handle a pandemic, so…

'Banana apocalypse' could be averted thanks to genetic breakthrough

Researchers have made a breakthrough in the race to save the world's bananas from a devastating disease that could wipe them out, according to a new study.

Peel back all the information here

My Take: Oh, thank heavens. The monkey nation breathes a sigh of relief. No need to peel back too much of this story.

Infographic Of The Week

Podcast Recommendation

Constellations - Smallsat Mobility

Satellite propulsion is becoming increasingly important as more stuff ends up in space with increased “conjunction” opportunities.

Movie/Streaming Recommendation

INDUSTRY - HBO/Crave

HBO's Industry is a fast-paced drama that plunges viewers into the high-stakes world of London's financial sector. Created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the series follows a group of ambitious young graduates navigating the cutthroat environment of an elite investment bank. The show combines the allure of wealth and power with the gritty realities of the financial world, delivering a mix of high drama and personal turmoil.

The series stands out for its portrayal of the chaotic and often morally ambiguous lives of its characters. It captures the relentless pressure and intense competition faced by young bankers, while also delving into their personal struggles and relationships. The show's dialogue is peppered with financial jargon, adding an authentic touch that might leave some viewers feeling like they've crash-landed on a distant planet. Yet, this linguistic density enhances the immersive experience, drawing viewers into the frenetic energy of the trading floor.

Industry has been compared to other HBO hits like Succession, but it carves its own niche with a unique blend of drama and youthful exuberance. The series doesn't shy away from depicting the excesses and indulgences of its characters, offering a voyeuristic glimpse into a world where personal and professional boundaries blur. With its compelling narrative and strong performances, Industry is a captivating watch that offers both entertainment and a critique of the finance world.

Season 3, available now.

Until Next Time

Comments here are my own and do not represent the opinions, views or thoughts of any person, company or organization that I may be associated with.

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