Monday, September 29, 2014

VoWiFi has come a long way

After having had some time to work with VoWiFi (Voice over WiFi) on an iPhone5S running iOS8.0 on the T-Mobile network I can say that it works as advertised. No setup required, no UI issues since you just use the regular App and no new phone numbers involved. It just works. Finally!

Back in 2006 when I was involved with a startup that was mainly focused on VoIP, but did some experimenting with VoIP over WiFi, that was far from the case. The company mainly used Nokia handsets, such as the E61, to test the use-case for VoIP over WiFi. While basic functionality such as voice quality performed well, the service ended up being virtually unusable because of several issues.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

FBI may be mad at Apple because of iOS8 encryption, but it was most likely just the first step

FBI director James B. Comey today sharply criticized Apple for locking the government out of even legal snooping by encrypting iOS8 devices. The move by Apple has been seen as a reaction to information about massive government privacy intrusions through NSA programs revealed by Edward Snowden.

However damaging the iOS8 encryption is to law enforcement, it is most likely just one part  of a long-term effort to restore customer confidence in smart products, the cloud and the transport networks that bind it all together.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Apple fixes two-step verification


 
Yesterday, Apple sent an email to all two-factor verification users, explaining that the service now also covers their content on iCloud, not just the account management features. This update brings the service closer to what Google, Facebook and Twitter already offers.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Apple two-step verification offers false sense of security

Over the past days compromising photos of celebrities have been posted on the Internet. While it is still unclear if any of these photos were stolen from iCloud accounts and even less certain if the users had in fact activated the Apple ID two-step verification solution, it is still worth mentioning the inherent weakness in the two-step verification solution for Apple ID.

It does not protect your content.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Sprint is not in Kansas (City) anymore....

The rumors that Sprint will make a bid for T-Mobile has been circling for months now. While I think it is likely that the Department of Justice, and to a lesser degree the FCC, will intervene to stop the merger, let's take a look at what is likely to happen if the merger goes through.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Is Softbank after T-Mobile's network?

There has been continued speculation over the past weeks that Sprint is about to make a bid for T-Mobile. Most of the discussion has centered on the possibility to create a "strong third carrier" in the US market. While I understand the motivation for this from the perspective of protecting margins and decreasing the competitive pressure in the US wireless market, I offer a complimentary strategy for this kind of merger, if the rumors are true.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

AT&T Sponsored data may be a way forward without violating net neutrality

AT&T recently presented their platform for "toll-free" or "sponsored data" whereby a content owner can pay for the data usage caused by the end user. This way the sponsored data will not count towards the users included plan data.

AT&T has been shopping this idea around for quite a while and has so far not presented any customers. Initially this kind of pricing was seen as a direct threat towards the principle of net neutrality which has been endorsed by the FCC. The way AT&T describe their sponsored data program, it now appears as if it will not violate the principles behind net neutrality.