According to the recent “2008 USA – Telecoms, Wireless and Broadband” report released by Report Buyer, the U.S. telecommunications industry experienced more than 8% growth in 2007. Of the $458 revenue reported, about 31% was from wireless services. Another interesting growth was in the area of VoIP, specifically cable VoIP, which grew nearly 75%. The growth of VoIP, along with the steady rise of cell phones, has contributed to a 10% drop in telephone landlines.

Fring, a London-based startup company, announced last month that it has created an application that will bring VoIP to the Apple iPhone. Fring says the application will allow several VoIP networks, including Skype, to work on the phone, using the growing VoIP over Wi-Fi technology. The company has pre-leased the application, which – like the company itself – is named Fring, and it expects an official release later this year. Fring also works on all Nokia phones, Sony Ericsson UIQ Smartphones and Windows Mobile devices. To learn more or dowload Fring, visit www.fring.com.

Many of you may have heard about WiMax and might be wondering what exactly this new technology is – and if it’s going to make Wi-Fi obsolete. Well, WiMax is predicted to be the next evolution of wireless technology. There are two types: unlicensed and licensed. The licensed version of WiMax will be used by cellular carriers and ISPs to offer cafés an alternative to DSL and cable. Licensed WiMax doesn’t necessarily have more strength than Wi-Fi; currently, repeaters are needed for the signal to penetrate buildings. Licensed WiMax is expected to operate in 2.5GHz frequency, which has very similar characteristics to Wi-Fi operating at 2.4GHz frequency. The unlicensed version of WiMax is planned to operate in 5.4 and 5.8GHz frequencies. If all these numbers sound a bit overwhelming, don’t worry. The most important detail for café owners and customers alike is the current WEBbeams hotspot routers are WiMax compatible. Our routers can be upgraded to take advantage of both the licensed and unlicensed versions of WiMax, giving café owners another option for their internet service, so they can offer customers the latest WiMax technology compatible with laptops and mobile devices. We’ll keep you posted in future newsletters if any changes are on the horizon. In the meantime, if you’re curious about WiMax and want to read more details, visit the WiMax web site.

AT&T recently acquired BellSouth, and it appears the company hasn’t done a very good job telling customers about some problems they might incur with their Internet service. Turns out, BellSouth customers need to do a modem upgrade in order to continue uninterrupted service with AT&T. Customers who don’t take care of this upgrade may experience downtimes as high as 25%. One of our café owners learned about the necessary upgrade the hard way: when the shop’s Internet connection was cut off 15 minutes of every hour. Certainly, this wasn’t the best example of customer service we’ve seen. And, in addition to a whole lot of frustration, this meant lost revenues. If you’re a BellSouth customer, we recommend contacting the company for more information.