Which European capital wears the WiFi crown?

RIGA, Latia — The Estonian tech-hub city of Tallinn has long laid claim to the title of WiFi capital of Europe – but now it has a challenger.

A Baltic rival has emerged in Latvia, whose capital Riga launched a war of words this week as it seeks to overtake its neighbour in all things Internet.

City authorities teamed up with Latvia’s state-owned Lattelecom telecoms company to buy billboards leading into Riga with the words “European capital of WiFi” cheekily emblazoned across the front.

Statements from city hall followed, pointing out that Riga has one free Wifi zone for every 750 residents, compared to one for every 1,263 in Tallinn.

At the unveiling of the billboards, Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs crowed that his city has “surpassed other European cities in free WiFi coverage”.

Lattelecom CEO Juris Gulbis hailed Latvia as an emerging European “WiFi superpower” for the 4,000 free points dotted across the country of two million.

While the sheer numbers of free WiFi points in European metropolises like London or Paris dwarf those in both Baltic capitals, Riga now claims to trump the rest — especially its northern neighbour — on a per capita basis.

Officials in the Estonian capital are not amused.

After all, their city gave birth to Skype, hosts NATO’s elite cyber-defence centre and claims to offer the highest number of public e-services on the planet.

Vaino Olev, Tallinn City Council’s head of IT services leapt to defend his city’s high tech credentials.

In a subtle dig at Riga’s supposed modernity, Olev also suggested that free WiFi is actually yesterday’s news.

“This sounds more like Riga has set an ambitious goal for itself,” he told AFP.

“Due to the booming popularity of smart devices among city residents, the number of WiFi areas in Tallinn has stabilised rather than increased – interest in public free WiFi has diminished,” he said.

“This, of course, is mainly due to the local mobile phone operators offering low prices on smart phone packages. The main WiFi users in Tallinn now are tourists,” Olev said.

Estonia, with its population of just 1.3 million people, has made a name for itself for being a trailblazer in technology and notably pioneered e-voting in 2005.

After five decades of Soviet rule ended in 1991, Estonia opted to use existing computer engineering facilities to go hi-tech as quickly as possible.

It earned the nickname “E-stonia” as it outstripped most other members of the European Union, which it joined in 2004.

Officials in Latvia have watched Estonia’s success closely, and have responded by investing heavily in infrastructure in a bid to spur growth.

source: interaksyon.com

Global Wi-Fi shipments to hit 18 billion in the next 5 years — ABI Research

MANILA, Philippines -– Global shipment of Wi-Fi is expected to grow by leaps and bounds in the following years due largely to the growth of the smartphone market and increasing connectivity of various tools and gadgets.

From an expected 2.6 billion total this year, Wi-Fi shipment is expected to hit a cumulative 18 billion from 2015 to 2019 according to New York-based ABI Research. In the present market, ABI Research said that Wi-FI is “the most ubiquitous technology for Internet Access.”

“There will be a roughly even split in 2019 for Wi-Fi chipsets of different integration levels,” said ABI Research director Philip Solis in a press release. “Standalone, or discrete, Wi-Fi chipsets — increasingly targeting the ‘Internet of Things’ — will be the largest group, followed by integrated platforms with Wi-Fi targeting mobile devices, followed by Wi-Fi combo chipsets.”



The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is the term used to the current trend where various objects or even animals are able to automatically transmit data over a network without any form of human control, such as a heart monitor implant or a tracking device on free-range animals for location and identification.

ABI Research added that concurrent with the industry’s growth, Wi-Fi protocols will also continue to evolve, though the dual-band network is poised to dominate the market.

“By the end of the forecast period, dual-band will comprise the vast majority of chipsets shipped among all the protocols. Dual-band had a strong start in 2013 by surpassing 100 million shipments in the smartphone space alone, which accounted for a sizable fraction of the total shipped that year,” ABI Research said.

Tri-band, however, will also see “a strong ramp” during the next five years according to ABI Research.

“The natural progression of Wi-Fi into more capable protocols and new use cases will have a profound effect on the Wi-Fi chipset industry. Smaller players will try to make a land grab for market share while the established players will defend their turf,” ABI Research said.

source: interaksyon.com

Smart releases new app for Web surfing

MANILA, Philippines — Smart Communications, Inc. has released a new mobile apps that gives users mobile access to social networking applications even without Wi-Fi access.

“PowerApp is the world’s first mobile Internet storefront which gives users the ability to access their favorite mobile apps and sites without the need for a Wi-Fi connection, making the experience truly mobile,” Smart said in a press release.

Available applications that can be viewed through PowerApp are Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Google Plus, LinkedIn, Path, and Waze.

The service, according to Smart, will be made available until January 15, 2014 to prepaid and postpaid subscribers of Smart and Talk ‘N Text.

Aside from the social media use, PowerApp also offers other bundles such as Email, Chat, and Photo packages.

Android users can download the application via Google Play and register for the Free Social Package, originally priced at P20 for one day (Social20) or P10 for 3 hours (Social10).

iOS and feature phone users can also text FREE SOCIAL to 5555 (for Smart Prepaid, Postpaid, Infinity and Talk ‘N Text) 9990 (for Smart Freedom Plan subscribers) or 7577 (for Smart Postpaid All-In users) to avail of the promotion.

source: interaksyon.com

WiFi-powered cameras a massive hit in Southeast Asia, GfK says

MANILA, Philippines — The future of digital cameras is Internet connectivity, and if uptake figures from Southeast Asia are any indication, that future will be bright as day for camera manufacturers that take this route.

According to latest figures from market research firm GfK, WiFi-enabled cameras marked 2012 with a two-fold increase in sales volume over the previous year, as consumers from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam gobbled up a total of 776,000 units last year.

Cameras that have WiFi capabilities have been in the market since as early as 2005, but it is only recently that the category has seen massive adoption from users, given the popularity of Internet-enabled devices. In 2012, a total of 160 models from manufacturers such as Canon, Samsung, Olympus and Nikon were being sold in the region.

“By December 2012, one in every three cameras sold in the region’s more technologically advanced markets of Singapore and Malaysia were equipped with the WiFi feature, contributing to nearly two-fifth of total dollar sales in the respective countries for that month,” observed Gerard Tan, Account Director for Digital Technology at GfK Asia.

By providing Internet connectivity in digital cameras, manufacturers allow users to instantly upload photos to various photo-sharing services, including social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

The innovation came as the digital camera market faced tough competition from smartphones, whose built-in cameras have been improving in recent years, and whose mobile operating systems allow the operation of apps that make photo uploads easier while on the go.

Samsung even stretched the concept further by releasing the Galaxy Camera, an 18-megapixel digital camera that runs on the Android operating system.

In an earlier interview, Samsung Philippines AV Business Unit Head Ariel Aras admitted that these new features found in digital cameras are the market’s way of responding to consumer demand, which is increasingly preferential for the ability to share photos instantly.


“[That is why] we are responding to the demand of consumers asking for WiFi technology [to be integrated in our cameras],” Arias said. “We will not only offer a great experience in taking photos, but seamless connectivity with other devices as well.”


GfK said that with stiff competition in the category, prices of WiFi-enabled cameras went down by at least 39 percent from 2011 to 2012, making the devices affordable to a wider range of consumers.

“The digital camera market is facing strong challenges from smartphones which today are able to offer comparable functions and good quality photos of as high as 13 megapixels,” Tan said. “The introduction of the WiFi feature in cameras is definitely a right step forward to stimulate and boost the camera market in this Internet age.”

IDC projected that in 2012, the number of connected devices such as WiFi-powered cameras that shipped worldwide had breached the 1 billion mark, or about 14 percent of the total world population today.

source: interaksyon.com

PLDT offers free wifi along NLEX, SLEX during Holy Week

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) is offering free wifi access to motorists in select gasoline stations along North Luzon Expressway and South Luzon Expressway this Holy Week.

Travelers can avail of the free service at PLDT WiFi Zone booths where they can claim wifi PINs, register, and log on to fast and reliable Internet connections.

Other establishments and landmarks in nearby towns and cities such as Tagaytay, and in select areas in Batangas, Laguna and La Union will also have free wifi access powered by PLDT WiFi Zones.

With this free service offered to travelers, they can easily access their favorite social networking sites or news sites during pit stops to share their experiences or get traffic updates or the latest news for a more enjoyable Holy Week travel.

Visit www.pldtwifizone.com to see the complete list of wifi zones along NLEX and SLEX this Holy Week.

source: interaksyon.com