US mobile operators introduce unlimited price plans
The leading US mobile operators Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile are introducing unlimited monthly price plans, aimed at heavy users. Verizon has introduced the Nationwide Unlimited Anytime Minute Plans, allowing calls to anyone in the US, including landline phones at a flat rate of USD 99.99 per month. Its BroadbandAccess plan allows customers to experience average download speeds of 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps and average upload speeds of 500-800 Kbps, for USD 39.99 monthly access for 50 MB or USD 59.99 for 5 GB. BroadbandAccess Plans will be available from 2 March. AT&T’s plan, available from 22 February, also costs USD 99.99 per month for unlimited US calling on all devices with no domestic roaming or long distance charges. Existing customers can choose unlimited calling without extending their contract while new customers have the option of a month-to-month, twelve or 24 month contract. T-Mobile USA will offer consumers a plan that includes unlimited nationwide mobile calling and unlimited nationwide messaging. This offer will be available for USD 99.99 per month from 21 February. With this new plan, domestic roaming and long distance charges are also included. Unlimited messaging includes text messages, picture messages and instant messages.

No da, još malo pa će fiksna linija biti samo za superbrzi internet onima kojima treba… da i za onaj IPTV (ako i to ne naprave prek mobitela) i tak… ne znam za što još jer bakar baš i ne ide jako daleko, a optika… eh da optika…  hm… ali treba smisliti što će nam optika i što skidati s neta tim strašnim brzinama. Doduše ne bi se baš previše veselio mobilnom internetu kad bi se furao na torrente i skidanje svega i svačega, nekako imam osjećaj da će to biti poprilično limitirano na mobitelima… a onda opet… tko zna, eno ga Homebox preko okjeg to (valjda) radi. Kad spominjem VIP, sviđa mi se ona reklama koja poziva na probu. Ma znate ona kad prvo nešto u mašini, pa se nateže sa cuckom i onda pregazi s parnim valjkom… Pa mi je pala na pamet ideja da uzmem nešto od toga na probu pa krenem testirati… prvo u vešmašinu, pa malo dam cucku da grize i onda pregazim valjkom… recimo Homebox… i onda im to vratim i velim… gle, ne radi mi … :-)

Šala, naravno, neću testirati Homeboxe u perilici ali nešto sam kontao malo o T-Mobile i VIP-u i Tele2 i njihovim baznim stanicama koje se množe ko gljive poslije kiše i podižu nivo ukupnog EM zračenja kao da se radi o nečem potpuno beznačajnom. Ono, gle, ako i uzmemo da to zračenje i nije tako prestrašno štetno sada, mada je svako zračenje u stvari štetno ali je pitanje u kojoj količini i intenzitetu, pitam se što će biti i tko to može uopće predvidjeti kad tih antena bude x3 ili x5 nego što ih je danas, e a onda će biti kasno.

Ne vidim razloga zašto regulator ne bi preporučio ili čak uvjetovao zajedničku mrežu. Zajedničku mrežu su čak i sami mobilni telekomi počeli podizati npr. u Engleskoj. Manje stupova, manje problema sa dozvolama, manje živciranja okolnog stanovništva, manje ruglo, manji trošak za operatora. Osim… e osim što su kod nas očito proradile stare navade "Nek meni crkne krava ali da susedu crknu dve." i tipična poslovna bahatost izazvana overpricingom i debelim profitima. No neka, kad im se smanje prihodi možda i počnu razmišljati o racionalnijem načino postavljanja zračilica nam svagdašnjih koliko god one bile "ne baš tako šteten kako se priča".

A najnoviji trend u regulaciji telekom tržišta je očigledno podjela po regijama i posebne reguliranje urbanih, a posebno ruralnih dijelova. Meni zvuči logično. Prvi su počeli Englezi koji su zaključili da je regulacija dala svoje rezultate u urbanim dijelovima pa su skoro pa prepustili te dijelove tržišnim zakonima dok su ostatak zemlje ostavili pod regulacijom. A evo idu i Austrijanci…

The Austrian telecommunications control commission TKK has found that Telekom Austria has significant market power on the retail broadband market in Austria and unveiled regulation to ensure the market is competitive. The regulator has decided to implement regulation per region as urban regions see a competitive broadband market, while rural regions mostly see one or two providers of broadband services. The regions with good competition are called Gebiet 1 (Area 1) and will not be regulated. The other areas will be called Gebiet 2 (Area 2) and there the Austria telecommunications regulator RTR will see to it that Telekom Austria fulfils these regulations: network access obligation, same treatment obligation including the publication of a standard offer and obligation to end-user charges based on Basis Retail minus. The broadband end-user charges will not be regulated. All concerned parties have until 18 March to comment on these regulations and the definitive version will be published before the end of March.

A trafikovci se dovijaju raznim trikovima kako bi ponudili nešto, a da to nešto nije FlatRate jer je FlatRate na trafficu nemoguće pustiti a da bude isplativ. Pa onda imamo ponude ovakvog tipa recimo…

UK ISP Seriously! Internet has introduced a broadband service with 570 GB data use each month for GBP 59.99. The Allowance service includes 150 GB for peak hours on work days and 420 GB for after 22:00 hours and weekends. It requires a minimum 30-day contract and includes a free modem.

No nema to veze s vezom najteže je kad netko stvarno poželi promijeniti operatora, a taj operator je… Deutsche Telekom. E onda ide čekanje, pa čekanje i još čekanja. Ne, ne pričam o Hrvatskoj nego o Njemačkoj…

The number of customers that are waiting to be transferred from a Deutsche Telekom connection to a connection of an alternative telecommunication services provider is still stable at around 100,000, according to a short survey by the German federation for alternative telecom providers VATM. The number has not dropped despite Deutsche Telekom’s promise to decrease the waiting period for transferring customers. Today, (20 February), the German telecommunications regulator BNA is holding a hearing about complaints filed by Arcor and Telefonica Deutschland against the long waiting period for customer transfers.

No pustimo malo telekom tržište. Rad od kuće može spasiti svijet. Tako barem kaže studija koja je pokušala izračunati koliko bi se smanjilo zagađenje kad bi svi zaposlenici koji to mogu, stvarno radili od kuće. Istina, ja nisam za isključivi rad od kuće ali da bi se barem 2 dana u tjednu moglo odraditi od kuće umjesto u kancelariji to je činjenica.

Most Federal Workers Can Work From Home, But Don’t
Billions of dollars could be saved and billions of pounds of pollutants would not enter the air if all federal employees eligible to work from home did so, a study shows.

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I za kraj malo za razmišljanje….

Children have been deluded, by content providers eager to suck up to their buying power. “They say we have to respect them, because a man with a gold chain says so, on the TV. Well actually, you little piece of shit, you need to earn to earn my respect, as you’re financially dependent on me.”

One technology PR bunny, who refused to give her name, secretly reckons Sigman is right, and her clients are wrong uns.

“My friend has a 10 year old - who has no imagination at all. Cannot play, make things up, never really draws unless someone else is doing it and gets bored easily. All she does is watch the TV and DVDs. She had a telly in her bedroom from the age of about one year old.”

But another friend has an only child and lived in countries where there were no toys, no TV, no nothing. But this child grew up highly creative.”

Technology? Pah! We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it any more.