Faster On-Board WiFi and Mobile Data Coming to Brittany Ferries

Friday, November 2nd, 2018 (12:01 am) - Score 748

Brittany Ferries, the cross-channel ferry company that operates a large fleet of ferries and cruise ships between France and the UK, Ireland, and Spain, and between the UK and Spain, has partnered up with Telenor Maritime to upgrade their on-board mobile and WiFi connectivity for passengers.

The new connectivity platform will offer Premium Wi-Fi, VSAT and Mobile Broadband Backhaul. Additionally Honfleur, the forthcoming clean, green, LNG-powered newbuild ferry arriving in June 2019, will also be equipped with 3G services. At present it’s already possible to connect with a free WiFi service on-board, although this imposes some restrictions on content and is fed by a fairly slow Satellite link (see video below).

The CSO of Telenor Maritime, Jan Erik Norli, said: “We are delighted to be in a position to develop our partnership and services with Brittany Ferries. We are confident that our communications services will substantially enhance the customer journey on the ships we are upgrading. This is yet another important step for Telenor Maritime’s service-expansion in Europe.“

Bell Canada, Ford Partner to Launch In-Vehicle WiFi for Connected Cars

Image Credit: Bell Canada

Bell announced it is the first Canadian wireless service provider to enable built-in Wi-Fi hotspots in supported Ford and Lincoln vehicles with Bell's Connected Car – Built In service.

Available vehicle diagnostics services will also be supported on Bell's national LTE network.

Ideal for mobile workers, commuters and long family trips, Connected Car enables passengers to browse, stream and share on Bell's broadband LTE wireless network when they're on the road or nearby the vehicle when it's parked. The Wi-Fi hotspot features a dedicated external antenna, supports up to 10 devices at a time, and is powered by the vehicle's electrical system rather than the device battery.

As advancements in technology continue to connect people and enhance their lives, Ford is committed to taking the lead. In-vehicle Wi-Fi allows customers to stay connected with their friends, family and the world around them. From streaming music and driver assist technologies, to navigation and everything in between, connectivity is the key.

Ford customers can take advantage of a complimentary wireless data trial that expires at the end of 3 months, or after 3 GB of data is used, whichever comes first. After their trial is complete, customers can stay connected by signing up for a data plan. Bell customers can share data from their Bell Share plan with Connected Car for $10a month, with 1 GB in bonus data per month for 24 months. Bell Connected Car – Built In will be available for supported Ford and Lincoln vehicles beginning November 6, 2018.

Connected Car is the next evolution in the smart vehicle experience and part of Bell's IoT leadership to enable the connected vehicles, homes, businesses and smart cities of the future. 

Nauby Jacob, VP of Products and Services, Bell Mobility
Drivers and their passengers can now connect to Wi-Fi just as conveniently in their Ford and Lincoln vehicles as they do in their homes. As a Canadian leader in Internet of Things innovation, Bell is proud to partner with Ford to bring car owners across the country an even better in-vehicle experience.

Marc Vejgman, Connected Vehicle Marketing Manager, Ford of Canada
Connecting our vehicles is part of building smart vehicles for a smart world, and we look forward to working with Bell to offer Ford customers another way to stay connected across Canada.

Firm Says Bluetooth Chip Security Flaws Could Expose Enterprise Wifi APs to Attack

Photo: Paul Sakuma (AP)

Researchers at the security firm Armis announced this week that they discovered two serious chip-level vulnerabilities that could potentially put “millions” of enterprise access points at risk. Namely, the security flaw could allow hackers to gain access to networks completely undetected.

Dubbed “Bleeding Bit,” the two security risks involved the use of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) chips used in enterprise wireless access points from Aruba, Cisco, and Meraki—networking industry leaders that account for 70 percent of the market.

The firm said this week that the vulnerabilities pertaining to the use of the BLE chips, which are made by Texas Instruments, can pose two significant problems. The first applies specifically to two chip models used in Cisco and Meraki access points, while the second vulnerability can affect one of Aruba’s devices. Per TechCrunch:

Armis calls the vulnerabilities “Bleeding Bit,” because the first bug involves flipping the highest bit in a Bluetooth packet that will cause its memory to overflow — or bleed — which an attacker can then use to run malicious code on an affected Cisco or Meraki hardware.

The second flaw allows an attacker to install a malicious firmware version on one of Aruba’s devices, because the software doesn’t properly check to see if it’s a trusted update or not.

While some have already raised doubts about the likelihood that these vulnerabilities will be exploited in earnest, Armis CEO Yevgeny Dibrov said in a statement that Bleeding Bit should serve as a “wakeup call” to enterprise security for a couple of reasons.

“First, the fact that an attacker can enter the network without any indication or warning raises serious security concerns,” he said. “Second, these vulnerabilities can break network segmentation—the primary security strategy that most enterprises use to protect themselves from unknown or dangerous unmanaged and IoT devices. And here, the access point is the unmanaged device.”

Armis CMO Michael Parker said in a phone call with Gizmodo that the security firm has been working with the three companies on the issue for months but did not disclose the threat to the public before Thursday to avoid the obvious security threats, which he said is standard practice for security disclosures. He added that an effort to apply patches and work toward a resolution was coordinated. Right now, Parker said, making sure that patches are implemented and customers are aware of the issue is the firm’s number one priority.

An Aruba spokesperson told Gizmodo in a statement by email that it worked to resolve the issue by updating the ArubaOS operating system firmware and sending an advisory to its customers on October 18.

“Aruba 802.11ac Wave 2 (AP-3xx) access points, as well as the AP-203R(P), contain both Wi-Fi and BLE radios and the exploit only impacts the BLE radio,” the spokesperson said. “The BLE radio is disabled by default.”

A spokesperson for Cisco, which acquired Meraki in 2012, also told Gizmodo in a statement by email that its Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) unit had informed its customers of the issue and as well as of which Cisco products could be affected, adding: “Fixed software is available for all affected Cisco products.”

Both companies said that they were not aware of any impact to their respective customers. Texas Instruments has reportedly already issued a patch.

Armis said the takeaway is that these kinds of vulnerabilities could show up in other devices—not just access points—and could affect industries including healthcare, retail, automotive, and more. The researchers specifically pointed to the health sector, noting that BLE chips are used in devices that include pacemakers and insulin pumps.

“[T]his exposure potentially goes beyond access points, as these chips are used in many other types of devices and equipment,” Ben Seri, VP of Research at Armis, said in a statement. “As we add more connected devices taking advantage of new protocols like BLE, we see the risk landscape grow with it.”

[TechCrunch, Armis]

Did you Realize Public Wifi Hotspots are Tracking our Location? #1324

November 1, 2018InformationKirk

Does the SmartThings WiFi mesh router include a smart hub?

Best answer: Yes — the SmartThings WiFi mesh router system also doubles as a smart hub that can connect up to 100+ different SmartThings gadgets.

Amazon: Samsung SmartThings WiFi Mesh Router ($280)

The SmartThings WiFi mesh router is really two different products in one.

In addition to providing ample Wi-Fi coverage for your home, it also works as a smart hub for all of your other SmartThings devices. So, if you were already planning on getting a mesh router system and are invested in the SmartThings ecosystem, going this route just makes sense.

Everything's controlled through the SmartThings app

Whether you want to turn off your lights, adjust the thermostat, or customize your home network settings, everything is controlled through the main SmartThings app.

For buyers that already use the app for controlling other smart home devices, having your Wi-Fi options handled through here too is a really nice treat.

You can buy a single router or get a three-pack

If you're interested in buying the SmartThings WiFi system for yourself, you can purchase just a standalone unit or pick up a three-pack for maximum coverage.

Although it's more expensive upfront, we recommend going the three-pack route as it offers excellent Wi-Fi range (up to 4,500 square feet) and provides the most bang for your buck at around $93 per router instead of $120.

Mesh router + smart home hub in one

Samsung's SmartThings WiFi mesh router not only blankets your home in reliable internet coverage, but it also doubles as a hub for all your SmartThings devices. This bundle comes with three routers for one low price.

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.

FG wants Google to extend free WiFi to markets

Anna Okon

The Federal Government has called for the extension of Google Station’s free WiFi services to markets in Nigeria.

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed this in Lagos on Friday while declaring open the 32nd Lagos International Trade Fair.

He said, “We are currently facilitating an innovative product being rolled out by Google, the Google Station where free WiFi is provided in public places. So we now have Google Station in six different locations, including Palms Shopping Mall, Landmark Centre, the University of Lagos, MM2, the domestic airport, computer village and Ikeja City Mall.

“But for us, the more interesting part of it is that we are asking them to roll out in markets across Nigeria. So, in the next few months, they will be in Onitsha Main Market; in Gbagi, Ibadan; in Kuto Market in Abeokuta; in the Kaduna Central Market, Sura Market and Lagos/Abuja international airport by the end of the year.”

According to Osinbajo, the government believes that by democratising access to the Internet in public places and in markets, more people can do their business and receive information, and the information can be cheaply delivered to them.

Speaking about the challenges in export and import processes, he admitted that there were still a lot of problems despite cutting down on documentation.

He said, “We are working on that and one of the reasons why we are trying to establish the national trade platform or the single window for imports and exports is because it can significantly reduce the time it takes to bring in goods and clear them.

“We hope that we will be able to launch that single window in a few months. It is being delayed due to individual ministries, departments and agencies of government trying to align all their various electronic platforms. But we are working on all of that.”

In his welcome remarks, the President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Babatunde Ruwase, said the theme of the trade fair, ‘Connecting businesses, creating value,’ was chosen to underscore the importance of relationships and interactions among businesses for the purpose of wealth creation.

“It is also to underline the value of interactions between producers and service providers, and the end users,” he added.

The Chairman, Trade Promotion Board, LCCI, Mr Gabriel Idahosa, expressed confidence that exhibitors would get full benefits of participating in the fair.

“They will expand their business horizon through the development of new partnerships, new customers, feedback from their consumers and showcasing their products, not just to the Nigerian market but also to continental and global markets,” he stated.

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Why a WiFi failure makes you angry?

By: IANS | Published: November 3, 2018 3:03 PM

Representative Image: File

Do you get frustrated and angry when your WiFi connection stops working? It could be because of your personality, says a research. The findings showed that when digital technology stops working, people with a fear of missing out (FOMO) — the anxiety that you are missing out a social experience others might be having while you are offline — or an internet addiction displays more extreme reactions.

People who were seen as being more neurotic and extroverted also had more extreme reactions to failures in digital technology.

“The more we use our devices, the more we get attached to them, so when they do not work, we tend to just go a little bit ‘crazy’ or just switch off and stop doing things altogether,” said lead researcher Lee Hadlington, psychologist at the De Montfort University in the UK.

For the study, published in the journal Heliyon, the team examined 630 participants aged 18 to 68.

The fear of missing out, internet addiction, extroversion and neuroticism all have a significantly positive influence on maladaptive responses. This means the people most psychologically dependent on digital technology are most likely to have maladaptive responses when it goes wrong.

Maladaptive responses are not only unhelpful, they also have a detrimental impact on productivity and achieving goal, resulting in poor job performance, the researchers said.

Moreover, they also found that as age increases, the level of frustration a person experiences decreases.

“If we can understand what leads individuals to react in certain ways, and why these differences occur, we can hopefully make sure that when digital technology does fail people are better supported and there are relevant signposts for them to follow to get help,” Hadlington noted.

A Return to the Agrarian Age -- with WiFi, of Course

Maybe it's time to say the hell with the whole thing and head back to an agricultural lifestyle:

Running late after several wrong turns, I made a final, desperate attempt to locate Shaye Elliott’s home by driving into what appeared to be an apple orchard. Down a dirt path, past a gaggle of squawking geese, in the shadow of the town’s 10-story cross, there it was: the two-acre property outside Wenatchee, Washington, on which Elliott cultivates nearly all the food she feeds herself, her husband, and their four children. The Elliotts’ squat three-bedroom house, which they renovated themselves, was nestled among a pigpen, a rabbit hutch, a chicken coop, two pastures, and three gardens, the sum total of which Elliott refers to as her “homestead”—a nod to the back-to-basics, pioneer-inflected movement that inspired her lifestyle.

Elliott, who is 32 years old, “homesteads” not because it’s practical (it’s not) or because she grew up farming (she didn’t) but because, she says, modern technology “has stripped people of their purpose.” In hopes of “drawing on and learning things of the past,” she has for eight years rejected an increasing number of modern conveniences. Like the 19th-century homesteaders who traveled west in covered wagons, she churns butter, stocks her larder before winter, and treats illnesses with herbs. Unlike the pioneers, however, she enthusiastically broadcasts her life to an audience of Instagram followers, YouTube subscribers, book buyers, and 100,000 monthly readers of her blog, The Elliott Homestead. One of her chickens, Helen, has become a celebrity for antics like sneaking into the house to peck at butter. “You think these Instagram Stories are made up,” Elliott said as a less famous chicken wandered through the front door. “Very much not.”

Elliott belongs to a growing network of bloggers who have tapped into—and fueled—the growing homesteading movement, which encourages self-reliance through the embrace of traditional skills and subsistence farming. A homesteader seeks to “be a producer and not just a consumer,” Elliott said. (She and others distinguish themselves from farmers in harvesting food solely for their own needs, not to sell.) The appeal of this retro-agrarian lifestyle transcends ideological differences, uniting farmwives and feminists, hippies and Christians, preppers and yuppies, from Brooklyn to rural Alaska. Despite its ostensible rejection of consumerism, the subculture has spawned a brisk trade in homesteading-themed TV shows, books, gear, and courses. Last year, the inaugural Homesteaders of America conference drew 1,500 attendees—more than twice the expected turnout—and organizers expect hundreds more this year.

No single definition qualifies someone as a homesteader, but bloggers’ neo-frontier dispatches generally combine elements of Goop, Little House on the Prairie, and Mad Max. The more extreme ones offer tips on building yurts without plumbing (but with Wi-Fi) or finding water in the event of societal collapse. Most provide instruction on insourcing necessities, such as forging knives, making deodorant, and spinning wool.

Like a disproportionate number of these bloggers, Elliott is a white woman with a bearded husband, homeschooled children, faith in Jesus Christ, and many photos of soulful cows.

To its credit, the Atlantic, in which this story appeared, notes that the back-to-the-land movement is a recurring reactive trope in American history, from the millennarian communities in upstate New York in the 19th century to the hippie communes of the 20th. Fed up with the soullessness of modern living, Americans often turn to the "simpler" life of the countryside, only to find that a hardscrabble existence ain't all it's cracked up to be unless it can be ameliorated with modern amenities.

Homesteading, romanticized by nearly every generation save the one that originally endured it, has routinely been embraced by Americans during periods of anxiety and upheaval. “The entire history of America is that in times of political and economic insecurity, people revert to a very visceral sense that taking control of their food and of their homes is where security lies,” says Toni Smith, a homesteader and an English professor at Vancouver Island University. Smith notes that the back-to-the-land movement especially resonates with middle-class white Americans: “The Little House on the Prairie touchstone is their default.” (Not surprisingly, the term homesteading has been criticized by some observers of the current movement, in part for its associations with a government policy that had disastrous consequences for American Indians.)

Versions of homesteading flourished after the Great Depression, during the Vietnam War, in the years before Y2K, during the Great Recession, and again more recently, amid the rise of an anti-establishment ethos. When I asked Elliott, who leans libertarian, why her lifestyle resonates among progressives and Tea Partiers alike, she said, “I think a common thread is a mistrust in the Man.”

She is a devout follower of Reformed Presbyterianism, a sect of Protestantism that views the Bible as the literal word of God, and she believes that men and women “were designed with specific roles.” “We’ve spent so much time and energy fighting that,” she told me. “And I don’t think that makes people happier.”

The irony is that homesteading turned out to be financially remunerative for Ms. Elliott as well:

Although homesteading sites tend to celebrate the cult of domesticity—Elliott has a post commending the modest femininity of long skirts from the Edwardian era—the offline reality is more complicated: Like many young women who’ve amassed large online followings by documenting their lives as homemakers, she is her family’s breadwinner. In 2014, a fellow blogger recruited her to sell essential oils for doTerra, a multilevel marketing company whose logo is plastered across homesteading sites. Within a year, her business was so profitable that Stuart quit his job; Elliott now makes $500,000 a year selling to fellow “oilers.” Her blog, which helps her recruit customers and salespeople, is heavy on suggestions for using oils. In one 10-day period on Instagram, she demonstrated how geranium oil could heal a duck’s infected foot, how lemongrass could repel pests, and how Roman chamomile and rosemary had cured her son’s hives.

By and large, homesteading’s champions have embraced their way of life for reasons more spiritual than utilitarian. The “About Me” sections of other homesteading sites are filled with stories of how debt and burnout inspired the author to find a path that did not require sacrificing life for livelihood. Like Marie Antoinette’s pleasure dairy, tilling the soil and milking cows acquire a certain charm when they are a choice, not a necessity. Elliott readily concedes that if the broccoli harvest fails—as it has every other year—her family won’t starve; they’ll use their doTerra money to stock up at the supermarket.

Sounds like the best of all possible worlds.

DunGame & DraGrin Episode 7: Tell My Wifi Loved Her

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Stradă smart la Cluj, cu stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi şi bănci cu încărcare USB

O stradă din Cluj-Napoca va deveni prima arteră „smart” din România, cu stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi şi camere video și bănci cu încărcare prin USB a telefoanelor mobile. Modernizarea străzii a fost aprobată luni de CL, finanţarea fiind asigurată din fonduri europene de 1,3 milioane de euro, potrivit Mediafax.

Primarul Emil Boc a declarat, luni, la şedinţa Consiliului Local Cluj-Napoca, în care s-a aprobat proiectul de modernizare a străzii Molnar Piuariu, că artera este un model de structură urbană în România care va fi replicat şi în alte părţi ale oraşului.

„S-au aprobat documentaţia şi indicatorii tehnici pentru modernizarea străzii Molnar Piuariu, în vederea atragerii de fonduri europene nerambursabile. Este o premieră naţională, va fi prima stradă smart din România, o stradă inteligentă, cu toate facilităţile şi dotările tehnologice aferente unei astfel de artere. De asemenea, va avea mult spaţiu pietonal, un model de stradă inteligentă şi de realizare a unor structuri urbane din România, pe care îl vom replica şi în alte părţi ale oraşului”, a spus Boc.

Directorul Direcției Evenimente Publice şi Informare Cetăţeni din cadrul Primăriei Cluj-Napoca, Ovidiu Cîmpean, a declarat la rândul său că, până la sfârşitul anului, va fi depusă documentaţia în vederea obţinerii fondurilor europene, lucrările urmând să înceapă în vara anului viitor şi să dureze 9 luni.

„Pe strada Molnar Piuariu din cartierul Mărăşti se prevede amplasarea de bănci cu încărcător USB pentru telefoane mobile, stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi integrat şi camere video, un sistem automat de irigare cu senzori de umiditate pentru arbori, astfel încât acesta să pornească automat atunci când este nevoie. De asemenea, o parte din stradă va fi pietonalizată, vor fi construite staţii de încărcare pentru biciclete şi trotinete electrice, dar şi două staţii de încărcare pentru autoturisme electrice. Vor fi plantaţi copaci şi vor fi construite cişmele cu apă şi piste de biciclete. Valoarea proiectului se ridică la 1,3 milioane de euro, 98% din sumă provenind din fonduri europene. Zona care va fi reamenajată va avea o suprafaţă de circa 4500 mp”, a spus Cîmpean.

Proiectul va fi depus în vederea finanţării prin Programul Operaţional Regional care priveşte reducerea emisiilor de carbon prin investiţii bazate pe planurile de mobilitate urbană durabilă.

Cum va arăta prima stradă smart la Cluj, cu stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi şi bănci cu încărcare USB - GALERIE FOTO

O stradă din Cluj-Napoca va deveni prima arteră „smart” din România, cu stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi şi camere video şi bănci cu încărcare prin USB a telefoanelor mobile. Modernizarea străzii a fost aprobată luni de CL, finanţarea fiind asigurată din fonduri europene de 1,3 milioane de euro.

2630 afişări

Cum va arăta Stradă smart la Cluj, cu stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi şi bănci cu încărcare USB - GALERIE FOTO

Primarul Emil Boc a declarat, luni, la şedinţa Consiliului Local Cluj-Napoca, în care s-a aprobat proiectul de modernizare a străzii Molnar Piuariu, că artera este un model de structură urbană în România care va fi replicat şi în alte părţi ale oraşului.

„S-au aprobat documentaţia şi indicatorii tehnici pentru modernizarea străzii Molnar Piuariu, în vederea atragerii de fonduri europene nerambursabile. Este o premieră naţională, va fi prima stradă smart din România, o stradă inteligentă, cu toate facilităţile şi dotările tehnologice aferente unei astfel de artere. De asemenea, va avea mult spaţiu pietonal, un model de stradă inteligentă şi de realizare a unor structuri urbane din România, pe care îl vom replica şi în alte părţi ale oraşului”, a spus Boc.

Directorul Direcţiei Evenimente Publice şi Informare Cetăţeni din cadrul Primăriei Cluj-Napoca, Ovidiu Cîmpean, a declarat la rândul său că, până la sfârşitul anului, va fi depusă documentaţia în vederea obţinerii fondurilor europene, lucrările urmând să înceapă în vara anului viitor şi să dureze 9 luni.

„Pe strada Molnar Piuariu din cartierul Mărăşti se prevede amplasarea de bănci cu încărcător USB pentru telefoane mobile, stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi integrat şi camere video, un sistem automat de irigare cu senzori de umiditate pentru arbori, astfel încât acesta să pornească automat atunci când este nevoie. De asemenea, o parte din stradă va fi pietonală, vor fi construite staţii de încărcare pentru biciclete şi trotinete electrice, dar şi două staţii de încărcare pentru autoturisme electrice. Vor fi plantaţi copaci şi vor fi construite cişmele cu apă şi piste de biciclete. Valoarea proiectului se ridică la 1,3 milioane de euro, 98% din sumă provenind din fonduri europene. Zona care va fi reamenajată va avea o suprafaţă de circa 4500 mp”, a spus Cîmpean.

Proiectul va fi depus în vederea finanţării prin Programul Operaţional Regional care priveşte reducerea emisiilor de carbon prin investiţii bazate pe planurile de mobilitate urbană durabilă

GALERIE FOTO- Strada smart din Cluj

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Wifi performance is the service provider’s problem whether they like it or not

At the Cable Next-Gen Europe event in London a panel discussed the lessons learned from offering 1 Gbps domestic broadband.

It seems like the only way the ISP industry thinks it can persuade consumers to hand over more of their hard-earned cash is to promise ever-better performance. But consumers can be an awkward bunch and have a nasty habit of expecting that promised boost to be delivered. To make things worse they’re not shy about voicing their displeasure to expensive customer service departments.

They just won’t listen to reason. You can try explaining the problem is at their end thanks to rubbish routers, decrepit devices and unhelpful walls but it falls on deaf ears. As far as they’re concerned they’ve been promised 1 Gbps, they’re not getting it and they want to know what the company that took their money is going to do about it.

The consensus among the panel, which featured ISPs, specialist wifi vendors and a big kit vendor, was that wifi is the ISP’s problem whether they like it or not. A big reason for this is that regular punters aren’t even interested in the various technical challenges involved in delivering the promised bandwidth; they only care about the end result.

Having said that there are a lot of technological solutions to this problem, such as mesh wifi as offered by companies like Plume, which was represented on the panel. Mesh looks like a good answer to coverage problems resulting from the limited range of wifi routers, physical obstructions, etc. It’s quite a trending buzzword in the industry right now but even the mesh vendors were careful not to position it as a panacea.

Similarly successive generations of wifi technology, now belatedly using a more consumer-friendly naming scheme, only address part of the problem. Even if you have a 1 Gbps service and the latest Wi-Fi 6 router, of all your devices still have 802.11g wifi chips, which is apparently still commonplace, then you’re still going to get rubbish performance.

According to a straw poll among the panel it’s not uncommon for there to be 20+ wifi connected devices in a given home, through which CSP customers will assess the quality of their service. For this reason there was a consensus that there will be an explosion in managed wifi services offered by CSPs in the near future.

WiFi key to delivering 1Gbps services, say cable technologists

Ensuring that in-home WiFi networks are optimally configured will be key to delivering meaningful 1Gpbs services, but providing 1Gbps will likely remain essentially a marketing tool rather than something consumers actually need for the foreseeable future, according to a panel of technologists at a cable technology event in London this morning.

Speaking at the Cable Next Gen Europe event organised by Light Reading, Uffe Callesen, lead architect at Danish cableco Stofa, said that about half of his company’s footprint was now 1Gbps capable.

He said that the biggest challenge Stofa faced was to deliver acceptable high quality WiFi. He said whole home distribution was exclusively WiFi based. Delivering 1Gbps in-home in housing blocks was more challenging than delivering in single dwelling units, he added.

Callesen said that next-gen WiFi technologies would be immensely useful but the problem is that there is a large population of legacy devices, meaning that these new technologies are not a short-term fix.

Frode Elverum, head of broadband at Norwegian cable operator Get, speaking on the same panel, said that 1Gbps was now available downstream across his company’s network. He said that Get was piloting about 500 end customers in housing associations with 1Gbps downstream services. The company is currently expanding its frequency spectrum to deliver higher upstream speeds than the current 50Mbps. However, Elverum and others on the panel said that there was currently little demand for high-speed upstream capacity.

He said that Get would bundle 1Gbps services with its TV and phone offerings next year, which he said should stimulate uptake. However, he agreed with the proposition that 1Gbps services are currently more of a marketing tool than something people actually use.

Elverum said that delivering WiFi could be a point of differentiating operators’ services, but the key was really just to deliver a good service through understanding what happens inside the home.

“Being able to talk to each customer, preferably digitally, maybe via an app…is really important,” he said.
Eleverum said that Get provided WiFi as part of its service, while larger homes with complex requirements are offered the opportunity to lease products at a premium.

Eddy Mötter, CTO for access network, solution sales department, Huawei Technologies, said that operators should do “pre-marketing” checks to see it 1Gbps can actually be delivered at the level of the home.
Clegg said that people are “willing to pay to fix their WiFi problems” but operators had to re-position connectivity as a service to get people to pay more.

Ian Challinor, EV,P and general manager of EMEA and APAC, AirTies, also speaking on the panel, said that consumers did not really understand the reality of limitations within the home in delivering uniform 1Gbps services throughout the home. He said it was “ultimately down to the operator” do deliver to the customer the experience he believes he has purchased. Consumers simply want to experience a great service, without thinking too much about why there should be limitations on it, he said.

Challinor said that a multi-access point strategy is key to delivering optimal WiFi. There is a need for a Mesh network and an ability to provide services to legacy devices “and treat them in a way that optimises the experience for the end user as much as possible”, he said.

Michael Clegg, VP global sales, Plume, said that “no current user application” requires 1Gbps, but that giving uniform coverage in the home was the key challenge. He said that operators need the tools “to understand what is going on inside the home…as on his own network”. He added that users had to be provided with tools as well, to enable them to self-serve as much as possible.

Prima stradă smart din Cluj va avea stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi și bănci cu încărcare USB

Primarul Clujului a declarat că vrea ca proiectul de modernizare a străzii Molnar Piuariu să fie un model de structură urbană care să fie aplicat și în alte zone ale orașului, relatează Mediafax.

„S-au aprobat documentaţia şi indicatorii tehnici pentru modernizarea străzii Molnar Piuariu, în vederea atragerii de fonduri europene nerambursabile. Este o premieră naţională, va fi prima stradă smart din România, o stradă inteligentă, cu toate facilităţile şi dotările tehnologice aferente unei astfel de artere. De asemenea, va avea mult spaţiu pietonal, un model de stradă inteligentă şi de realizare a unor structuri urbane din România, pe care îl vom replica şi în alte părţi ale oraşului”, a spus primarul Emil Boc, la şedinţa Consiliului Local Cluj-Napoca, conform sursei citate.

Până la sfârșitul anului va fi depusă documentația în vederea obținerii fondurilor europene. Lucrările urmează să înceapă în vara anului viitor și vor dura nouă luni.

„Pe strada Molnar Piuariu din cartierul Mărăşti se prevede amplasarea de bănci cu încărcător USB pentru telefoane mobile, stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi integrat şi camere video, un sistem automat de irigare cu senzori de umiditate pentru arbori, astfel încât acesta să pornească automat atunci când este nevoie. De asemenea, o parte din stradă va fi pietonală, vor fi construite staţii de încărcare pentru biciclete şi trotinete electrice, dar şi două staţii de încărcare pentru autoturisme electrice. Vor fi plantaţi copaci şi vor fi construite cişmele cu apă şi piste de biciclete. Valoarea proiectului se ridică la 1,3 milioane de euro, 98% din sumă provenind din fonduri europene. Zona care va fi reamenajată va avea o suprafaţă de circa 4500 mp”, a spus directorul Direcţiei Evenimente Publice şi Informare Cetăţeni din cadrul Primăriei Cluj-Napoca, Ovidiu Cîmpean.

Proiectul va fi depus în vederea finanţării prin Programul Operaţional Regional ce vizează reducerea emisiilor de carbon prin investiţii bazate pe planurile de mobilitate urbană durabilă.

Sursă foto: Monitorulcj.ro

Citește și INVESTIGAȚIE EXCLUSIVĂ/ Directorul medical al Spitalului Militar din Constanța a uitat două foarfeci de 16 cm în burta unei paciente de 61 de ani!

How to Save Your Business Money with WiFi Calling

As mobile phones became a ubiquitous part of our daily lives, managing minutes kept costs under control.

Today, we are less concerned with using minutes, and more concerned about data usage.

As a result, mobile users and providers must track data usage with the same diligence used for tracking minutes.

Before we get too far, what exactly is data usage?

Data usage is any activity that requires the mobile network (aside from calls) to transmit or access information.

This includes using your phone’s web browser along with streaming services. The streaming services are responsible for the lion’s share of data usage.

This is why many users end up with data overages.

We all know that today’s mobile phones are equipped with WiFi technology; therefore, a natural solution for mitigating data usage and overages is connecting to WiFi whenever — and wherever — possible.

WiFi is much faster connection than 4G — the mobile network used by most carriers.

Since WiFi connects to broadband, most broadband plans allow for data transmissions exceeding 100 GB. Businesses often have larger broadband data caps.

Now that you know more about the technical details, one of the most important questions related to WiFi calling is:

Does WiFi Calling Use Data?

The answer from nearly every prominent mobile phone provider is no.

So, without further adeu, here are some tips on how to make WiFi calls.

How to Make WiFi Calls

Making WiFi calls is extremely easy. For nearly every phone type, simply go to the Settings menu, then Phone, and toggle the WiFi Calling option to “On.”

Because many different carriers are enabling WiFi calling on various devices, and not counting WiFi calls against data plans, users can easily set their phones and devices to automatically connect with any available WiFi networks when in range. This will help you to manage your data effectively.

WiFi calling is also an easy way to keep your data usage low while getting better service.

How to Track Data and WiFi

If you use WiFi often, then your mobile data usage is probably quite low. However, it is still important to track your mobile data, and here are some reasons why:

How Data is Used

Many phones and devices break down the different types of data usage. This allows you to not only make WiFi calls, but also perform other activities, such as stream media but use less data.

The average call uses roughly 4MB. High-definition video uses a lot more data. In fact, an hour of streaming video in high-def can cost you up to 1 GB of data!

There are several ways to track your data. Mobile phone services make it easy because data is critical for any mobile plan today. Again, you can easily make it a habit to track data by opening up your service provider’s app and clicking on data. You’ll see how much data you have used and how much is left for the month, or billing period.

Using WiFi service as much as possible lowers your mobile data usage tremendously. If you’re looking for a deeper dive, there are many apps that break down data usage by type. This is helpful for managing data when WiFi is not readily available.

The Right Plan

Having a plan with limited or little data can be very costly. Conversely, a plan with a great deal of unused data is essentially giving away money.

Monitoring your data allows you to average your monthly usage and select a plan that is the best possible fit for your needs.

WiFi Calling for Businesses

Businesses appreciate the convenience of WiFi calling in order to keep costs down. Larger businesses may have employees on mobile business plans with pooled data. WiFi calling is preferred because saving data is paramount.

Many businesses have shifted to VoIP systems due to convenience. But how does that help executives and team members on the go? Nextiva shows how a WiFi network provides the same experience as a VoIP setting.

As detailed in this blog, the increased functionality provided by WiFi gives professionals greater flexibility. Connecting to WiFi provides a sense of professionalism with clear, high-quality calls that don’t drop.

Furthermore, a great VoIP network over WiFi increases productivity and efficiency, which have a direct impact on bottom line.

Voice Packets vs. Data Packets

Today’s best VoIP systems implemented over WiFi prioritize the transmission of voice packets over data packets.

What does this mean? Consider an example…

Think about standing in a line to board an airplane. In most cases, VIP and first-class passengers board first. Then, the economy or coach passengers board next.

Voice packets are the VIP/first-class passengers, and data packets are the economy passengers.

Prioritizing information transmission in this order ensures higher quality calls. The data arrives at its destination without any disruption or noticeable delay.

The needs of a voice call – clarity, reliability, and immediate connection upon dialing – get lost in the shuffle, if this prioritization is not in place.

Why WiFi Calling is the Answer

All in all, WiFi calling is clearly more cost effective than data availability and usage. Furthermore, WiFi calls are often clearer, higher quality, and are more reliable than similar calls on mobile networks.

Therefore, adopting and implementing a VoIP solution and WiFi network for calling is a great way for business to cut costs while also increase quality.

One of the best ways to make sure this process is done correctly is partnering with a trusted partner in this field. Nextiva is a leader in the field of VoIP calling. Give your business the cost-effective calling solution today with Nextiva.

Republished by permission. Original here.

Photo via Shutterstock More in: Nextiva, Publisher Channel Content

O stradă din Cluj-Napoca va deveni prima arteră „smart” din România. Stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi, camere video şi bănci cu încărcare prin USB

O stradă din Cluj-Napoca va deveni prima arteră „smart” din România, cu stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi şi camere video şi bănci cu încărcare prin USB a telefoanelor mobile. Modernizarea străzii a fost aprobată luni de CL, finanţarea fiind asigurată din fonduri europene de 1,3 milioane de euro.

Primarul Emil Boc a declarat, luni, la şedinţa Consiliului Local Cluj-Napoca, în care s-a aprobat proiectul de modernizare a străzii Molnar Piuariu, că artera este un model de structură urbană în România care va fi replicat şi în alte părţi ale oraşului, scrie Mediafax.

„S-au aprobat documentaţia şi indicatorii tehnici pentru modernizarea străzii Molnar Piuariu, în vederea atragerii de fonduri europene nerambursabile. Este o premieră naţională, va fi prima stradă smart din România, o stradă inteligentă, cu toate facilităţile şi dotările tehnologice aferente unei astfel de artere. De asemenea, va avea mult spaţiu pietonal, un model de stradă inteligentă şi de realizare a unor structuri urbane din România, pe care îl vom replica şi în alte părţi ale oraşului”, a spus Boc.

Directorul Direcţiei Evenimente Publice şi Informare Cetăţeni din cadrul Primăriei Cluj-Napoca, Ovidiu Cîmpean, a declarat la rândul său că, până la sfârşitul anului, va fi depusă documentaţia în vederea obţinerii fondurilor europene, lucrările urmând să înceapă în vara anului viitor şi să dureze 9 luni.

„Pe strada Molnar Piuariu din cartierul Mărăşti se prevede amplasarea de bănci cu încărcător USB pentru telefoane mobile, stâlpi de iluminat cu wifi integrat şi camere video, un sistem automat de irigare cu senzori de umiditate pentru arbori, astfel încât acesta să pornească automat atunci când este nevoie. De asemenea, o parte din stradă va fi pietonalizată, vor fi construite staţii de încărcare pentru biciclete şi trotinete electrice, dar şi două staţii de încărcare pentru autoturisme electrice. Vor fi plantaţi copaci şi vor fi construite cişmele cu apă şi piste de biciclete. Valoarea proiectului se ridică la 1,3 milioane de euro, 98% din sumă provenind din fonduri europene. Zona care va fi reamenajată va avea o suprafaţă de circa 4500 mp”, a spus Cîmpean.

Proiectul va fi depus în vederea finanţării prin Programul Operaţional Regional care priveşte reducerea emisiilor de carbon prin investiţii bazate pe planurile de mobilitate urbană durabilă.

Daman deploys Aruba WiFi solution for security compliance - ITP.net

Daman has deployed wireless solutions from Aruba to help manage connectivity for employers and guests while maintaining government security compliance.

The UAE's National Health Insurance Company has rolled out Aruba ClearPass Network Access Control (NAC) solution, to monitor and control access for employees, contractors and guests at 12 separate locations.

Two Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager 5K virtual appliances have been deployed at Daman's data centre and disaster recovery sites NAC, along with Aruba ClearPass Policy Manager 500 virtual appliance nodes at branch offices.

The solution allows Daman to be compliant with new government security regulations, the main reason for deploying the Aruba solution, and also to manage a diverse user base, with up to 45,000 devices accessing the network each week.

Omar Almarzooqi, Manager, IT Security & Networks at Daman explains, "In addition to security which was the prime requirement, the solution needed to be flexible enough to work in a multi-vendor environment, and scalable enough to be deployed across our twelve large branches without adding complexity or management overheads."

"Aruba completed the implementation in under a week which we found extremely impressive given the complexity of our IT environment. Aruba's solution was more easily integrated and performed better than that provided by the competing vendor who had the experience of working on Daman's network solutions previously."

"Aruba's solution performs exceptionally well even in our complex multi-vendor environment and its powerful capabilities open up the possibility of leveraging it for many more purposes than we initially intended. We will continue innovating with this solid platform and are excited to grow our relationship with Aruba to enhance services for all stakeholders," Almarzooqi said.

Bhubaneswar to have over 500 WiFi hot spots with 1800 access points

Bhubaneswar, the number one Smart City, has jumped the bandwagon of modern cities with Wi-Fi connectivity.

Through a project titled 'Bhubaneswar Me WiFi', the special purpose vehicle- Bhubaneswar Smart City Ltd (BSCL) aims to make the city accessible at key places. Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today launched the project which will take off initially with 100 hotspots powered by 275 access points. Eventually, the city will have 518 hotspots with 1800 access points.

While one Wi-Fi hotspot would be able to handle as many as 150 users at a given point of time, the internet speed will be available at two megabytes per second (MBPS). Access to 250 MB of data will be free for any user on a given day.

“Today is a historic day for Bhubaneswar. The city of temples will have an IT backbone comparable to the best modern cities in the world. Bhubaneswar dot Me WiFi project will be a game changer for our youth to realize the heights of knowledge economy. Bhubaneswar will stamp its entry as a global smart city with 500 hotspots spanning entire city under this project,” said Patnaik.

"As part of my commitment for 3Ts- Technology, Transparency and Teamwork, in coming days, we will have similar free Wi-Fi facilities in all our corporations- Cuttack, Sambalpur, Berhampur, Rourkela and our JagannathDhaam-Puri," he added.

The City Wi-Fi project is part of the smart solutions of BSCL and also of the Master System Integrator (MSI). The project is executed by Honeywell, a company with IT expertise.

MSI will also include the Bhubaneswar Operations Centre, Intelligent Traffic Signal and Control System and Common Payment Card System so that all the IT-based systems and infrastructure across the Smart City would function in sync.

Today’s best deals: Instant Pot Black Friday sale, $19 WiFi extender, $20 earbuds, $19 egg cooker, more

The early Black Friday deals out there are so good this year that you might be able to completely finish your holiday shopping long before Black Friday actually arrives. Highlights from Monday’s roundup of the best daily deals out there includes the lowest price of 2018 on the world’s most popular Instant Pot, a one-day $30 discount on NuWave’s awesome air fryer, a new all-time low on the wireless camera that lets your smartphone see anywhere when you use the code HXROHDCT at checkout, the best-selling Wi-Fi range extender on all of Amazon for just $18.99, a SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSD card for just $22.50 (also an all-time low), the return of discounted Apple AirPods, Fire TV Stick refurbs for $30, popular Anker Bluetooth earbuds for $19.99, Dash’s perfect egg cooker for $19, a fast wireless charging pad for only $12, and so much more. Check out all of today’s top deals below.

Follow @BGRDeals on Twitter to keep up with the latest and greatest deals we find around the web.

BGR Deals content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and BGR may receive a commission on purchases made through our posts.

WiFi or cellular data? IIT-B scientists offer a way to choose

Users of mobile data are always in a dilemma; what to choose — a WiFi or cellular network — for better data connectivity? Such questions may soon be a thing of the past if a team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has its way.

The scientists at IIT-B’s Electrical Engineering Department have come out with a set of algorithms for network service providers to efficiently manage the choice of network for mobile devices.

Today, WiFi is available in most public places, thanks to hotspots. Although generally WiFi provides higher data speed compared with cellular network and is cost-effective, data rate starts to drop as more people connect to a single hotspot. On the other hand, if the number of data connections increase in a cellular network, it may lead to voice call blocking. The next generation 5G communications technology tries to address these limitations of mobile telephony, said the IIT-B scientists in a statement.

“But at present, these limitations are for real. Currently, there is no coordination between a WiFi network and 4G network. The decision to choose between either of the two networks is taken by the user. Our algorithms make it possible for the operator to take over this job,” said Arghyadip Roy, a doctoral student with Abhay Karandikar, Professor, IIT-Bombay who recently took over as the director of IIT-Kanpur.

“The system that we have proposed on the other hand can give the network operator a chance to judiciously allocate better data transfer rates and quality of voice calls to the consumers,” Roy told BusinessLine. It provides a central controller that can be used by the operator to monitor the connections at each cell tower or WiFi access points and decide if a data or voice call should be served using mobile network or WiFi.

“Controlling the access networks through a central, cloud-based controller is the future of mobile networks. People want to have the entire picture of the network and make decisions based on that,” said IIT-B professor Prasanna Chaporkar, who along with Karandikar and Roy authored the paper which appeared in the IEEE journal Transactions on Vehicular Technology recently, in a statement.

The scientists said their idea was to find a way to make maximum utilisation of the system. That way, each user can get the best data rate possible while ensuring that the fraction of voice calls blocked stay within specified limits.

SparkLAN Launches WPET-236ACN (BT) & WUBT-236ACN (BT) Series 802.11ac Dual Band WiFi + Bluetooth Combo Half Mini PCIe / USB Module

media24 | November 5, 2018 | Press Release |

Taipei, Taiwan, November 05, 2018 –(PR.com)– SparkLAN releases the newest 11ac USB and half mini PCIe combo card. Enjoy SparkLAN’s WUBT-236ACN (BT) and WPET-236ACN (BT) Dual-Band adapter. Using the latest 802.11ac wireless standard, WUBT-236ACN(BT) / WPET-236ACN(BT) is a highly integrated single-chip Wireless LAN (WLAN), Bluetooth USB module which supports 2 stream 802.11ac solutions with multi-user MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) wireless LAN (WLAN) and integrated Bluetooth 4.2. WUBT-236ACN (BT) is an integrated 2Tx2R WLAN MAC, baseband, and dual band RF in a single chip USB module. WUBT-236ACN (BT) / WPET-236ACN (BT) provides a cost effective solution for M2M (machine to machine) connectivity product/device; it can be easily integrated into the most familiar operation system (Android/Linux/Windows).

WUBT-236ACN (BT) 802.11ac/a/b/g/n 2Tx2R USB WLAN/BT module with various USB input format & internal printing or external RF antenna connector for high performance wireless LAN and Bluetooth device. WPET-236ACN (BT) 802.11ac/a/b/g/n 2Tx2R USB WLAN/BT module is a half mini PCI-e form factor with IPEX connector. It is designed to provide completely M2M connection & excellent cost performance with low power consumption and enhance the advantages of robust systems & applications.

SparkLAN provides leading wireless technology with unmatched support around the world. They have certified WUBT-236ACN (BT) / WPET-236ACN (BT) for FCC/IC/CE/MIC to reduce testing costs for their customers. SparkLAN provides driver support for operating systems such as Linux, Windows and Android. To further expedite the product development process, SparkLAN also provides additional services including custom driver, certification services.

Key Feature

– Support Multiple Operation Systems (Linux / Windows / Android) – Support 802.11ac 2×2, compliant with MU-MIMO. Operates in 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands – Maximum data rates: 54Mbps in 802.11g, 300Mbps in 802.11n, 866.7Mbps in 802.11ac

– Type of form factor: USB or HMC

Company Information
Founded in 2002, SparkLAN is one of the worldwide leading wireless networking solution providers. Our product mix covers wireless embedded modules, and wireless networking devices, offering a comprehensive line of solutions for M2M connectivity in the highest growing broadband communication application. For more information, please visit www.sparklan.com.

Contact Information: SparkLAN Communications, Inc. Sharon Wang 886-2-2659-1880

Contact via Email

www.sparklan.com

Read the full story here: https://www.pr.com/press-release/769028

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

Source: PR.com

Virgin Media UK Trial Smart WiFi Upgrade for Broadband Routers

Tuesday, November 6th, 2018 (12:30 am) - Score 890

ISPreview.co.uk has learnt that cable ISP Virgin Media have recently started inviting selected customers to take part in a secret new “broadband trial” (VMBW2) for Smart Wi-Fi technology, which aims to boost the overall network performance and improve connectivity to WiFi enabled devices.

At this stage we don’t know a huge amount about what is being tested, although it comes in the form of a firmware upgrade for the operator’s Hub 3.0 (SuperHub v3) cable routers and from the information we’ve seen it appears to be an implementation of something similar to, or the same as, AirTime Fairness (ATF) technology.

ATF is a kind of congestion management feature that has been around in some, but not all, WiFi networks for years and it tends to be optional (i.e. routers may disable it by default). Essentially ATF is designed to better manage your wireless network airwaves / traffic between multiple users (being fair with the sharing of capacity), although it may also reduce the performance for some users (e.g. those on slow / old devices).

Modern WiFi networks are getting better at sharing capacity and managing “airtime” congestion, thus many people may not require ATF to be enabled. However some environments, particularly busy ones with lots of users and wireless networks or devices (especially if you have a mix of older/ slower WiFi devices and newer / faster ones), may find this to be a useful improvement when enabled.

A Virgin Media Spokesperson told ISPreview.co.uk:

“We are in the process of trialling a number of exciting features as part of our continued investment to improve connectivity in our customers’ homes. We’ll keep customers updated once we have more information to share.”

At this stage it’s unclear whether Virgin Media eventually intend to deploy the upgrade to all of their hubs (old and new) or even if they will enable it by default. Equally, being a trial, it’s possible that the so-called “Smart WiFi” feature may never see the light of day but that seems unlikely.

Nigeria: Fast, Free Google WiFi Could Transform Nigerians' Health

guest column By Ifeanyi Nsofor

Abuja — Nigeria is the fifth country – and the first in Africa – to get Google Station super-fast Internet at selected locations.

Google Station has launched in Nigeria, bringing Internet speeds sixteen times faster than the country's average of 1.86 megabits per second. It's as if people who cycle to work are suddenly able to ride a bullet train.

But the initiative's free high-speed Internet connections are limited to designated shopping malls and the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos State.

To make a real difference in the lives of Nigerians, the company should designate Google Station hotspots in public health facilities across the country. This would make Google Station a game-changer for health in Nigeria, where there are on average four doctors for every 10,000 people and where maternal and infant mortality is among the highest in the world.

Telemedicine – using digital technology for health-care delivery – is a proven means to fast-track quality and patient-centred healthcare. It can assist with training medical students and resident doctors, as well as for managing patients.

Telemedicine is one of the transformations that faster WiFi can enable

Nigeria has already glimpsed the benefits. Shell Nigeria deployed telemedicine to treat workers on its off-shore platforms and to support health-care providers who treat infants at the Obio Cottage Community Hospital in Port Harcourt [the capital and largest city of Rivers State in the oil-producing but impoverished Niger Delta area].

However, the expansion of telemedicine has been hampered by Nigeria's anemic 1.86Mbps Internet speed. The 30Mbps speed provided by Google Station would make operations seamless.

Google Station should quickly move beyond shopping malls to include medical schools, teaching hospitals and secondary healthcare facilities.

Google Station can also transform the environment for Africa's digital health innovators. For example, EpiAFRIC holds an annual "Health Meets Tech Hackathon". But they have had to cope with Internet speeds that sputter along, and brilliant young hackers struggle to bring their ideas to life.

At the last Health Meets Tech Hackathon in Abuja, EpiAFRIC provided connectivity through five different Internet service providers in a bid to overcome the poor speeds. Just imagine the impact of high-speed Wi-Fi at tech hubs where hackathons take place. It would unleash hackers' ability to develop novel technology solutions to Africa's myriad health challenges.

At EpiAFRIC's 2018 Hackathon, nine teams developed technology solutions to improve health in Nigeria despite very challenging poor internet connections. Team Datex developed a mobile technology to improve health-care access in rural areas, connecting remote health workers with specialists in urban centres. Such technology solutions can become a reality across Africa, when governments invest in free, high-speed Wi-Fi for health facilities.

Every year, thousands of Nigerian medical doctors emigrate to the West for better training and access to state-of-the-art technologies for patient care. There are estimates that 25,000 medical doctors of Nigerian origin practice in the United States. Many search for opportunities to transfer their knowledge back home.

Google Station Health could allow for the transfer of knowledge in health-care delivery – and it might even entice some of these émigrés home.

To be sure, use of Google raises data privacy concerns. There are issues with leaks, use of cookies to track a person's search history and Google's use of its Analytics product to determine a user's browsing path. All of this data fuels Google's advertising success, which generated US$95 billion in 2017.

Google must increase transparency of its use of personal data and ensure it is protected. The government should educate consumers about privacy issues on the Internet. But while these concerns are genuine, they do not overshadow the potential benefits to people's health.

Nigeria is the first country on the African continent to benefit from this global Google initiative. The choice to launch in Lagos, Nigeria – Africa's most populous city in its most populous country – was strategic, giving Google the potential to quickly reach millions of users.

The company plans to scale up Wi-Fi access to 200 locations in five Nigerian cities by 2019. But Google should think beyond the commercial benefits of scaling and plan for real social impact.

Indeed, Google Station should waste no time in deploying across Africa, with a special emphasis on augmenting health systems in partnership with African governments to deliver affordable, equitable and patient-centred healthcare.

Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor is Director of Policy & Advocacy for Nigeria Health Watch, CEO of EpiAFRIC and a 2018 Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow.

Hooked on Wifi: The 15 Most Internet Addicted Countries Around the World

A new study released by leading price comparison website Compare the Market uncovers which nations are the most internet dependant. In the era of fake news, Snapchat and #selfie, it seems we are never too far away from our phones or without access to the internet. But which countries are the most addicted and in need of a digital detox? Compare the Market reveal all with this new study.

By analysing the total number of free wifi spots, the number of mobile subscriptions per person and the percentage of the population who use the internet, Compare the Market were able to establish the most internet addicted countries in the world.

The Top Three Countries in Need of a Digital Detox

The study reveals that the United States take the crown as the most internet obsessed nation. Here 76% of the local population use the internet, there is an average of 1.23 mobile subscriptions per person and over half a million free wifi locations are available throughout the country. Another study also revealed how the average American spends a whopping 24 hours a week online.

Surprisingly, Brazil, who take second place, offer the highest amount of free wifi locations with 559,490 in total – that’s almost 40,000 more than the United States (515,925). Macao, China, ranks as the third most internet dependant nation on the list.

Top 15 Most Internet Addicted Countries: (Ranked by the three factors)

Rank	Country
1	United States
2	Brazil
3	Macao
4	Russia
5	United Arab Emirates
6	Bahrain
7	Hong Kong
8	Saudi Arabia
9	United Kingdom
10	South Korea
11	Luxembourg
12	Germany
13	Austria
14	Japan
15	Denmark

Countries with the Highest Percent of Digital Users

Bahrain and Luxembourg both share the top spot with a staggering 98% of their populations regularly connecting to the internet.

Middle Eastern, Asian and European cities all take top spots as the countries with the highest number of digital users, including Denmark (97%), United Kingdom (95%), Japan (93%), South Korea (93%) and United Arab Emirates (91%).

Countries with the Most Mobile Subscriptions Per Person

It may seem strange that in some areas of the world, residents have two, or three, mobile phones under their belts. Macao take the top spot and have, on average, 3.22 mobile phone subscriptions per person. Hong Kong are next with 2.41 mobiles, followed closely behind by United Arab Emirates (2.15) and Bahrain (2.1).

For more information on the most internet dependant countries, please visit Compare the Market.

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