FCC plans to nix wireless network that may jam GPS
Federal officials plan to kill a private company's plans to start a national high-speed wireless broadband network after concluding it would in some cases jam personal-navigation and other GPS devices.
The Federal Communications Commission said it will seek public comment as early as Tuesday on revoking LightSquared's permit after a federal agency that coordinates wireless signals, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, concluded that there's no way to mitigate potential interference. Read more...
Japan to launch smartphone-only TV broadcast channel
A television broadcast viewable only on smartphones and tablets with special tuners will go live across Japan next year, according to a venture funded by the country's largest television stations and mobile operator.
New broadcaster nottv said at Ceatec, the Japanese electronics show running this week, that it will use bandwidth frequencies left over when the country ended its analog broadcasts earlier this year.
Because it will function as an over-the-air broadcaster, its quality will not suffer as the number of viewers increase, and it will be able to deliver digital content, including games and newspapers, simultaneously to a mass audience.
"Television is currently designed for viewing at home, with everyone sitting around a TV. We want to be more personal and interactive," said Hiroaki Ban, a manager in the corporate strategy division of mmbi, the company that will operate nottv. Read more...