Reporter’s Notebook
On Monday, the state of New York began its internal systems-integration testing of the first phase of the statewide wireless network (SWN) being built by Tyco Electronics M/A-COM. Last month, the vendor certified the first phase as being ready for testing, but the network has failed tests twice before after M/A-COM has made such certifications. After the internal testing is completed on Nov. 21, a key sign will be whether the state conducts operational testing, which would begin on Dec. 2. The December tests only will happen if the results of this monthfs tests are positive; if the internal tests are not satisfactory, the state theoretically could nix the $2 billion contract with Tyco Electronics before the end of the year.
In Motion Technology launched its next]generation onBoard Mobility Manager. The onBoard Mobility Manager continuously collects and analyzes information from vehicles equipped with In Motionfs onBoard Mobile Gateway. The platform provides headquarters staff with a virtual dashboard of information from the field and sends alerts based on pre]set thresholds. It works with standard web]browsers and displays detailed information about vehicles, networks and devices on a three dimensional map.
Icomera AB, a provider of cellular broadband gateways, announced that usage of its mobile Internet access systems deployed on passenger transport worldwide has exceeded three and a half million sessions. Operators of trains, buses, coaches and ferries deploy Icomerafs Moovbox technology to provide Internet access to passengers while also delivering high-speed connectivity to on-board systems such as ticketing and GPS-based vehicle tracking. By the end of October 2008, more than 1 million passengers had used Wi-Fi services across these fleets approximately 3.72 million times, a 272% increase in the last 12 months.
Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) announced that both it and its joint venture partner Mobile Satellite Ventures (Canada) Inc. have selected Telesat to manage in-orbit operations of both the MSV-1 and MSV-2 next-generation satellites to be launched into respective U.S. and Canadian orbital slots. The agreement calls for Telesat to conduct in-orbit operations of MSVfs two next generation satellites, currently scheduled for launch in 2009 and 2010, from its Satellite Operations Center in Ottawa, Canada, and its backup facility in Mount Jackson, Va.