Carmen Nobel

The Federal Communications Commission brought in $2.25 billion in an auction of 242 spectrum licenses, which ended last week. Most licenses cover rural areas but include cities such as Houston and Los Angeles. Verizon Wireless and partner Vista PCS led the pack, winning a combined 63 licenses with almost $697.4 million in bids. Royal Street […]

Setting up a wireless LAN can be as easy as sticking a plug into an outlet. But even technology-savvy customers are complaining that security can be a hassle due to problems with documentation and support. While industry standards bodies are making strides to ensure that even consumer-level WLAN hardware is effective and secure, the user […]

AirMagnet Inc. this week will introduce the latest version of its wireless intrusion prevention software, which includes new client blocking capabilities and better integration with gear from Cisco Systems Inc. AirMagnet Enterprise 5.1 ties into Ciscos WLAN (wireless LAN) management software, known as Wireless LAN Solution Engine, or WLSE. The AirMagnet software can now automatically […]

A Silicon Valley startup last week introduced a mesh networking system that aims to improve bandwidth over traditional mesh networks by up to 50 times. MeshDynamics MD-300 family of software and hardware uses multiple radios and channels to reduce network latency and congestion, which can be a problem with voice traffic, said officials at the […]

The vice president and general manager of Ciscos Wireless Networking Business Unit is leaving his post for at least six months, officials at the San Jose, Calif., networking giant confirmed Friday. Bill Rossi, who joined Cisco Systems Inc. in 1995, has been with the industry-leading wireless unit since 1999. He oversees the companys SWAN (Structured […]

Hewlett-Packard Co. on Wednesday launched a series of products, services and partnerships aimed at the mobile workforce. The announcements ranged from new hardware to various plans to improve wireless networking. “No other company spans the breadth of mobility like HP,” said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager of Mobile Computing at HP in […]

The Wi-Fi Alliance will use its pull in the industry to improve security measures in wireless LAN hardware over the next year. The Austin, Texas, trade organization, which confers the right to use the Wi-Fi label on hardware, plans to increase encryption requirements for certification. But members of the security task groups within the alliance […]

Broadcom Corp. is sampling a new series of its Ethernet chip, which distinguishes itself with support for wireless LAN switching. The StrataXGS III 500 series is the fifth generation of the companys Ethernet switch technology. All five generations have a common software API, allowing for smoother product upgrades for licensees, said officials at Broadcom in […]

IBM and Dell Inc. are among several PC makers rolling out notebooks that take advantage of Intel Corp.s new, speedy Sonoma chip set. Sonoma, the latest version of the popular Centrino chip set, will appear in 150 notebook models by years end, said Intel officials in Santa Clara, Calif. Sonoma features a 533MHz front-side bus […]

Consider Juniper Networks Inc. among the many networking companies scrambling to improve their wireless portfolios. According to sources, the Sunnyvale, Calif., company is working to buy a wireless LAN switching startup to keep pace with competitors such as Cisco Systems Inc., which earlier this month announced the acquisition of Airespace Inc. The move boosts Cisco […]