Former FCC chairman puts safety challenge to industry

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: JOANIE WEXLER ON WIRELESS IN THE
ENTERPRISE
10/05/05
Today's focus: Former FCC chairman puts safety challenge to
industry

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Gears grind toward national public safety net
* Links related to Wireless in the Enterprise
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter sponsored by Nortel
Building the Mobile Enterprise Online Expo

The workplace is changing rapidly. Employees need to be
untethered from their desks while remaining connected and
accessible. This online event helps you solve your enterprise
mobility challenges by bringing together industry leaders,
including Nortel's CTO and CIO and RIM's VP Enterprise Systems,
to discuss the hottest topics in enterprise mobility. Broadcast
live to your desktop on Nov. 8, 2005. Register today!
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116919
_______________________________________________________________
DOES WMM MAKE YOU GO HMMM?

Eager to spur interoperable QoS among different vendors'
wireless gear, the Wi-Fi Alliance developed the Wi-Fi Multimedia
(WMM) specification. WMM is designed to support consumer and
corporate applications and works with all three 802.11 wireless
physical layer standards. For more on how WMM handles the
prioritization of data packets, DCF, CM and more, click here:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116118
_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: Former FCC chairman puts safety challenge to
industry

By Joanie Wexler

At last week's CTIA show, Reed Hundt, a senior advisor at
management consulting company McKinsey & Co. and a former FCC
chairman, threw down a challenge to the participating
infrastructure providers: Figure out a way in the post-Katrina
climate to meld wireless devices and networks such that
emergency responders can use them cohesively, nationwide, to
improve communications and response times during disasters.

Many public safety radio networks are not interoperable with one
another. So when an emergency requires the collaboration of
multiple agencies and jurisdictions, communications must take
place with each entity one at a time, if at all. Today, in many
municipalities, even local fire and police departments cannot
communicate directly. From a national perspective, attempting to
tie local first responders to state emergency personnel, then to
organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) gets increasingly difficult.

According to a report done by the U.S. National Task Force on
Interoperability, the public safety community has identified the
following key issues that hamper public safety wireless
communications today:

* Incompatible and aging communications equipment.
* Limited and fragmented budget cycles and funding.
* Limited and fragmented planning and coordination.
* Limited and fragmented radio spectrum.
* Limited equipment standards.

Hundt suggested that the nationwide public safety network might
have to serve and coordinate 8 million to 10 million emergency
responders, support high levels of reliability and security, and
enable ad-hoc networking. He mentioned municipal Wi-Fi mesh
networks and setting aside a special spectrum in the 700-MHz
public safety band as possible technical options.

Well-seasoned consultant Andy Seybold, president of
Outlook4Mobility, who moderated the panel discussion at which
Hundt spoke, snickered that "municipal Wi-Fi is its own national
disaster," presumably because he has been known to equate the
unlicensed nature of Wi-Fi (at least, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi) with severe
interference issues that he fears will not allow Wi-Fi to scale.

Meanwhile, from an organizational standpoint, the federal
government this year established an umbrella program called
Safecom. Safecom's purpose is to improve the public safety
response among all levels of public safety agencies, which
includes 44,000 local and state agencies and more than 100
federal agencies, through more effective and efficient
interoperable wireless communications.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Nortel faces uphill battle
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir8204>
2. How to solve Windows system crashes in minutes
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir7856>
3. Cisco pushes new security software
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir8205>
4. Tech Update: High-speed TCP eases WAN congestion
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir8206>
5. Somebody's got to pick up the 'Net's tab
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlwir8207>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Joanie Wexler

Joanie Wexler is an independent networking technology
writer/editor in California's Silicon Valley who has spent most
of her career analyzing trends and news in the computer
networking industry. She welcomes your comments on the articles
published in this newsletter, as well as your ideas for future
article topics. Reach her at <mailto:joanie@jwexler.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by TrendsMedia

WIMAX WORLD CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION is the world's largest
wireless broadband business solutions event. The event is
endorsed by the WiMAX Forum and official corporate host
Motorola. Other sponsors include ATT, Siemens, Intel, NextNet,
Fujitsu, IBM. 130+ sponsors, 75+ speakers, special networking
events, exhibits and more. Complimentary Expo Pass (priority
code WMXOPXF). October 26-28, 2005, Boston World Trade Center.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116922
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Wireless in the Enterprise newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/wireless/index.html

Wireless research center
Latest wireless news, analysis and resource links
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/wireless.html
_______________________________________________________________
Keep Private Data Secure - Safeguarding Applications

Recent studies have shown that almost 75 percent of attacks are
now at the application layer. Find out what you can do to
cost-effectively secure applications watch "Safeguarding Your
Web Applications" now.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=116064
_______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE

IT PROS SHARE THEIR TALES OF MAKING ITIL WORK

Running an enterprise network is challenging. IT organizational
change can be even more so if managers don't balance efforts
proportionally across people, process and technology.
Implementing best practices frameworks such as Information
Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) can help, but they
introduce their own set of challenges. Click here for more:

<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/092205-itil.html>
_______________________________________________________________
May We Send You a Free Print Subscription?
You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered
at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by
receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply
today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2

International subscribers click here:
http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html
_______________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail
newsletters, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx>

To change your e-mail address, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx>

Subscription questions? Contact Customer Service by replying to
this message.

This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com
Please use this address when modifying your subscription.
_______________________________________________________________

Have editorial comments? Write Jeff Caruso, Newsletter Editor,
at: <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>

Inquiries to: NL Customer Service, Network World, Inc., 118
Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

For advertising information, write Kevin Normandeau, V.P. of
Online Development, at: <mailto:sponsorships@nwfusion.com>

Copyright Network World, Inc., 2005