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Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
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Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
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Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
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UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
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Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
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Opinion Articles

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Device keeps internet on when power goes off

Michael Scaturro of voanews.com writes:

A team of Americans and Kenyans has developed a new Internet router - and it's creating buzz. That's because it is an affordable, reliable solution for people without consistent Internet access. It can run while plugged in or on battery power, jump between networks at will, and become a mobile hotspot for multiple devices. The team presented the device - called the Brck [pronounced Brick] - at the Re:publica tech conference in Berlin.

Erik Hersman and his team in Nairobi have created what they say is the first router made especially for Africa. It's battery powered and rugged. And it's gaining attention in Europe and the United States. In just a week, the team has met half of its cash target on the fundraising website Kickstarter.com.

Hersman gave the keynote speech about the Brck at the Re:publica tech conference.

“What we have right here is the version six prototype. It will be decreasing in size. Already it's about this footprint and thinner.”

Brck is rock solid

The Brck device works with unreliable power and unreliable Internet to provide connectivity to entire villages.

Blogger Al Banda of Cameroon said he saw the device for the first time this week in Berlin. The device drew his attention because it could solve an issue that he has experienced.

“In Cameroon, in my community, we constantly have power outages, and you won't get access to the Internet. We constantly have the ISPs for any random reason just not providing the service they claim they're providing us, so a solution like that is an African answer to an African problem,” said Banda.

James Clardy, a venture consultant from Texas, said he's already bought a Brck and thinks it might be a hit in developed countries as well.

“I'm exploring uses of these technologies for building telehealth, building telemedicine. So having a portable device that can connect to the Internet is of as much value to me as a technology developer,” said Clardy.

Production stage nears

Hersman said the device works on any available Internet or power sources.

“If you have an Internet connection problem, it will ‘fail over’ to the sim card, so you'll have 3G connectivity, which means that you can completely unplug it and take it with you wherever you want to go, and have connectivity along the way,” he said.

Hersman told audiences at Re:publica that production will start when the company meets its Kickstarter goal of $125,000.

The company plans to make 500 to 1,500 devices during the first production run, with most going to Africa and India.

Each device is slated to cost about $100.

Originally published on voanews.com

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