Thursday, December 2, 2010

CIA’s secrete Operations worldwide and drug money

CIA’s secrete Operations worldwide and drug money

Farzana Shah

Feb 25, 2009
In Afghanistan US/NATO put blame on Taliban for the poppy cultivation in Afghanistan for financing their resistance to allied forces. Ironically, it was only in Taliban era when the world had seen a sharp decline in opium crop in Afghanistan. Taliban banned opium cultivation nationwide. A more important question is how and when this business of drug production and trafficking started in region? CIA has been using drug money since long to generate money to support its operations all over the world. It did not start in Afghanistan it was brought here after experimenting somewhere else.
This is something which is not a lead story in international media for obvious reasons despite the fact it is harming millions of lives around the globe. 1. CIA’s secret Operations
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on of the most active and dynamic intelligence setups in the world needs massive amount of money to carry on its clandestine operations all over the world. It has happened when CIA used local sources to conduct a coups, assassinations, regime change, etc. As US has a long history to support democracy by hook and crook measures, until and unless a dictator is ready to serve US interests to prolong its rule.
Operations like the one completed in Iran in 1953 to remove Prime Minister Mussadaq and backing Shah’s regime by using assets in civil society, or in Iraq in 1975 to arm Iraqi Kurds to destabilize Pre-Saddam in Iraq or more recently using its assets in Pakistan to pave the way of direct US intervention in Pakistan under pretext of hunting Al-Qaeda.
These kinds of operations need a lot of financial input. Usually CIA arranges revenue from its own means for this kind of operations where expenses can’t be predicted by any measure. Funds from Whitehouse always need a complete audit and detailed reports about usage of these funds. There are numerous occasions when CIA never shared details of operations with its own analytical wing nor with any other public office in Washington. Most of the time it is drug money that compensates these expenses.
CIA operations are not only single expenditure fulfilled by drugs there are also other deficiencies which are compensated with this money like financial institutes and banks in current financial crisis. UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa based in Vienna revealed that drug money often became the only available capital when the crisis spiraled out of control last year.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had found evidence that "inter bank loans were funded by money that originated from drug trade and other illegal activities,"Costa was quoted as saying. There were "signs that some banks were rescued in that way." It is not only CIA anymore in trade for using it as gold mine to finance its illegal operations all over the world but US economy also need some liquidity in its banks, it doesn’t matter if it is coming by drug trade.
2. Drug Production & Consumption
Afghanistan is the largest producer of heroin’s main ingredient; opium and opium is nothing new in this part of the world. In Afghanistan and FATA, Pakistan it is being produced since centuries; used as remedy for various diseases. Commercial production of opium began just during the Russian invasion in Afghanistan where it is estimated to produce some 8250 metric tons (Source: AmericanFreePress.net, November 24, 2008) of opium per year which makes 85% to 90% of the world's supply of opium. This also contributes towards Afghan warlords’ wealth directly. This is what CIA brought to the region: Opium production without a brand name obviously. Today’s world opium production map is as under; Left: Demand and trafficking of drugs globally. US is one of very high concentration drug trafficking territory thanks to Regan’s National Security Council who turned a blind eye towards South American cocaine socking into US in 1980 when CIA was backing all the drug traffickers of Contra movements in Nicaragua.
Markets for these drugs stretched world over from Western Europe to Far East, From Canada to Latin America and From China to Morocco, Africa. Profits related to this business also vary along with market’s location.
This business enriches not only the United States-friendly Afghan warlords but also elements of the Northern Alliance, the US key ally in the country. More disturbing is fact that this money also contributes in CIA’s operations against Pakistan as well. 3. Contra Movements (1980)
In Asia demand for heroin is more than any other drug but it is not the case world over. Cocaine is favorite drug which is consumed the most. Cocaine was nothing new in South American countries but it was only during Nicaraguan contra movements against the then dictator it got shoot up. It was again CIA’s regime change operation to bring "democracy" in Nicaragua. It was during this period when the whole region saw an unprecedented surge in cocaine trafficking in 1980. This has been investigated none other than but by CIA’s inspector general in later years. Was CIA a part of this?
Answer is not only CIA was aiding these cocaine traffickers and money-launderers but Ronald Reagon’s National Security Council also turned a blind eye towards these drug trades despite the fact that later these very drug traffickers brought cocaine to mainland US. According to CIA’s inspector general report, published in online magazine The Consortium magazine, Oct. 15, 1998, it was Reagan’s National Security Council which cleared proven drug traffickers and CIA inspector general Frederick Hitz confirmed long standing.
Above: Armed men of Nicaragua insurgency during 1980, armed with CIA’s sport and financed by drug money. Allegations of cocaine traffickers.
The NSC’s covert airline was the main transportation mean to do this trade in safest possible way.
Most stunning part of all this contra movements and CIA involvement is methods these movements used to dismantle the then Nicaraguan government including bombing and killing of civilians and CIA withheld all evidence of contra crimes from Justice Department, the Congress and even its own analytical division just to conceal its connection with drug traffickers. 4.Afghanistan
As it is mentioned earlier that Afghanistan was not a hub of drug supply to world before Russian invasion in 1979. It was CIA once again to implement what it successfully implemented in Nicaragua in 1980. Now, Afghanistan is biggest contributor in drug production with its massive opium production.
Russian Afghan War (1979-1989)
CIA was not fully done with contra movements when Russia invaded Afghanistan in 1979 threatening the region with her expansionist design to gain control over Afghanistan and Baluchistan province of Pakistan to reach Arabian Sea. Pakistan decided to confront Russia inside Afghanistan to thwart communist designs. CIA found an opportunity in Afghanistan to settle its long standing duel with Russian for global dominion, after initial successes by Afghan fighters. CIA once again brought tested formula of drug to finance this war which it used in South America with only difference in prescription where cocaine was replaced with heroin. Poppy cultivation was nothing new to Afghan but it was level of production and demand created by international traffickers in the world which shocked many in vicinity of these poppy fields.
Profit gained by these drugs was main driving force behind all this trade and with heroin it was much more than what it was with cocaine. Ironically US and Europe became biggest markets of heroin prepared produced in Afghanistan.
Regan’s administration is also a common factor in both Afghan heroin trade and contra cocaine traffickers. Role of CIA in first Afghan war was not overt as it could provoke Russians in more direct retaliation albeit Cuban missile crisis of 1960s. To avoid that kind of hostility it was more suitable for CIA to have silent links with Afghan warlords and providing sources to grow poppy. "By the end of Russian invasion in 1989 Afghanistan was second largest opium production spot with 1350 Metric ton after notorious Golden Triangle including countries like Laos, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam which was producing 2645 Metric ton at that time leaving Latin America way behind with just 112 Metric ton", as per US Drug Enforcement Administration. Pre and Post Taliban Era (1994-2001)
In 1994 unrest and lawlessness in Afghanistan gave rise to Taliban. Motivated with their strict religious background and education they put ban on all kinds of drugs in territory under their control but this was not the cure for chronically infected Afghan economy and society. Non availability of any job market and strong hold of Northern Alliance of Northern part of country remained biggest challenge to these efforts to cut down poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. But despite all the challenges Talibans were able to put a serious cut on opium.
Above: A price comparison between Cocaine and Heroin. Despite low price of Afghan opium street price in end market in US is many times more than cocaine’s price in same market.
production in Afghanistan by start of 2001 when they were about to capture Northern Alliance’s strong hold Mazar-e-Sharif but post 9/11 scenario not only changed the geopolitical dynamics of the whole world but also destroyed the efforts of Taliban to control opium production. Left: In year 2001, just before US/NATO invasion into Afghanistan, Taliban were able to cut down opium production by a decisive margin. This was also one of core reasons against Taliban along with other excuses. After year 2002, when Taliban were removed from power there is a historical increase in opium production in Afghanistan, money is going to pentagon to carry on Afghan and Iraq war despite a historical recession in US. Recent Afghan Conflict (2002 – To date)
Afghanistan is leading opium production in world today but after the invasion of US in 2002 Afghanistan is also attributed to have largest heroin production in the world as well.
Without active support of Pentagon and CIA it is not possible to export drug prepared with more than 8000 metric tons of opium. US relations with Northern Alliance in Afghanistan after Taliban have given a free license to drug producers, traffickers. CIA and Pentagon both have their links to all these criminals in order to get supplies of the drugs and export it in US Army planes. It has been reported that CIA used US Army planes leaving Afghanistan carrying coffins which were filled with drugs instead of bodies.
To make sure undisturbed trade US appointed all Northern Alliance drug lords at key posts in Afghanistan and most prominent appointment was none other than President Hamid Karzai. Karzai’s brother, head of Kandahar's provincial council is proven drug trafficker facilitating the transportation of heroin from Kandahar eastward through Helmand and out across the Iranian border.
There is no reason to believe that CIA is not aware of this but as it is all one big enterprise where Karzai is also a partner so no danger to his brother.
Bush administration pushed the level of poppy cultivation to next level in Afghanistan just to keep Wall Streets alive in crisis. Many top Bush administration’s officials were worried about growing influence of countries in Golden Triangle (Loas, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma) in Russian and Chinese drug markets. Like Oil in Iraq this was just another opportunity for the Bush administration to have some quick bucks.
Blames for using drugs to fight with NATO and US forces is always put on Taliban. But looking at areas of Taliban’s active zones one can easily understand where all this poppy cultivation is taking place. Taliban put ban on poppy when they were incharge of majority of Afghan territories and Kabul, the capital. Afghanistan was suffering worst economic crisis at that time but Taliban never went to build their economy with heroin trade. Now it is just ridiculous to blame Taliban to have vast fields of poppy and having enough peace and time to grow and process it into heroin and then trade it in Pakistan and Iran to dens it to destinations in Eastern Europe. Below is map of Afghanistan indicating high poppy cultivation provinces and it is quite evident that Taliban dominant. Left: Ahmed Wali Karzai, appointed by his brother, President Hamid Karzai, to represent Kandahar province in Kabul.
According to media reports he is main player in exporting heroin and opium to European countries through Turkmenistan.
Provinces like Kunar, Pektika,Paktya has low poppy cultivation and other provinces where all US/CIA supported warlords are holding key positions are growing most of opium crop. It was only after US invasion there was a 4400% increase in opium production.
US role in Afghan social debacle will go in history as described The Huffington Post on October 15, 2008 "When the history of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan is written, Washington's sordid involvement in the heroin trade and its alliance with drug lords and war criminals of the Afghan Communist Party will be one of the most shameful chapters."
5. Pakistan: Indirect Victim of the CIA’s Drug business
Almost the whole world is affected by this drug trade but countries which lie in routes of drug traffickers are worst effected after the original drug markets. Countries like Pakistan are paying a very high price for US/CIA drug trade as there is a constant increase in drug addiction in Pakistan. Iran is another country which happens to be in route of international drug traffickers so it is also facing problem of smuggling of heroin and morphine from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Turkey and Europe. After US invasion of Afghanistan this route has become active manifold then it was previously.
Effects of this trade are not limited to drug usage only but it destroys the social fabric in a society and gives rise to street crimes in order to get some cash to buy drugs from street market. A more horrible outcome is spread of HIV virus among addicted persons when they share the injection syringes. This threat is increasing with each passing day as number of HIV positive is increasing.
Another disastrous effect it brought to Pakistan and Afghanistan other neighbours is serious law and order situation in bordering area of each country with Afghanistan. Combating this evil trade is not possible until a holistic effort is made by international community in this regards but its chances are bleak as this trade is needed by global imperialism (Israel, US, UK) more than ever before to give some support to their dying economies.
Above: Pakistan has become main artery in heroin trafficking route and it has a lot of implication on Pakistani security. Level of drug addicted also increased over the year due to high availability of drugs in street market. Afghanistan is main producer but Pakistan us where most of drugs are seized. 6. Conclusion
Under current situation it is very important for countries like Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia to think about how to put jinni of drug back to the bottle before international drug mafia takes over these countries by destroying their social norms and values.
CIA not only has a long history of having links with traffickers but also encouraging the drug trade to get its own interests served. CIA always encourages this trade even if it affected its own citizens like in Contra movements of 1980.
Afghanistan became leader in opium production and main hub for providing heroin and its main ingredient to whole world. All this happened under the control of champion of human rights US and its intelligence setup mainly CIA.
Situation is becoming more and bleaker unless Pakistan, China, Russia, Iran and Afghanistan governments start thinking about this trade and its far reaching affects on US economy and CIA’s funding. It is time when the whole region should become equivocal against this trade and ask US to leave the region for greater good of the billions of people in region.
- Asian Tribune -

USA Government Invented AIDS

USA Government Invented AIDS

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1970
United States Senate Library
HEARINGS before a SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Ninety-First Congress
First Session
Subcommittee on Department of Defense
George H. Mahon, Texas, Chairman
Robert L.F. Sikes, Florida, Glenard P. Lipscomb, California
Jamie D. Whitten, Mississippi William E. Minshall, Ohio
George W. Andrews, Alabama, John J. Rhodes, Arizona
Daniel J. Flood, Pennsylvania Glenn R. Davis, Wisconsin
John M. Slack, West Virginia, Joseph P. Addabbo, New York
Frank E. Evans, Colorado
Temporarily assigned H.B. 15090
PART 5
RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION
Department of the Army
Statement of Director, Advanced Research Project Agency
Statement of Director, Defense Research and Engineering
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1969
UNITED STATES SENATE LIBRARY
129
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1969
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
There are two things about the biological agent field I would like to mention. One is the possibility of technological surprise. Molecular biology is a field that is advancing very rapidly and eminent biologists believe that within a period of 5 to 10 years it would be possible to produce a synthetic biological agent, an agent that does not naturally exist and for which no natural immunity could have been acquired.
MR. SIKES. Are we doing any work in that field?
DR. MACARTHUR. We are not.
MR. SIKES. Why not? Lack of money or lack of interest?
DR. MACARTHUR. Certainly not lack of interest.
MR. SIKES. Would you provide for our records information on what would be required, what the advantages of such a program would be. The time and the cost involved?
DR. MACARTHUR. We will be very happy to. The information follows:
The dramatic progress being made in the field of molecular biology led us to investigate the relevance of this field of science to biological warfare. A small group of experts considered this matter and provided the following observations:
1. All biological agents up the the present time are representitives of naturally occurring disease, and are thus known by scientists throughout the world. They are easily available to qualified scientists for research, either for offensive or defensive purposes.
2. Within the next 5 to 10 years, it would probably be possible to make a new infective microorganism which could differ in certain important aspects from any known disease-causing organisms. Most important of these is that it might be refractory to the immunological and therapeutic processes upon when we depend to maintain our relative freedom from infectious disease.
3. A research program to explore the feasibility of this could be completed in approximately 5 years at a total cost of $10 million.
4. It would be very difficult to establish such a program. Molecular biology is a relatively new science. There are not many highly competent scientisis in the field., almost all are in university laboratories, and they are generally adequately supported from sources other than DOD. However, it was considered possible to initiate an adequate program through the National Academy of sciences - National Research Council (NAS-NRC, and tentative plans were made to initiate the program. However decreasing funds in CB, growing criticism of the CB program., and our reluctance to involve the NAS NRC in such a controversial endeavor have led us to postpone it for the past 2 years.
It is a highly controversial issue and there are many who believe such research should not be undertaked lest it lead to yet another method of massive killing of large populations. On the other hand, without the sure scientific knowledge that such a weapon is possible, and an understanding of the ways it could be done. there is little that can be done to devise defensive measures. Should an enemy develop it there is little doubt that this is an important area of potential military technological inferiority in which there is no adequate research program.

source : stewwebb.com

Google Satellite venture

O3B: Funded for Launch

Posted by Sam Churchill on November 29th, 2010
O3b, a Google-backed satellite venture that aims to provide Internet services to a population of over 3 billion people, has raised US$1.2 billion from a group of investors and banksreports the WSJ, enough to see it through to launch in 2013.
O3b is now “fully funded,” Chief Executive Officer Mark Rigolle said, adding that the company may “plan incremental capex in coming years depending on the speed of growth of the business.”
O3b, which stands for the “Other 3 billion”,aims to deliver emerging markets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. “Fiber is not an option in the Amazon, or in Indonesia with thousands of islands,” said Chief Executive Mark Rigolle.
The satellites have a unique middle earth orbit, around the equatorial arc, four times closer than regular geostationary satellites. Each 700kg satellite will operate in the Ka-band (20/30 GHz), with 12 steerable antennas. Ten steerable beams, with 1.2Gbps per beam, connect to its seven operational regions. Two steerable beams link to O3b’s ground stations that are linked to fiber networks.
O3B will provide cellular carriers with backhaul and providing access to approximately 70 percent of the world’s population. Internet service from O3B should cost about $500 per megabyte per month, down from about $3,000 per MB per month now via existing satellites. O3b system will provide Telcos and ISPs with low-cost backhaul to connect their 3G, WiMAX and fixed-line networks to the rest of the world.
Headquartered in Jersey, the Channel Islands, SES will remain O3b’s largest shareholder following the equity fundraising. New shareholders include Satya Capital, a private equity firm backed by Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese telecoms tycoon, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa. O3b has finalised a $510m senior debt facility with HSBC, ING, Crédit Agricole and Dexia.
O3b plans to begin commercial service during the first half of 2013 following the launch of the first eight satellites by Arianespace with a Soyuz launcher from French Guiana. O3b was founded by Greg Wyler, a technology entrepreneur. Thales Alenia Space is currently building O3b’s first eight Ka-band satellites. O3b is fully funded for the launch of these, and will generate enough cash to expand its fleet once the service begins, Mr. Rigolle said.
The FT claims O3b has already signed deals worth between US$500 million and US$600 million with customers that want to use the company’s satellite infrastructure. The project needs a minimum of six satellites in orbit, but the intention is to put up perhaps as many as 20 eventually.
Meanwhile, Arianespace has successfully launched a Hylas satellite last friday on anAriane 5 rocket. Hylas is an acronym for Highly Adaptable Satellite.
Hylas 1, will operate in the Ka-band (26.5-40GHz), supplying up to 350,000 residential customers in Europe with satellite broadband. A Ku-band, direct television broadcast capability, is also included. British start-up company called Avanti Communicationslaunched the $159 million satellite into orbit Friday, the first of two satellites it plans to use to deliver broadband to as many as 1.2 million customers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. ESA says several innovations are incorporated into Hylas-1.
It was ESA’s first private-public partnership to result in an operational mission.Satellite broadband is gaining acceptance across Europe as a broadband-access technology, but the economics are still unclear, said Ben Tudor, a senior analyst at Current Analysis.
The Ariane 5 launch carried two spacecraft. Intelsat 17 separated from the Ariane 5 launcher first. It is bound for a position over the Indian Ocean, to distribute video and other communications services to customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
It will join Intelsat 10 at an adjacent location and replace Intelsat 702, an aging satellite launched in 1994.
Intelsat’s next launch, in the first quarter of 2011, is for their New Dawn spacecraft, which will carry 16 Ku and 14 C transponders, optimized to deliver wireless backhaul, broadband and television programming. It will be located at 32.9 degrees East Longitude to cover the Middle East, part of Europe, Africa and Sub-Saharan regions, and is scheduled to be in service in early 2011.
ABI Research says more than two billion of the world’s population is now being covered by high-speed data networks, with more than 500 3G networks, and over 300 WiMAX and LTE announcements worldwide.
According to marketresearch.com, the global internet access market grew by 9.4% in 2009 to reach a value of $160 billion and is forecast to have a value of $230 billion in 2014. The global internet access market grew by 9.6% in 2009 to reach a volume of 500,828 thousand subscribers and is forecast to have a volume of 732,953 thousand subscribers, in 2014.

source: dailywireless.org

Microsoft TV?

Microsoft TV Platform?

Posted by Sam Churchill on November 29th, 2010
Microsoft is rumored to be launching an Internet TV platform in a year’s timeReuters says that a Microsoft pay-television subscription service would allow people to view content through multiple Microsoft devices, like the Xbox. Microsoft has already added live-streamed ESPN content to its Xbox Live 2010 update. It would compete withAppleTV and Google TV.
Those hoping for a Microsoft TV reveal during Microsoft’s CES 2011 keynote might have to wait, says PC Magazine. It won’t be out for a year.
In addition to a current agreement with Netflix, Microsoft operates its own built-in movie marketplace that sells downloads and offers streaming video rentals.
Microsoft has reportedly proposed creating a “virtual cable operator” delivered over the Internet for which users pay a monthly fee. Other options include using the Xbox to watch shows with enhanced interactivity or creating content silos and selling more individual channels directly such as an HBO or Showtime. It already has Walt Disney Co’s ESPN on the XBox Live online service.
Both Google TV settop box and the Boxee Box share nearly identical processors, says Engadget.
Boxee uses Intel’s CE4110 and Google TV uses the CE4150, each clocked at 1.2GHz.
According to Wikipedia, the Top 5 Cable operators in the United States are:
  • Comcast Corporation 23,891,000
  • Time Warner Cable, Inc. 13,048,000
  • Cox Communications, Inc. 5,316,100
  • Charter Communications, Inc. 4,929,900
  • Cablevision Systems Corporation 3,093,000
The Top 5 Ad-Supported Cable Networks (Primetime) are:
  • USA 3,571,000
  • TNT 2,435,000
  • Fox News 2,157,000
  • Nick at Nite 1,780,000
  • TBS 1,592,000
Doug Sylvester, chief strategy office of Avail-TVN, says cable lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 700,000 subscribers last quarter, but about 600,000 of them went to DBS or IPTV.
source: dailywireless.org

Groupon acquisition

Google Buying Groupon?

Posted by Sam Churchill on November 30th, 2010
Google has offered $5.3 billion for Groupon, in what would be its largest acquisition yet, if completed, says Kara Swisher in All Things D.
The deal may be clinched as early as this week, says Bloomberg. At the price being discussed, Google would be paying almost twice the $3.2 billion it paid for online advertising provider DoubleClickGoogle also bought AdMob for $750 million.
Launched in November 2008, Groupon provides localized display advertising. The company offers one “Groupon” per day in each of the markets it serves. If a certain number of people sign up for the offer, then the deal becomes available to all; if the predetermined minimum is not met, no one gets the deal that day.
With every click on Google or Facebook, companies get a chance to grab a bigger slice of the $26 billion annual pie for online advertising, reports the WS Journal.
Google is on track to generate $2.5 billion in annual revenue from selling display ads, according to their third quarter report. Google’s share is 2.7% in display ads.
Facebook has twice the market share of Yahoo among the top hubs for online display advertisements, according to comScore. Google for now is king of search ads, but Facebook is responsible for one out of every four graphical display ads. Facebook’s more than 500 million users spend lots of time online, and ringing up ads in the process.

source: dailywireless.org

Delta airlines WiFi

Delta Expands Inflight WiFi

Posted by Sam Churchill on December 1st, 2010
This month, Delta finished putting wi-fi on all of its mainline domestic aircraft. In January, it will begin putting wi-fi on 223 of its planes operated by Delta Connection carriers, including Embraer 175, CRJ700 and CRJ900 regional jets. Delta said it is the first major airline to announce it is putting wi-fi on regional aircraft.
By the end of 2011 Delta said all of its regional jets with first class will have wi-fi.
Alaska Airlines also announced that customers traveling on their Wi-Fi-equipped planes will be able to use Gogo Inflight Internet service at no cost, courtesy of American Honda Motor Company, through Dec. 9, 2010.
In February 2010, Alaska Airlines chose to go with a fleet-wide install of Gogo’s Aircell system, rather than Row 44, based on cost. Gogo’s Inflight Internet service usesAircell technology, which points terrestrial towers skyward. Row 44, by contrast, uses satellite connectivity. They lease capacity from existing HughesNet satellites, enabling them to provide worldwide services even over water.
source : dailywireless.org

LTE launch

Verizon Launching LTE Dec 5

Posted by Sam Churchill on December 1st, 2010
Verizon Wireless today announced it plans to turn on their 4G LTE network this Sunday, Dec. 5. Verizon’s 700 MHz, 4G LTE network isn’t the first LTE network in the United States — but it is the biggest. Verizon will initially launch LTE service in 38 major metropolitan areas and in more than 60 commercial airports coast to coast.
Street level coverage area maps will be available online on Dec. 5. Today, customers can go to www.verizonwireless.com/4Glte to check if their addresses will be in the initial 4G LTE coverage area.
Two 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans were announced. A $50 (5 GB monthly allowance) and an $80 (10 GB monthly allowance) plan. Both have $10/GB overage fees.
Two LTE dongles for laptops were announced. The LG VL600 is available at launch while the Pantech UML 290 will be available soon, each $99.99 after $50 rebate with a new two-year agreement. Both USB modems provide will automatically fallback to the company’s 3G network outside of 4G coverage. The company expects consumer-oriented handsets will be available by mid-2011.
The company expects 4G LTE average data rates in real-world, loaded network environments to be 5 to 12 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 2 to 5 Mbps on the uplink.
“That matters, because when we begin commercial deployment of LTE in mid 2011, customers on our LTE network will be able to fall back to HSPA+. As they do, they’ll receive a more consistent mobile broadband experience that supports simultaneous voice and data connections and higher speeds than the others can provide outside their LTE footprint.”
Eighty percent of AT&T’s mobile network has been upgraded to HSPA+, CTO John Donovan. AT&T expects to cover 250 million POPs with HSPA+ by year-end and plans to launch LTE service by the middle of next year, covering 70-75 million POPs with LTE by the end of 2011.
But so far, AT&T has only said that it will deploy a 14.4Mbit/s upgrade by the end of this year, revealing nothing about any 21Mbit/s upgrade in 2011, notes Light Reading.
By contrast, T-Mobile plans to cover 100 markets and 200 million POPs with a 21Mbit/s HSPA+ upgrade for 100 cities by year-end, reports Fierce Wireless. T-Mobile claims typical download speeds on par with or faster than competing 4G technologies, with service availability in 75 metropolitan markets throughout the United States. The average download speeds on 21Mbit/s HSPA+ are reportedly in the 5 to 8 Mbit/s range, similar to “4G” speeds offered by Clear’s WiMAX.
CLEAR 4G service is currently available in 68 markets across the United States and expects to cover some 120 million people by the end of the year.
Clear offers their own comparison of their 2.6 GHz WiMAX vrs Verizon’s 700 Mhz LTE debate. While it’s too early to compare performance in typical use, the 700 MHz Verizon system is likely to penetrate better indoors and may provide more uniform service around town. Clear’s 2.6 GHz WiMAX could be spottier but faster.
Engadget has the best “4G” comparison chart yet (below), although the subtleties of 3G/4G handover, the difference between AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s HSPA+, coverage, and overage fees could be important factors.
It’s like voice – the carrier with the best service in the areas you need is the best.
The cost difference between WiMAX and LTE can be significant. Clear has replaced my DSL because it offers unlimited internet access (for $40/mo). Verizon’s $80/mo service (for 10 Gigs month), would limit my NetFlix viewing. In November, for example, I pushed over 32 Gigs through my Clear WiMAX dongle. If I were using Verizon’s LTE dongle, the same usage would have cost me $80 (for 10 GB), plus $10 x 22GB in overage fees (at $10/GB for overage fees). That’s $80 + $220, or $300/month – a huge difference.
For me, WiMAX was always a no-brainer, since I stick pretty close to home. My WiMAX dongle provides mobile WiFi for my smartphone. Mobile users probably don’t need more than 5-10 GB per month. They may prefer LTE due to its better penetration (and eventually) better coverage. Both AT&T and T-Mobile have good arguments about their HSPA+ networks being faster than Verizon’s plain vanilla CDMA, however.
If you do go with LTE (or any cellular carrier for that matter), don’t plan on dropping DSL or Cable Modem service. It’s just not cost/effective as a wire replacement.
Both Verizon and AT&T are rolling out nationwide LTE service at 700 MHz, Sprint and Clearwire may use their 2.6 GHz spectrum for LTE, and satphone companies are now looking to partner. So what have we got?
  • Nationwide LTE networks from Verizon and AT&T (700MHz)
  • Nationwide HSPA+ network from T-Mobile using AWS (1.7/2.1 GHz)
  • Nationwide WiMAX network from Sprint/Clearwire (2.6 GHz)
  • Potential nationwide satphone/terrestrial service from Lightsquared (1.6 GHz)
  • Potential nationwide cable LTE network using SpectrumCo (AWS) licenses
What we have is an industry in flux. It should be interesting.
source: dailywireless.org

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