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Tag: BT

  • MWC Barcelona Canceled Amid Coronavirus Fears

    MWC Barcelona Canceled Amid Coronavirus Fears

    The annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona has been cancelled amid growing concerns about the coronavirus.

    MWC is one of the premier trade shows for the telecoms industry, organized by GSMA and focusing on the mobile industry. As the date for this year’s conference drew close, however, fears of the coronavirus began to dominate discussion, leading several of the most important supporters of MWC to announce their withdrawal from this year’s show. According to Reuters, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, BT and Nokia were some of the latest companies to pull out.

    For many companies, the cancelation will have far-reaching consequences. Many vendors, especially smaller ones, without the name-brand clout of Samsung, rely on MWC to make a splash with their newest phones or devices. With the trade show canceled, those companies will have to find other ways to debut their products.

    The GSMA statement announcing the decision said the group is working toward the 2021 and future conferences, and extended sympathies to those impacted by the virus in China and around the world.

    This is just the latest example of the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus, as the death toll and infection rate continues to climb.

  • Britain Getting Faster Internet Thanks To BT

    Britain could be seeing faster Internet coming their way courtesy of BT.

    The Telegraph is reporting that BT has concluded a trial run in Cornwall that offered high-speed fiber broadband to any home or business. They hope to make the technology, and speeds, available to the entire country by Spring of next year.

    The current high-speed product is called “BT Infinity,” which upgraded the connection between a local telephone exchange and street telephone. The new process will upgrade the copper wiring between houses and street phones increasing the speeds.

    BT makes the hefty claim that their new service has “the potential to transform the UK broadband landscape.” They will be able to offer speeds of 300Mbps to anywhere in BT’s fiber network area.

    Those that want the service will have to pony up the upgrade cost for the new hardware. BT is also upscaling their existing broadband infrastructure so that those on BT Infinity will get 80Mbit/s instead of 40Mbit/s.

    BT is currently upgrading its national broadband network and claims that two-thirds of the UK will have “superfast broadband” by 2014. With the help of government money, they can make that number rise to 90 percent.

    The UK is investing £630 million in public money so that Britain will have “the best broadband network in Europe.”

  • Google Sued by British Telecom over Patent Infringement

    British Telecommunications has filed suit against Google over alleged infringement of BT’s patents. The complaint, filed in US Disctrict Court in Delaware, maintains that Google has committed “ongoing and pervasive infringement of BT patents.” British Telecom points to several of Google’s products and services as instances of infringement, including some features of Android, and several non-Android services.

    For example, the suit alleges that both Android and Google Music infringe a patent “directed to systems and methods for accessing content in a mobile environment.” Another patent concerns “a navigation system which includes a fixed part and at least one mobile part to provide guidance information to a user,” and is allegedly infringed by Google Maps. British Telecom argues that Google has derived “substantial value from these products and services,” and that it is attempting “to recover the just compensation it is owed and to prevent Google from continuing to benefit from BT’s inventions without authorization.”

    The complaint asks the court to grant a judgment against Google for infringement, and an injunction against Google preventing its “continued infringement.” The complaint also asks for damages “no less than a reasonable royalty, together with pre-judgment interest and post-judgment interest,” as well as triple damages due to the fact that Google’s infringement is “willful and deliberate.”

    Thus far British Telecom has only filed suit in the US. There is no word on whether they plan to file additional suits elsewhere. Several European courts have shown a tendency to side with patent holders of late. Most notably in the Apple-Samsung battle, where German courts have issued an injunction banning the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. Apple has thus far failed to get such an injunction in the US, and a similar injunction in Australia was recently overturned.

    When asked for comment, a Google spokesperson said, “We believe these claims are groundless and we will vigorously defend ourselves against them.” A request for comment from British Telecom has not yet been answered.

    UPDATE: British Telecom has responded, and they have this to say: “BT’s constant investment in innovation has seen it develop a large portfolio of patents which are valuable corporate assets. This is about protecting BT’s investment in its intellectual property rights and innovation. It is a well-considered claim and we believe there is a strong case of infringement.”

    [Hat Tip: FOSS Patents]