David Vye

According to wireless technology leader, Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), high-capacity microwave links could provide relief to the strain felt by backhaul infrastructure, as high data throughputs and subscriber demand consume network capacity. RFS Area Product Manager, Asad Zoberi sees backhaul capacity as a likely bottleneck unless the networks (traditional T1 lines, opitical fiber and mircowave radio links) are upgraded. Zoberi is an advocate for microwave networks as they are less costly and far quicker to install. Accommodating the higher-capacity services opens the way for innovative system architectures in microwave backhaul networks. Dual-polarized antennas double the capacity of the antenna...

The CDMA Development Group (CDG) announced that CDMA2000 and 1xEV-DO technologies have surpassed 450 million and 100 million users, respectively, worldwide. The total cumulative cdmaOne and CDMA2000 subscriber base has reached 463 million, growing 12 million net subscribers during the second quarter of 2008. CDMA2000 subscriptions grew at pace of 19 per cent between June 2007 and June 2008, with the strongest growth coming from the Asia Pacific region, followed by North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Asia Pacific accounts for 52 per cent of the global CDMA market, adding more than 51 million new CDMA2000 subscribers during...

Wilmington, N.C., has become the first major city to permanently switch TV broadcasts from analog to digital. Most of the country will make the transition to digital TV on Feb. 17. A crowd of media, elected officials and curious residents packed Wilmington's City Hall on Monday to watch the mayor and the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission flip a 7-foot mock switch. The change from analog to digital jump-starts the FCC's campaign for the national transition in February. The commission is now focusing on cities with more than 15 percent of the population watching over-the-air television signals. Over the...

Sure... we're RF and microwave guys but we still have to power our devices with DC. So it is of interest that Energizer (the bunny people) are introducing a new premium alkaline battery sized for several of the wireless devices, which our industry is responsible for. The new Energizer AAAA premium alkaline battery targets bluetooth headsets, noise canceling headsets and remote controls/sensors among various miniaturized consumer electronics. Since we have been asked to shrink the size of our components for years, it's nice to see our counterparts from the battery world step up to the plate to do likewise....

This past week we were extremely pleased to sign up Tektronix and Analog Devices as co-sponsors for the upcoming RFID UHF Tag webinar (August 19th - visit Microwave Journal to sign up). Our goal for these technical webinars has been to find sponsors that offer products and/or services related to the webinar topic. While serving the needs of the advertiser, this also provides a service to the webinar attendee. One of the most valuable aspects of these webinars is that they are presented by individuals with real-world experience. Sponsorship by commercial companies with the relevant technical know-how and products that...

Last day of the exhibition and the frantic days of back-to-back meetings, everyone's growing list of action items and late nights of "networking" may be taking their toll on the exhibitors as the morning seems noticeably quieter than previous days. This will be my day for fewer scheduled meetings so that I can address some marketing issues such as following up on product announcements and press releases, while also stopping by more exhibitors for a quick hello and to check up on what's new. Time to cover as much ground as possible. For me, the morning starts with the exhibitor’s...

I must admit that I'm a little tired and my voice is definitely hoarse after staying up late to watch the Celtics and Lakers in game 6 of the NBA finals. Somehow it feels worth it though. Wednesday will be another full day of meetings with vendors to hear about the latest and greatest products. The Microwave Journal has three full-time editors working the show floor and talking to exhibitors with some help from our Managing editor, Keith Moore who is talking to a few exhibitors himself. Most of Keith's time is up in the MWJ press room (our own...

The conference has been going since the Sunday workshops, but Tuesday morning signifies the opening of the exhibition. Pat and I kick off the morning conducting video interviews with representatives from our Virtual Trade Booth vendors. Pat and I split up with two film crews to cover the interviews before the heavy show floor traffic makes it difficult to listen to ourselves and the interviewee. This is a first for us and the sight of two Microwave Journal editors scrambling back and forth across the show floor with cameramen seems to draw a bit of attention from others hoping...