RF Shorts – May 12, 2011

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  • •NVIDIA Purchasing Icera
    NVIDIA announced this week it is acquiring Icera, a pioneer in next-generation, multi-protocol wireless baseband processors with RF components that can scale from 2G to 4G networks using a custom built, ultra-low-power processor. Icera's high speed wireless modem products have been approved by more than 50 carriers throughout the world. NVIDIA President and CEO Jen-Huang said, "This is a key step in NVIDIA's plans to be a major player in the mobile computing revolution. Adding Icera's technology to Tegra gives us an outstanding platform to support the industry's best phones and tablets." See the MaxLinear press release for more information.
  • •Airline May Adopt Full Suite of Aircell In-Flight Products
    Air Transport Intelligence news reported U.S. airline mulls 'going all the way' with Aircell wireless IFE, Ka-band connectivity in an article by Mary Kirby posted on www.flightglobal.com. The article said, "At least one U.S. airline is considering 'going all the way' with Aircell by offering the firm's suite of commercial products, including its new wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) solution plus Ka-band satellite-based high-speed Internet in addition to its air-to-ground (ATG)-supported Wi-Fi in the domestic United States." Current Aircell customers include AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Virgin America. The company plans to offer global Ka-band satellite-based connectivity when Inmarsat's Global Xpress service becomes available in 2013. Aircell's current U.S. infrastructure uses terrestrial-based stations and EvDO technology on the frequencies originally used for GTE's "AirPhone" service. It will make a Ku-band system available to its airline partners in the Interim. The other U.S. commercial in-flight Internet service, Row 44, has always used Ku-band satellites for connectivity.
  • •Climate Change Could Threaten Wireless Connections
    Damian Carrington, writing in the Guardian, reports Climate change 'threatens UK Wi-Fi connections', says government report – Study into impact of hotter, stormier weather on UK infrastructure finds threat to Wi-Fi range and signal strength. The article says, "The government acknowledges that the impact of climate change on telecommunications is not well understood, but the report raises a series of potential risks. In addition to the impact on range and reliability, warmer temperatures and more intense storms may cause communications infrastructure to be flooded, or damaged by an increase in trees falling onto overhead lines. There is even the suggestion that changes in the plants that grow in the U.K. could affect how radio waves travel." The report is available at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climate/sectors/infrastructure-companies/.
Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.