Blogs

Anyone seduced by those ‘Incredible India’ advertisements that ply the TV airwaves around the world may be lulled into a false sense of security, much the same as 122 2G spectrum license bidders were.

The color, the vibrancy, the uniqueness of India that is used to attract tourists soon gives way to squalor, poverty, dirt and grime that is the real India. Those 122 license holders that have now been stripped naked and left with no 2G licenses or compensation are the victims of an inept bureaucracy...

I just got off the phone with the provider of some of my services, and it was a notable experience in exactly how indifference to fraud by a provider enables the fraudsters to continue in their dirty deeds.

Here's the particulars--I received an e-mail in my personal inbox that was clearly a phishing attempt.  The sender e-mail domain was a pathetic attempt at spoofing the provider's, the sender identity was "resyq4ey", the body of the message contained multiple hypertext links whose text...

Do you unconsciously look at your smartphone screen even though nothing has happened to prompt the action? Do you feel ‘phantom’ vibrations emanating from your purse or pocket that make you grab for the phone only to find, again, that nothing is happening? Oh, oh – according to the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology, you could be suffering from ‘smartphone addiction!’

The whole idea that smartphones are a tool to help manage...

In Madrid last week, attending Action Week.  I’m partial to ham and sausage.  And if you are, too, then keep reading.  If not, you can skip my culinary adventures in the next paragraph and continue with those that follow.

My food adventure began with quite a variety of chorizo (dry sausage in this case) that was spread before me during our...

The European Commission last week suggested some serious reforms to data protection laws last that could have implications for everyone that uses the Internet or provides services over the Internet, including CSPs.

For a start, companies operating over the Internet will have to seek explicit consent from users if they plan to use data about them, including when it is being collected, how long it will be stored, and for what purpose it is being used for. (Sounds a bit like Google’s new privacy policy, which...

A recent Computerworld article opened up with the provocative statement that wireless bandwidth is like land in Manhattan — it’s extremely valuable because they’re not making more of it. No kidding. That probably explains why it has become such a premium commodity. Until new spectrum can be created (who knows what the future holds there) or existing spectrum can be better utilized, its value, like scarce metals, will continue to rise – some even say, skyrocket.

Maybe that’s why AT&T...

Have you been following the news about Megaupload? Do you know what it is, and even if you do, would you admit it? You see, it is/was one of the world’s largest file sharing sites and it was closed down by US authorities because it was deemed to have been violating federal piracy laws. The US Justice Department, through the FBI, has even managed to arrest key executives residing in New Zealand and seven other countries, and there are distinct fears that this could be just the beginning of an international witch...

Ever wondered what impact all that spending on telecommunications has on national economies? If you haven’t, maybe you should and maybe governments should start appreciating just how much the industry contributes to gross national product (GNP).

A joint report from NDN (which calls itself a leading think tank and advocacy organization based in Washington, DC) and NPI (New Policy Institute) claims that investments and innovation entailed in the transition from 2G to 3G wireless technologies and Internet infrastructure...

In China last week for my first visit of the year to that interesting country.  I am always willing (perhaps!) to try something new during my culinary adventures.  So, when my hosts suggested a house specialty at one restaurant, could I say no, even though I associate pigeons with not-so-nice-things they often do to my car?  Also known as squab, I had to try it…deep fried and delicious…and even had it at another restaurant...

New research by UK consumer watchdog and adviser Which? reveals just how hard it is to calculate unauthorized bank charges under the current charging structures of the main banks.

Which? experts have discovered that people using unauthorized overdrafts would find it virtually impossible to calculate how much their bank would charge them, or to compare charges between banks as the fee structures are so complicated. 

Which? asked a group of its members to work out the cost of...