Israeli start-up seeks to end roaming charges

An Israeli startup is trying to combat a common fear for international travelers: getting socked with hundreds or thousands of dollars in unexpected roaming charges for using cellphones away from home.

   Cell Buddy aims to turn any smartphone into a local one. Travelers can choose from an array of calling and data plans with carriers in dozens of countries. As a result, they pay local rates -- not the pricey fees charged by their wireless carriers at home.

   Here's how it will work once the service starts next year: Customers use a universal SIM card provided by Cell Buddy. Travelers turn on their phones and launch a Cell Buddy app once they reach their destination. The app finds local carriers and lets travelers compare prices, data packages, download speeds and other factors. Travelers are assigned a local phone number and can continue to use their regular phone number back home, at regular prices, using the same SIM card.

   One major caveat: Cell Buddy's SIM works only with unlocked phones, making it difficult for American travelers who have phones still tied to two-year service contracts. Those phones are locked and won't accept other SIM cards. In addition, Verizon and Sprint use the CDMA cellular standard, and some phones won't work with the more common GSM networks elsewhere.

   Cell Buddy's service eliminates the need to order a roaming plan ahead of time, stand in line at the airport to buy a local SIM card or physically switch the cards. Most importantly, it eliminates roaming charges to the home carrier.

source: www.kmov.com

WIFI technology

WIMAX stands for Worldwide Interoperatibility for internet access. It is a wireless communication standards designed to provide data rates of 30-40 mbps. For  fixed  stations providing a speed of 1gbps. Mobile wimax was a replacement to GSM and CDMA in order to increase  the capacity.

The name WIMAX was created by Wimax forum. This forum describes Wimax as a standards based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access which provide an alternative to cable and DSL. Wimax is sometimes referred as “Wi-FI on steroids” and can be used for a number of applications including broadband connections, cellular backhaul, hotspots etc. This technology is similar to WI-FI , but it can enable usage at much greater distances. It is suitable in providing portable mobile broadband connectivity across cities and countries through a varity of devices. It provides a wireless alternative to cable and digital subscribers line for last mile broadband access. It provides data, VOIP, IPTV services. Wimax provides low costs associated with the deployment of a wimax network in comparison to 3G, HSDPA, it is now economically viable to provide last mile broadband internet access in remote locations.

In North America backhaul for urban operations is typically provided via one or more copper wire line connections, where as remote cellular operations are sometimes backhauled via satellite.Wimax has more substantial backhaul bandwidth requirements than legacy cellular applications. Wimax in this application competes with microwave, E-line and simple extension of the fiber network itself. Wimax directly supports the technologies that make triple play  service offering quality of service and multicasting. The cable companies will provide media services to other partners while gaining access to the wireless network as a mobile virtual network operator to provide triple play services. Devices that provide connectivity to a wimax network are known as subscribers stations. Portable units include handsets, PC peripherals and embeded devices in laptops which are now available for wifi services.