Trucking Technology Report - July 12
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National Transportation Exchange Launches 2.0 Version
The National Transportation Exchange, which Red Herring Magazine recently cited as among the United States' 50 largest private companies, has launched version 2.0 of its Internet-based freight exchange software. Commercial Carrier Journal (06/00) Vol. 157, No. 6, P. 32EMS Technologies, Seimac Deal Aims at Drivers
Nova Scotia mobile satellite service provider Seimac will be suppplied with SatCom terminals from EMS Technologies in a $1.7 million deal. This will enable drivers to communicate with headquarters using Palm handheld computers and SatCom hardware. Commercial Carrier Journal (06/00) Vol. 157, No.; 6, P. 32Texaco to Help Form an Online Exchange to Charter Ships
An online ship-chartering exchange will soon be launched, thanks to the combined efforts of giant oil companies and shipowners. Texaco, Koch Industries, and Chevron & Coastal are teaming up with two startups, SeaLogistics and OneSea.com, to access up-to-date ship information online. Oil companies will also be able to negotiate and track ships online, increasing fleet efficiency.
Simplified Tax for Cell Calls Approved in House Voice Vote
The U.S. House of Representatives cleared legislation Monday that would modify the taxes placed on wireless calls. If made into law, the legislation would tax a wireless user according to the principal area in which the person receives the wireless service. The bill was passed by voice vote and similar legislation is under consideration by the Senate.Wireless users have been subjected to a variety of methods for applying taxes to mobile calls. They can be taxed according to the nearest cell site from which their call originates or according to their home address. Due to this process, confusing bills are often delivered to customers. But if the tax system passes, some customers may be surprised to see their wireless bills increase, due to the high local wireless taxes charged by some local governments. Philadelphia Enquirer (07/12/00) P. C2; Srinivasan, Kalpana
FBI's System to Scan Email Sparks Concern
The FBI's new high-speed computer system, Carnivore, which can search through millions of emails per second looking for communications from criminals, has come under fire from some parts of the IT industry and privacy groups.For the system to work, the FBI must plug it directly into Internet service providers' computer networks, which technically enables law enforcement agents to monitor every customer's Internet activities, from surfing to emailing. Many ISPs also dislike the fact that outside software can be plugged into their networks without them having the ability to challenge such an action. There have only been a few lawsuits stemming from Carnivore since it was implemented last year.
Although a judge's permission is still needed for the FBI to wiretap computers, analysts contend that the large majority of cases still involve telephones, although Internet monitoring is increasing now that criminal elements are becoming more computer savvy.
Critics of Carnivore say that Congress definitely needs to issue clear-cut guidelines governing the FBI's use of such a powerful machine. The bureau says it has mostly used Carnivore to hunt down computer hackers, but it has also been employed in several counter-terrorism and drug-trafficking cases. Wall Street Journal (07/11/00) P. A3; King Jr., Neil; Bridis, Ted
Wireless Banking Becomes More Widespread
An increasing number of banks are adding wireless services to their portfolios in preparation for the expected explosion of wireless Internet use. Chicago-based bank Harris Bankcorp will be the first to unveil new wireless services, with this week's deployment of its online bmanx services. Harris' parent company, Bank of Montreal, has been offering wireless banking in Canada for over a year through 724 Solutions.Also joining the wireless banking trend are Bank of America and Citigroup, who will launch their services this summer, and Clarity Bank and BBVA Bancomer, who will offer wireless solutions beginning in the third quarter of this year; each of the banks are 724 Solutions customers.
Analysts say that these actions demonstrate a rising trend among banks. "Most of the banking vendors out there have announced some wireless arrangement, and so have a lot of the aggregation firms," observes Forrester Research online banking analyst Brooke Newcomb.
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based bank Wachovia is preparing to launch a pilot wireless program in the next few weeks, a move which follows nine months of analysis and negotiations, according to Wachovia e-business head Lawrence Baxter. Computerworld Online (07/10/00); Trombly, Maria
Wireless Video Offerings Slow For Now
The entertainment industry is competing with wireless carriers and handheld manufacturers to attain a stake in wireless technology startup PacketVideo. The company, which is only in the beginning stages of developing technology for sending pictures to mobile phones and handheld computers, has been the recipient of roughly $60 million from 35 companies, including Sony and Time Warner. The investments will be directed at furthering technological development.PacketVideo has yet to develop awe-inspiring applications for its system. The technology's rates for delivering pictures are slow, at one-sixth the rate of television transmissions. In addition, the first services to be offered by the company are likely to be conventional, such as viewing traffic at certain intersections and watching sports replays. More extensive entertainment applications are unlikely to be offered until high-speed third-generation networks are deployed. Business Week (07/10/00) No.3688, P. 105; Brull, Steven V.
Changing Telecom World to Affect Fee Structure
Convergence in the telecom market is causing carriers that had relied on expensive international voice calls to rethink theirtrategies. Telecom companies are facing the demise of voice as a telecom commodity. In the long term, people will not have to pay for voice calls, and may instead be charged a monthly fee for bundled services, says Merrill Lynch telecom analyst Alistair Scott.
Net2Phone and Deltathree.com are sites that indicate such a future, allowing Web surfers to download software that enables discounted international calling via their computers. Although toll-quality Internet telephony may be some time off, some key operators are beginning to make substantial investments in VoIP.
An AT&T-led consortium made a $1.4 billion investment in Net2Phone, while Deltathree.com established partnerships with Chinadotcom and China United Telecommunications. However, Internet telephony is not very widespread in Asia, considering that it is only legal in a few regions including Australia, China, and Hong Kong. But the technology is likely to become more widespread in the near future. Far Eastern Economic Review (06/28/00) Vol. 163, No. 23, P. 41; Taylor, Chris
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