Trucking Technology Report - Sept. 29
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Both the online report and e-mail are sponsored by @Track Communications, a supplier of wireless communications and dispatch services.
Today's Technology Headlines:
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FCC Will Determine ISP Access to Cable
The FCC is moving toward establishing national guidelines on whether cable companies must offer competing ISPs open access to their lines. The agency agreed to review whether it should regulate cable companies that provide Internet access.
FCC commissioners unanimously cleared a document outlining how to decide whether regulations over cable operators are necessary. This is the first step the FCC has taken toward influencing the development of broadband Internet access. Now is the proper time to review how competition is developing in the market, according to William Kennard, chairman of the FCC. Wall Street Journal (09/29/00) P. B2; Carroll, Jill
Procurement Made Easy Online
RightWorks and PointSpeed offer electronic procurement services and packaged solutions to small and large businesses seeking to obtain greater control over their purchasing efforts while lowering costs.Companies of all sizes "find the acquisition of goods and services to be a major distraction," explains PointSpeed Normal Goldfarb. "My value proposition is for us to take away this distraction and make it our own."
PointSpeed assumes the role of application service provider (ASP) to offer its e-procurement platform to businesses, particularly those with 500 or fewer employees, which the company says spend $800 billion a year for indirect products such as paper clips and staples. PointSpeed also works with large companies such as AT&T and Wells Fargo to help them leverage their volume purchasing power to gain cost savings.
While RightWorks functions as an e-procurement ASP as well, it also offers a packaged solution to businesses, allowing them to host their own marketplaces and strike partnerships with buyers and sellers. "Basically, they gave us the platform and the pipeline. We do the negotiations with the suppliers," explains Karthik Kannan, IT manager at Juniper Networks. "By having a standardized system, the time spent making requests for purchases and purchasing is greatly reduced." World Trade (10/00) Vol. 13, No. 10, P. 56; Banham, Russ
Bluetooth Mobile Phone Race is On
Motorola hopes to be the first among its rivals to offer Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones. But some industry experts say the technology is still in its developmental stages and that it will be a while before the technology is able to fulfill industry expectations.A Bluetooth consortium, which was created to develop and promote the technology, was formed by such industry leaders as Motorola, Ericsson, and Toshiba, and now has over 1,000 member companies. While the technology is likely to have broad applications in the future, mobile phones and electronic organizers will be the first devices to be equipped with Bluetooth chips. Motorola is racing to make its Bluetooth-equipped Timeport 270 phones commercially available by Christmas. Associated Press (09/29/00)
Broadband Wireless Industry Comes Into its Own
Allied Business Intelligence's senior analyst, Andy Fuertes, predicts that broadband wireless will explode in popularity. Fuertes says the main advantages of the technology are ease of installation and lower costs than rival fiber-optic systems. He also credits WorldCom and Sprint PCS with increasing the appeal of broadband wireless to potential customers. As a result, a number of companies are targeting broadband wireless services to more moderately sized businesses.Some telecom experts estimate residential service will represent 70% of revenue for the wireless broadband market. The technology is offered in three formats: point-to-point, point-multipoint, and consecutive points. International Data released a study last year that predicts broadband fixed-wireless will be able to transmit voice,data, and video services, in addition to providing Web services.
In an effort to provide these services sooner, some telecom companies have emphasized attaining LMDS Licenses. A number of CLECs, including Teligent, Nextlink, and WinStar Communications, provide services to small and midsize enterprises for less than what they would normally pay, according to P-Com's senior vice president of marketing, Phil Evans. Telecom Business (09/00) Vol. 4, No. 9, P. 56; Lusa, John M.
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