Visioning 2026 Blog
A World of Connections -- Wireless Broadband -- Empowering the Individual
I ran across an interesting article printed in The Economist and available on-line. It is more justification for the need to build a wireless mesh infrastructure just like we have city streets to support commerce and the community's well being.
"In the years ahead new wireless technologies will appear in a plethora of devices, much as computer chips did in the second half of the 20th century."
"For all the excitement, it
will be a while before machine-to-machine (M2M)
communications and sensor networks become ubiquitous. Although the technology
exists, different approaches do not as yet work well together. Unlike computer
software, which can be deployed with a few mouse-clicks, each system still needs
to be tailor-made. And the melding of communications and computing brings
together two industries and engineering cultures that are generally at odds,
slowing progress. Moreover, the business models to justify the time and cost of
adding wireless services are embryonic."
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displayStory.cfm?story_id=9032088&fsrc=nwlehfree
With more standards being developed to support M2M operations our communitycan be on forefront of building a creative and vibrant culture. Now can you see us evolving into a Borg like society depicted in modern Star Trek series? :-))
Mark Hall
20 Smart Companies to Start Now -- $100 million in funding to the entrepreneurs
Editors from Business 2.0 Magazine, Michael V. Copeland and Susanna Hamner, asking venture capitalists for great startup ideas.
The result is a list of 20 tantalizing business ideas, ranging from a host of new websites and applications to next-generation power sources and a luxury housing development.
Here are a couple examples that we might consider in our Visioning 2026 Focus Group activities. For example, how could RFID technology become part of a solution to a GPS-guided coupons? Or how could the computer and the multimedia departments at NECC collaborate with local entrapreneurs to develop a solution to Helping Vlogs to Flog project? Another project could envolve partners such as the NECC, drafting, construction and building departments with local builders and the building trades to help create a community of affordable new homes, Luxury Living on a Budget.
GPS-Guided Coupons
The Investor: Jeff Crowe, general partner, Norwest Venture Partners
What he's backed: Jigsaw, Nano-Tex, Telcontar
What he wants now: GPS-enabled ads and coupons piped to your mobile phone at just the right time and place. Location-based marketing is a concept that's been bandied about for years, but only now is the required technology becoming cheap enough to implement. Companies like Yahoo and Google, meanwhile, have proven inept at building quality services for wireless carriers. Though the timing is ideal for a startup to build the technical pieces, persuading customers to sign up for a steady barrage of marketing offers may prove the bigger challenge. "The behavioral piece is the biggest uncertainty, but you've got to make your bets now," Crowe says. A startup needs experience in lightweight applications for cell phones and in location-based services.
What he'll invest: $3 million for a demo application and retail partners ready to test
Send your pitch to: bizplans@nvp.com. -- M.V.C.
Helping Vlogs to Flog
The Investor: Steve Krausz, general partner, U.S. Venture Partners
What he's backed: PodTech Network, Verity, Vontu
What he wants now: A matchmaking site that brings new forms of advertising to one of the Web's fastest-growing new phenomena, the video blog. Popular vlog Rocketboom got the concept off the ground earlier this year by auctioning off 15-second house-produced ads at the end of its Web newscasts; then-host Amanda Congdon also wore T-shirts from startups eager for exposure.
Krausz wants a startup that can offer a clearinghouse of placement opportunities from major advertisers like Apple (Charts) and Nike (Charts) - from 10-second trailers to insertion of products in the creative. Videos would be subject to screening and approval by the advertiser, but Krausz thinks that's a service that could eventually be outsourced. Payment to vloggers could be negotiated any number of ways: They could receive fees based on impressions, click-throughs, or both. The startup, of course, would take a healthy cut. "It would allow this explosion of user-generated content to get an additional revenue stream," Krausz says. "Nothing like this exists yet."
What he'll invest: $2 million for a proof-of-concept site and sign-on from a handful of top advertisers
Send your pitch to: steve.k@usvp.com. -- S.H.
Luxury Living on a Budget
The Investors: Donn Davis, president, and Steve Case, founder, Revolution
What they've backed: Exclusive Resorts, Flexcar, Miraval
What they want now: A design scheme for a community of affordable new homes, packed with luxury amenities and based on green values. This is yet another baby-boomer play, but AOL co-founder Case and partner Davis - who helped bring fractional ownership to the ultraluxury-home market with Exclusive Resorts - don't think builders like KB Home (Charts) and Pulte Homes (Charts) have all the angles covered.
Sustainable living and "wellness" lifestyles are big draws among retiring boomers. But so is price, Davis says, as more and more people worry about shrinking retirement incomes.
That's why he'd like to see a development based on more modest homes inside a community that offers an eclectic mix of perks--a spa, yoga classes, a community garden, room service, and so on. Revolution is looking for a small team to identify the developable land, map out home architecture and design, and assemble the right mix of services.
"It's about lots of services, lots of amenities, lots of convenience," Davis says. The plan ought to consider not only location options but also different sales models: Homeowners should be able to choose among full or fractional ownership and different levels of property management, perhaps even taking part in selling the community's services to outsiders.
What they'll invest: $5 million for the right plan
Send your pitch to: tigesavage@revolution.com. -- M.V.C.
Wireless Infrastructure and Community Development -- What is Possible?
Talk about community development and building capabilities, WOW! (news articles posted below)
The last sentence really hit home for rural communities in Northeast Nebraska, "...... bridge the connection among rural communities in a rollout of the wireless technology."
My hope is that the Focus Groups will pick up on this particular topic and expand on it some more. How can we help people engage in this topic and make connections locally as well as in the state, country and world?
Susan Risinger on WJAG interviewed Mike McKenzie from the City's IT staff yesterday morning about how the library now has a WiFi access point and the potential across the community, especially for public facilities. The City has a fiber optic backbone that would support a very robust and redundant infrastructure to support the community. For example, plumbers could easily submit a water heater installation permit without ever having to leave the job site, thus making it easier for everyone to get the tasks done more efficiently and with better service.
One of our challenges is figuring out who we can partner with to have a successful implementation across the community including Madison County and other communities in the area. This again could be partial justification for hiring a federal lobbyist. We need to engage the youth to see if this is one small way to rekindle their desire to stay or return to Norfolk.
Just like road infrastructure it will be imperative to have a highly capable communication infrastructure for our community of the future.
Mark
Japanese Cities To Get High-Speed Wireless Mesh Broadband
By W. David Gardner, TechWeb Technology News
More than 100 Japanese cities with a combined population of 50 million will get mesh broadband service in a massive network rollout from NTT West and Strix Systems, according to an announcement Monday by Strix.
The mesh network will operate in the 4.9 to 5.0 GHz frequency and provide broadband service to corporate enterprises and municipalities. Some spectrum will be allocated for use by public safety and emergency services, Strix said.
The deployment will utilize Strix's Access/One Network Outdoor Wireless System (OWS) and its Indoor Wireless System (IWS) to deliver wireless voice, video and data services. The installation will also be supported by design and maintenance services supplied by Network Value Components.
Strix said its antenna technology will enable NTT West to bridge the connection among rural villages in the rollout of the wireless technology
WiMAX universe set to supernova soon
Posted Oct 16th 2006 2:01PM by Brian White
With last week's WiMAX World trade show in Boston, both Motorola and Nortel made large announcements with WiMAX infrastructure equipment, and Nokia even pitched in and said that it would be embracing WiMAX technology as well. In short, the world of WiMAX is about to get incredibly serious if it isn't already -- which it is, by all counts.
Airspan, a pre-WiMAX pioneer with installations in over 120 countries, now sees a huge market in the U.S. where many niche communities exist without any type of wireless broadband network outside of the top-20 markets that the larger carriers seem to always focus on. So - living in a small town may not be such a bad thing after all very soon, if you're a mobile broadband fan.
The question is, will the infrastructure be like freeways or tollways?