Thursday, December 25, 2008

Inside WiMax


The XOHM WiMAX network works similar to cell phone technology to deliver the internet over a wide area। XOHM WiMAX coverage is divided into a series of overlapping areas called cells (represented by green circles in the diagram below). Each of these cells provides broadband internet coverage within a given area spanning homes, highways, outdoor locations, urban centers, businesses, coffee shops, etc. Compare WiMAX coverage areas with Wi-Fi in the diagram below (Wi-Fi is represented by gray circles).


At the center of each cell is a WiMAX tower with a base station that is connected to the internet using high capacity backhaul solutions. These towers broadcast radio signals to you at a set frequency called spectrum. Weather, large buildings and trees can all reduce signal strength and require more towers with overlapping broadcast areas. XOHM ready products - like laptops, modems and mobile internet devices - allow you to receive these signals within the XOHM coverage area.
XOHM WiMAX Advantages
The XOHM WiMAX network uses licensed spectrum and is built on advanced wireless technology breakthroughs. This enables higher performance* than most of today's wide area wireless technologies.
Licensed spectrum
Spectrum is either licensed or unlicensed. Most anyone can use unlicensed spectrum which can lead to interference from other devices. For example, most Wi-Fi networks use unlicensed spectrum. XOHM WiMAX works over licensed spectrum. So usage is limited to its members, which helps to make service more predictable and reliable.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)
OFDMA breaks a signal into several independent parts before sending it over the air increasing the efficiency and speed of the network. These diverse signals can still be reconstructed on the other end, even if some of the parts don't make it through.
Multiple Input/Multiple Output (MIMO) smart antenna technology
MIMO uses multiple antennas at both ends of the XOHM WiMAX connection (base station and your device). This allows data to travel along multiple independent paths and still reach you. MIMO is particularly useful in areas with a great deal of interference, like big cities.
Together, these WiMAX technologies help XOHM provide consistent and reliable wireless internet to more people in more places.

For more on Mobile WiMAX technology, check out:

On the road to 4G

1G, by the way, was analog, and 2G was digital, but narrowband. 3G was initially defined entirely by (broadband) data throughput specifications: 144Kbit/sec. when moving at high speed, 384Kbit/sec. when moving relatively slowly, and up to 2Mbit/sec. when stationary or indoors. Rate of motion turns out to have a dramatic impact on effective throughput due to various forms of fading as well as Doppler shift. And while the above data rates are peak speeds (i.e., available under ideal conditions on the downlink from the cell to the user only), they are a dramatic improvement over the circuit-switched peak of 14.4Kbit/sec. on 2G networks. And 3G is in fact now widely available throughout the world.
Today, we are looking at deployments with greater than 2Mbit/sec. peaks, such as 1X EV-DO Revision A, which peaks at 3.1Mbit/sec., and HSDPA, which can range up to 14.4Mbit/sec. We often call these 3.5G systems, since 4G requires a little more, and not necessarily in terms of throughput.
And this is where it gets difficult, because, for example, like "broadband," 4G is an imprecise term. There are two schools of thought here. The first is to take the obvious path and simply define 4G as faster than 3G or 3.5G. One example is the UTRAN LTE (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network Long-Term Evolution) project now under way within the Third Generation Partnership Project, which develops functional specifications for UMTS. The design points for UTRAN LTE are performance of 100Mbit/sec. downlink and 50Mbit/sec. uplink peak throughput. Mobile WiMax could have peak performance of around 75Mbit/sec., as could 1X EV-DO Revision B. These speeds are obtained via a combination of multiple-input, multiple-output, lots of bandwidth (20MHz channels at a minimum vs. today's 1.25-5MHz), more sophisticated modulation and advanced antennas. Throwing technology at this opportunity isn't a problem

Friday, December 19, 2008

HakimUunetCommunication




The architecture of the


The WiMAX Forum has defined an architecture that defines how a WiMAX network connects with other networks, and a variety of other aspects of operating such a network, including address allocation, authentication, etc. An overview of the architecture is given in the illustration.
This defines the following components, plus a number of interconnections (or reference points) between these, labeled R1 to R5 and R8:
SS/MS: the Subscriber Station/Mobile Station
ASN: the Access Service Network[7]
BS: Base station, part of the ASN
ASN-GW: the ASN Gateway, part of the ASN
CSN: the Connectivity Service Network
HA: Home Agent, part of the CSN
AAA: AAA Server, part of the CSN
NAP: a Network Access Provider
NSP: a Network Service Provider
It is important to note that the functional architecture can be designed into various hardware configurations rather than fixed configurations. For example, the architecture is flexible enough to allow remote/mobile stations of varying scale and functionality and Base Stations of varying size - e.g. femto, pico, and mini BS as well as macros.



WiMAX

WiMAX, meaning Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, is a telecommunications technology that provides for the wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes, from point-to-point links to portable internet access[citation needed]. The technology provides up to 75 Mb/s symmetric broadband speed without the need for cables. The technology is based on the IEEE 802.16 standard (also called Broadband Wireless Access). The name "WiMAX" was created by the WiMAX Forum, which was formed in June 2001 to promote conformity and interoperability of the standard. The forum describes WiMAX as "a standards-based technology enabling the delivery of last mile wireless broadband access as an alternative to cable and DSL".

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Tunisia's economy is 59.3 percent free

Tunisia's economy is 59.3 percent free, according to our 2008 assessment, which makes it the world's 84th freest economy. Its overall score is 0.2 percentage point lower than last year, reflecting a deteriorated score in freedom from corruption. Tunisia is ranked 10th out of 17 countries in the Middle East/North Africa region, and its overall score is higher than the regional average.
Tunisia has high scores in business freedom and government size, which indicates a government limited in size and scope. Inflation is moderate, although the state can set prices in some circumstances. Tunisia maintains moderately high tax rates, but overall tax revenue is not particularly large as a percentage of GDP. There are regulatory obstacles, but businesses can be opened and closed without undue difficulty. The labor market is fairly flexible, and redundant workers can be fired without significant cost.
Tunisia faces challenges in labor freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom. Protectionist economic policies have limited the opportunities for foreign investment. The financial sector is subject to heavy political influence, and much of its regulation and oversight falls short of international standards.
Background:Tunisia gained its independence from France in 1956 and developed a socialist economy. President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has undertaken gradual free-market economic reforms since the early 1990s, including privatization of state-owned firms, simplification of the tax code, and more prudent fiscal restraint. The country's diverse economy includes significant agricultural, mining, energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Tunisia's 1998 association agreement with the European Union, which has helped to create jobs and modernize the economy, was the first such agreement between the EU and a Maghreb country. The economy has also benefited from expanded trade and tourism.
Business Freedom - 79.2%
The overall freedom to start, close, and operate a business is relatively well protected by Tunisia's regulatory environment. Starting a business takes an average of 11 days, compared to the world average of 43 days. Obtaining a business license takes much less than the world average of 234 days, although costs are fairly high. Bankruptcy proceedings are easy and straightforward.
Trade Freedom - 71.8%
Tunisia's weighted average tariff rate was 9.1 percent in 2005. Import restrictions, some prohibitively high tariffs, import taxes and fees, import licensing requirements, export promotion programs, and inconsistent customs administration add to the cost of trade. An additional 10 percentage points is deducted from Tunisia's trade freedom score to account for non-tariff barriers.
Fiscal Freedom - 76.4%
Tunisia introduced a tax cut early in 2007. The top income tax rate is 35 percent, and the top corporate tax rate is 30 percent, down from 35 percent. Other taxes include a value-added tax (VAT) and a vehicle tax. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue as a percentage of GDP was 15.3 percent.
Freedom from Government - 77.1%
Total government expenditures, including consumption and transfer payments, are moderate. In the most recent year, government spending equaled 27.6 percent of GDP. Privatization has been uneven and sluggish, and the state retains a large role in economic activities.
Monetary Freedom - 77.6%
Inflation is moderate, averaging 3.8 percent between 2004 and 2006. Relatively unstable prices explain most of the monetary freedom score. The government can set prices for subsidized goods and influences prices through regulation, subsidies, and state-owned utilities and enterprises. An additional 10 percentage points is deducted from Tunisia's monetary freedom score to account for policies that distort domestic prices.
Investment Freedom - 30%
Tunisia restricts investment in some sectors to minimize the impact on domestic competitors. The Investment Code Law covers all major sectors except mining, energy, finance, and domestic trade. Foreign investment is screened. Foreign ownership of agricultural land is prohibited. The entry of French and Gulf capital indicates that discouragement of foreign investment in areas like restaurants, real estate, and retail distribution is moderating. The state telecommunications service privatized a major stake to a foreign investor in 2006. Non-tourism onshore companies with a capital share larger than 49 percent require government authorization. Residents and non-residents may hold foreign exchange accounts, subject to restrictions and approval. There are some controls, quantitative limits, and other restrictions on payments and transfers. There are many restrictions and controls on capital transactions.
Financial Freedom - 30%
Supervision and regulation are slowly being brought up to international standards but remain insufficient, although increased provisioning requirements have strengthened the banking environment. There are 14 commercial banks, six development banks, two merchant banks, and eight offshore banks. Five banks control 70 percent of deposits. The government sold its stake in two banks in 2002 and 2005 but remains the controlling shareholder in at least four banks that control 50 percent of assets. The percentage of non-performing loans remains high. State-mandated lending and the legal difficulty of settling with debtors have hindered financial development. The insurance sector is small, and the largest insurer is state-owned. Capital markets are nominal, but the stock market is active, although with little foreign participation.
Property Rights - 50%
The executive branch is the supreme arbiter of events in the cabinet, government, judiciary, and military. Commercial cases take long to resolve and face complex legal procedures. Tunisia's intellectual property rights law is designed to meet the WTO's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) minimum standards. Copyright violations are not actively investigated by customs agents without a complaint by the copyright holder.
Freedom from Corruption - 46%
Corruption is perceived as significant. Tunisia ranks 51st out of 163 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2006. Corruption is less pervasive than in neighboring countries. Most foreigners involved in the Tunisian market have not identified corruption as a primary obstacle to direct investment. There are no laws to provide government documents to citizens.
Labor Freedom - 55.3%
Somewhat flexible employment regulations could be improved to enhance overall productivity growth. The non-salary cost of employing a worker is high, and the rigidity of hiring and firing a worker creates a risk aversion for companies that would otherwise employ more people and grow.

Domaines Internet .fr et ultramarins : Résultats de la consultation

Domaines Internet .fr et ultramarins : Résultats de la consultation
Synthèse des contributions à la consultation publique sur les modalités de gestion du domaine Internet « .fr » et des extensions d’Outre-Mer
Le 25 avril 2008 le ministère de l’Economie, de l’industrie et de l’emploi a lancé une consultation publique afin de préparer les appels à candidatures pour la fonction d’office central d’enregistrement des domaines « .fr » et des extensions ultra-marines : « .fr » France ; « .gf » Guyane Française ; « .gp » Guadeloupe ; « .mq » Martinique, « .re » Réunion « .pm » Saint Pierre et Miquelon ; « .wf » Wallis et Futuna ; « .yt » Mayotte ; « .tf » Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises ; ainsi que les futurs domaines « .bl » Saint Barthelemy et « .mf » Saint Martin.
Le ministère a reçu 21 réponses de personnes morales, 1 d’un élu ainsi que 11 réponses de particuliers.
La synthèse des contributions (35 Ko)
Réponses des personnes morales par ordre alphabétique
Acsel (33 Ko) Afnic (274K) Agence Cahri (36 Ko) Apdui (355 Ko) Acfci- Ccip - Réponse commune (45 Ko)
Cci de la Martinique (22 Ko) Conseil régional de la Martinique (829 Ko)
Dataxy (355 Ko) Dot&Co (62 Ko)
France large (65 Ko)
Groupe France télécom (60 Ko) Group NBT (57 Ko)
Indom (543 Ko) Inria Renater (52 Ko) Isoc France (43 Ko)
Mailclub (93 Ko) Mediaserv (184 Ko)
Open IT (50 Ko)
Spt de Wallis et Futuna (40 K) Sasi (38 Ko) Sedo (330 Ko)
Réponse de Monsieur André Ferrand, sénateur, représentant les Français établis hors de France (17 Ko)
Réponses des personnes physiques par date d’arrivée (Ces réponses ont été rendues anonymes)
29 avril (40 Ko)
5 mai (41 Ko) 20 mai (22 Ko) 20 mai (72 Ko) 26 mai (41 Ko)
10 juin (34 Ko) 12 juin (22 Ko) 13 juin (89 Ko) 24 juin (35 Ko) 24 juin (49 Ko)
Réponse reçue par courrier (890 Ko)
La prochaine étape verra prochainement le lancement des appels à candidatures pour les offices d’enregistrement. Le ministère remercie toutes les personnes ayant contribué à cette consultation. Merci de nous informer si vous constatiez des erreurs ou des omissions dans les contributions ci-dessus.

Domaines Internet .fr et ultramarins : Résultats de la consultation

Domaines Internet .fr et ultramarins : Résultats de la consultation
Synthèse des contributions à la consultation publique sur les modalités de gestion du domaine Internet « .fr » et des extensions d’Outre-Mer
Le 25 avril 2008 le ministère de l’Economie, de l’industrie et de l’emploi a lancé une consultation publique afin de préparer les appels à candidatures pour la fonction d’office central d’enregistrement des domaines « .fr » et des extensions ultra-marines : « .fr » France ; « .gf » Guyane Française ; « .gp » Guadeloupe ; « .mq » Martinique, « .re » Réunion « .pm » Saint Pierre et Miquelon ; « .wf » Wallis et Futuna ; « .yt » Mayotte ; « .tf » Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises ; ainsi que les futurs domaines « .bl » Saint Barthelemy et « .mf » Saint Martin.
Le ministère a reçu 21 réponses de personnes morales, 1 d’un élu ainsi que 11 réponses de particuliers.
La synthèse des contributions (35 Ko)
Réponses des personnes morales par ordre alphabétique
Acsel (33 Ko) Afnic (274K) Agence Cahri (36 Ko) Apdui (355 Ko) Acfci- Ccip - Réponse commune (45 Ko)
Cci de la Martinique (22 Ko) Conseil régional de la Martinique (829 Ko)
Dataxy (355 Ko) Dot&Co (62 Ko)
France large (65 Ko)
Groupe France télécom (60 Ko) Group NBT (57 Ko)
Indom (543 Ko) Inria Renater (52 Ko) Isoc France (43 Ko)
Mailclub (93 Ko) Mediaserv (184 Ko)
Open IT (50 Ko)
Spt de Wallis et Futuna (40 K) Sasi (38 Ko) Sedo (330 Ko)
Réponse de Monsieur André Ferrand, sénateur, représentant les Français établis hors de France (17 Ko)
Réponses des personnes physiques par date d’arrivée (Ces réponses ont été rendues anonymes)
29 avril (40 Ko)
5 mai (41 Ko) 20 mai (22 Ko) 20 mai (72 Ko) 26 mai (41 Ko)
10 juin (34 Ko) 12 juin (22 Ko) 13 juin (89 Ko) 24 juin (35 Ko) 24 juin (49 Ko)
Réponse reçue par courrier (890 Ko)
La prochaine étape verra prochainement le lancement des appels à candidatures pour les offices d’enregistrement. Le ministère remercie toutes les personnes ayant contribué à cette consultation. Merci de nous informer si vous constatiez des erreurs ou des omissions dans les contributions ci-dessus.

Sécurité

Sécurité
Le flot d’informations qui circule librement sur les réseaux est devenu aujourd’hui considérable et pose de nombreux problèmes de sécurité, puisque nombre de ces informations sont privées ou confidentielles. Or, le piratage informatique et la fraude, liés à l’utilisation croissante de l’Internet, l’ouverture des réseaux d’entreprise, ont mis en évidence l’importance de la sécurité de l’information et ont conduit les acteurs des nouvelles technologies à engager des réflexions sur la sécurité et sur la cryptographie, qui en est la plus médiatisée des briques de base, et à proposer des produits de sécurité informatique ainsi que des mesures organisationnelles d’analyse et de gestion des risques. Il est aujourd’hui plus que jamais nécessaire de disposer de produits de sécurité assurant une protection adaptée à des menaces ciblées et qui soient faciles d’emploi et paramétrables. Des appels à projets lancés par les services du ministère soutiennent le développement de tels produits ou systèmes de sécurité

Cybercriminalité

Cybercriminalité
Internet est un espace de liberté qui est devenu le prolongement du monde réel et peut notamment être utilisé pour commettre tous types d’actes délictuels.
La révolution numérique et le développement de la communication en réseaux ont rendu indispensable l’adaptation des outils législatifs et répressifs et de coopération internationale. Un simple utilisateur d’Internet peut devenir l’acteur involontaire d’une diffusion virale, d’une attaque contre des serveurs d’entreprises ou d’institutions. Relais passif d’une machination technique mise en place par des pirates localisés à des milliers de kilomètres, une machine « zombie » peut être activée avec d’autres milliers d’ordinateurs, pour cibler une victime à l’autre bout de la planète, en quelques secondes
Conscients des risques encourus, les malfaiteurs de l’ère informationnelle, dissimulent des contenus illicites telles des images pédopornographiques, ou des fichiers illégaux sur des espaces de disques d’ordinateurs qu’ils ont préalablement piratés.
Manipulation, désinformation, informations mensongères, fausses rumeurs, diffamation deviennent l’apanage de groupuscules ou d’individus cherchant à déstabiliser une entreprise, un particulier ou un mouvement. Le racisme, la xénophobie, le négationnisme, l’incitation à la haine ou la violence sur Internet en sont désormais l’illustration courante.
En juin 2004, Thierry BRETON, alors à la tête de France Télécom avait répondu favorablement à la demande de Dominique de Villepin de se voir confier la présidence du groupe de travail sur la cybercriminalité, chantier qui constitue l’un des six chantiers prioritaires lancés pour ancrer dans la durée l’amélioration de la sécurité des Français engagée en 2002. Le rapport de mission de ce groupe de travail a été remis au ministre de l’Intérieur le 13 avril 2005.
Le groupe préconise de mieux cerner le phénomène par deux moyens :
Un développement de l’expertise technique et du savoir-faire des services d’investigation sur les outils leur permettant d’accomplir la mission de veille et de recherche des infractions.
L’amélioration du système d’information statistique de la cybercriminalité.
En matière pénale, le groupe de travail préconise deux mesures :
sanctionner les propositions sexuelles adressées à des mineurs via l’Internet,
habiliter les officiers et agents de police judiciaire, dans le cadre de leurs investigations à participer à des échanges électroniques sans être pénalement responsables. Le groupe de travail préconise de centraliser l’interface entre les pouvoirs publics et le « point de contact » des professionnels.
Le groupe de travail propose de décerner, au-delà de la charte signée en 2004, dans des conditions restant à préciser, notamment avec le Forum des Droits sur l’Internet, un certificat citoyen aux professionnels de l’Internet fournissant des efforts particuliers dans la lutte contre la cybercriminalité.
Au niveau européen, dans le cadre de la lutte contre la pédopornographie, la haine raciale et la violence sur Internet, la Commission européenne a mis en place un plan d’action pluriannule : Saferinternet +.