Qualcomm set to buy WiFi specialist Atheros for $3.1 billion: [6th Jan 2011]

Qualcomm is set to buy WiFi specialist Atheros in a $3.1 billion deal. The transaction has been agreed by the boards of each company and should be complete by half way through this year. Qualcomm is hopeful that they will be able to expand the use of their products by making the purchase. They should be able to allow their customers to use a wider range of devices including games consoles and media players. Atheros makes components including those for technologies such as Bluetooth, Ethernet and GPS. With the growth of WiFi hotspots over the next few years, Qualcomm is hoping to tap into this market. The CEO of Atheros Craig Barratt is expected to join Qualcomm as president of Networking and Connectivity.


The FCC have launched a challenge this week to developers of applications which will simplify the detection of net neutrality violations for consumers. The Open Internet Apps Challenge winners will be flown to the FCC headquarters in Washington DC and will have their app featured on the FCC website. Data collected from the detection of violators will be used to inform FCC policy on net neutrality. However it has been pointed out that the new FCC net neutrality rules do not cover wireless Internet therefore any infractions which occur over a wireless network will not be covered.


AT&T have announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week that they will be deploying an LTE network sometime during this year. This is quicker than expected. The presentation which was made to developers stated that they will support around 20 new devices capable of using the 4G network and these will be available by the end of the year. The build should be fully complete by the end of 2013. AT&T have said that recent tax changes and policy developments have given them the added incentive to bring their plans forward. Although it could be that the fact that Verizon have already launched their LTE network could have been a larger incentive.


It seems that Verizon has made some changes to their policy of a new phone every two years and will be using its "simplified" policy as of January 16. Those on a standard two year contract will have to wait until the end of their contract to upgrade. Previously they could request an upgrade at any time after month 13. Those on one year contracts will not be affected. The "New Every Two" program will also be phased out.


A new study has shown that the number of calls made to help desks has increased even though the nation is becoming more used to technology. The Help Desk Institute carried out the research and found that the incidents reported to helpdesks regarding email, telephone, social media and the web is rising with 67% of all help desk operators experiencing increases in volume this year. The centralization of help desk operations which has been done by many companies could have contributed to the increase in numbers, but it could also be the increase in complexity when it comes to technology issues. Users are now trying to use multiple devices at once and wish to connect laptops, mobile phones and tablets together. 41% of calls were attributed to infrastructure changes while 26% thought that new services offered had led to more calls. Despite these increases, the numbers of people working as helpdesk employees has now decreased to 6% of all IT staff, which is a lower percentage than in previous years.