Friday, 4 April 2014
southern Spain:Petrucci plays catch-up in Jerez
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The Italian was unable to test fully during the official pre-season, and was severely hampered due to the lack of set-up time needed. This not only affected him from a personal point of view – getting used the new machine – but also with regards to electronics.
The ART machines had last yearbeen run exclusively with the in-house Aprilia software, though opting to run under “Open” regulations have had to switch to the Magneti Marelli championship spec software. And with such a switch not a straightforward thing to do, time to dial in the software is vital.
The team and Petrucci may have been hampered slightly by some bad weather, though still managed to get some useful track time – 110 laps in total – to be that much more prepared for the next race in Austin.
The Italian commented: “I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to do this test. We need to do miles and we were successful in this target. The ART is a fantastic bike, but it rides in a completely different way from the one that I used last year, so it was essential for me to try on a different track from Losail where we did the test and the race.”
Thursday, 3 April 2014
Abraham regaining confidence after injury lay-off
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The Czech rider endured a tough campaign last year, missing races early in the season after breaking his right collarbone in Austin and then damaging his left shoulder in a huge highside crash at Indianapolis.
He then rode through the pain barrier at his home round in Brno and did not complete his last race of the season at Misano, eventually having surgery to rebuild the shoulder in October.
Months of rehab and grueling test sessions followed as he regained movement and strength in his shoulder - so to cross the finishing line 13th on his comeback in Qatar, as the 2014 season got underway, was a notable achievement for Abraham.
"The shoulder is getting better and we are working really hard on it but I’m a bit worried about the next race at Austin," his acknowledged. "In Qatar that’s more of a flowing track, with not so many sharp turns, not so many left turns, not so much hard braking, whereas in Austin there are lots of left turns with hard braking points, so that will not be easy for sure."
Asked whether seeing the retirement of Ben Spies last year due to ongoing injury problems had made him fear for his career, Abraham answered, "Yes I was worried for quite a long time and honestly I still am. I know that it is different to Spies’ injury because I’ve already been able to complete a full race and it was not so bad."
"It hurt a lot after my operation and I was working hard for a month and a half and thinking it should feel better. I was frustrated. Finally five months after the operation it’s got a lot better. I can do everything in my normal life, even motocross training is ok, but once you get on a MotoGP bike it’s different."
He continued, "You have to really lean and get over the bike on the turns and that pushes the shoulder to the limit, so it hurts quite a lot. I was pleased to finish the race in Qatar and it’s now a case of just making the final improvements, like in racing getting the last few tenths is the hardest part. But I hope in one month it will be even better."
On the subject of his new ‘Open’ class package for 2014 and his adaptation to the Honda RCV1000R, Abraham stated,"As a rider you always complain about the power or other elements and you always want the bike to get better. I think our bike could be slightly faster and you can see especially the Yamaha ‘Open’ riders flying away from us on the straight. About the chassis I can’t complain though, because it feels much better than what I had last year, so I’m happier with the Honda bike than I ever was before."
Ducati Team testing at Jerez conditioned by bad weather
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Wednesday’s changeable weather conditions, following overnight rain, did not allow the track to dry out completely, and as a result the riders and the team were unable to take full advantage of the time available in preparation for the Spanish Grand Prix, which will be held on this circuit from 2 to 4 May.
Neither Crutchlow and Dovizioso, who yesterday afternoon were also involved in shooting a promotional video, recorded significant lap times in the two days, but they were able to confirm to Borgo Panigale engineers that the “full-factory” electronics fitted to their Desmosedici GP14 machines after the Qatar GP were working correctly.
The next appointment for the Ducati Team will be the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, the second round of the MotoGP™ World Championship, which will be held next week from 11 to 13 April at the COTA circuit in Austin, Texas.
YAMAHA : Rossi hints at contract renewal With yamaha
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The Italian MotoGP™ star returned to Yamaha at the beginning of 2013 of course and last year he achieved six podiums including a win at Assen, followed up by a great race ten days ago in Qatar to finish second at round one – after a thrilling battle with current World Champion Marc Marquez.
Rossi has stated for several months that his level of competitiveness in the early rounds of the 2014 season would be key to his decision to remain in MotoGP™.
Having run Marquez so close at Losail he told Sky of his 2015 plans, "I think I will renew with Yamaha. I never had the idea of quitting, I feel in good form and above all racing gives me immense pleasure. It’s the most enjoyable thing in my life, I love this world and I love the lifestyle which comes with being a MotoGP™ rider, training hard and traveling the world. As long as I am competitive I hope to continue."
He then went on to add, "Now it’s key to see how competitive we can be in Texas and in Argentina and see if we really are at a better level than in 2013. Last year the Qatar race went well but this year the second place was an even better performance in the race. I’ve ridden at a good level throughout my career but now it is more difficult. We have to be very competitive and we know that winning the World title again is really hard, but if we're near the front every Sunday that is fine."
Asked what was the favourite bike he had ridden in his career, Rossi responded, "I have ridden so many beautiful bikes, Aprilia, Honda and Ducati. But my favorite bike is definitely the Yamaha M1!"
When quizzed on who he thinks will win the 2014 MotoGP™ title, Rossi stated with a smile, "I think Marquez will be the World Champion again, and I’ll try to give him a little luck."
Modi: Gujarat isn’t India’s top investment destination
New Delhi: Maharashtra has emerged as the number one investment destination in the country replacing Gujarat, according to an Assocham report.
Maharashtra attracted cumulative investment proposals of Rs 14,73,466 crore as on December 2013, while Gujarat drew proposals worth Rs 13,98,347 crore, an analysis by the industry group showed.
The primary reason behind Maharashtra overtaking Gujarat is the state's focus on development of industrial centers in tier-II and tier-III cities, making it the preferred choice of investments, especially for the Indian and global service sector industries, it said.
Representational Image. Reuters
Maharashtra has become the hub for the service and electricity industries which together attracted investment over Rs 67,000 crore in 2013. However, in comparison Gujarat attracted nearly Rs 62,000 crore in the same year, the study observed.
Gujarat had attracted Rs 16,28,126 crore of investment proposals as on December 2011, when Maharashtra came in second
with Rs 14,13,728 crore of proposed investments. The study said the value of investment proposals in three of the top five destinations - Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha - registered a decline.
with Rs 14,13,728 crore of proposed investments. The study said the value of investment proposals in three of the top five destinations - Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha - registered a decline.
"While the overall composition of lead investment destination states remains largely unchanged, in the last two years there have been noteworthy changes in the individual positions of India's preferred investment destinations," Assocham President Rana Kapoor said.
"The combined share of the country's five top investment destinations has reduced from 53.6 per cent to 48.2 per cent during the two years to December 2013," Kapoor added.
The other three states that attracted the most investment proposals are Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka and the top five states together accounted for 48.2 per cent of the total of Rs 1,30,50,467 crore as on December 2013, according to the study.
The remaining investment proposals worth a combined Rs 61,50,105 crore went to 15 other states. Of the investment proposals, the highest amount was in electricity (36.5 per cent), services (23.6 per cent), manufacturing (23 per cent), construction & real estate (11.1 per cent), irrigation (3 per cent) and mining (2.8 per cent).
Maharashtra attracted 38.2 per cent in services, 28.3 per cent in electricity, 19.3 per cent in construction & real estate, 10.5 per cent in manufacturing, 2.5 per cent in irrigation and 1.2 per cent in the mining sector.
Gujarat attracted 39.4 per cent in electricity, 22.2 per cent in services, 20.8 per cent in manufacturing, 13.6 per cent in construction & real estate, 2.5 per cent in irrigation and 1.6 per cent in the mining sector.
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Google Fiber copycat to deliver 1Gbps broadband
C Spire is copying the Google Fiber business model by pre-registering residents in neighborhoods that will get its fiber to the home service.
(Credit: C Spire)
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that's true, Google should be very flattered by the efforts of a regional wireless provider to bring a 1Gbps fiber network to Mississippi.
C Spire is using the Google Fiber business plan that the search giant has employed in building 1 Gpbs fiber networks in Kansas City; Provo, Utah; and Austin, Texas. C Spire is using the plan as a blueprint for building its own fiber-to-the-home network that the company hopes will eventually blanket Mississippi.
For a state such as Mississippi, an ultra high-speed fiber optic network, could be transformative. Mississippi ranks last nationally in many categories, such as education and health care. And it also has the lowest median household income, making it the poorest state in the nation.
What's more, Mississippi's economy is still struggling to recover from the last decade's recession, which has hurt the state's credit rating, making it even more difficult for the state to fund projects and programs that could help improve education, health care, and the economy.
C Spire executives are hopeful that a high-speed fiber broadband network could help improve Mississippi's credit rating and help turn things around for the Magnolia state.Last November, credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings Service downgraded Mississippi's bond rating from stable to negative. The agency noted Mississippi's reliance on manufacturing as well as its poor record in education and high rate of poverty for the downgrade.
Google's chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette, has already been singing the praises of what a Google Fiber network can do for communities. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference last month, he said that Kansas City has received a higher bond rating as a result of Google's investment in an ultra-high-speed network in the city, according to the website Telecompetitor.com.
But Ben Moncrief, director of government relations for C Spire, said that Mississippi can't afford to wait for Google to come to town.
"Chances are that Google wasn't going to come to Mississippi anytime soon," Moncrief admitted. So he said that C Spire, a homegrown Mississippi company, needed to take matters into its own hands.
"We are a Mississippi company. And we wanted to make a difference in our own community."
Google Fiber as inspiration
Currently, Google is only committed to building its network in three cities. And even though the company said last month that it's considering building its fiber gigabit network in 34 other cities in nine separate regions across the nation, the truth is that Google Fiber will never be in every city or community in the US. It may not even offer its super fast fiber network in every state. And yet, President Obama and the Federal Communications Commission have emphasized the importance of building such high speed networks in more communities.
Currently, Google is only committed to building its network in three cities. And even though the company said last month that it's considering building its fiber gigabit network in 34 other cities in nine separate regions across the nation, the truth is that Google Fiber will never be in every city or community in the US. It may not even offer its super fast fiber network in every state. And yet, President Obama and the Federal Communications Commission have emphasized the importance of building such high speed networks in more communities.
Despite the fact that Google can't build fiber everywhere, it has changed the conversation about these networks. And if the company is able to make money from its high-speed networks, Google could provide a roadmap for success that other companies can use to build their own networks, which might result in a Gigabit fiber renaissance.
"Google has been a change agent in the discussion about ultra high-speed broadband and fiber networks," said Heather Burnett Gold, president of the Fiber to the Home Council of North America. "Even if Google doesn't build its network in 34 cities, the fact that they are building a roadmap that other cities or companies can follow is just as valuable as the networks themselves."
C Spire's move to build a fiber network using the business plan outlined by Google is an example of how Google's broadband ambitions are having a much wider effect on the broadband market than the few cities it's chosen to deploy its network.
Indeed, last year at a Fiber to the Home Council event in Kansas City, where Google deployed its first fiber network, Milo Medin, vice president of access services for Google who is heading up Google's fiber projects, encouraged other cities and other companies to take a look at Google's business and replicate it elsewhere.
"We expect to make money from Google Fiber," he said in May. "This is a great business to be in."
Moncrief attended this meeting and walked away inspired. He said he already knew that C Spire had the assets to build such a network. But what the company lacked at that point was a strong business plan.
C Spire is a regional wireless operator that owns its own infrastructure. Since 2003, the company has invested more than $1 billion in network infrastructure improvements, including upgrading its cellular backhaul network with fiber to support 4G wireless services. As a result, C Spire has access to more than 4,000 route miles of fiber deployed to some 1,800 cell sites around the state, most of which are located in large population centers.
"We already had most of the fiber in the ground," Moncrief said. "What we needed was a business model that took enough of the risk out of building that last mile portion of the network. And that's what I came away with from my time in Kansas City talking to Google and others. The crowd-sourcing model can work."
The Google Playbook
The heart of Google's strategy is simple: Find communities that really see the value in an ultra high-speed broadband network. While this may sound rather elementary, in the past companies deploying capital intensive infrastructure such as these fiber networks, almost had to guess where demand for their services would be.
The heart of Google's strategy is simple: Find communities that really see the value in an ultra high-speed broadband network. While this may sound rather elementary, in the past companies deploying capital intensive infrastructure such as these fiber networks, almost had to guess where demand for their services would be.
But Google has changed the way new entrants address markets. The company doesn't just research consumer demand, it actually asks city governments and citizens themselves to commit to the network as a condition of its construction.
C Spire is offering competitively priced 1 Gbps broadband, phone service, and TV packages.
(Credit: C Spire)
The second major piece of Google's strategy is to forgo offering several different tiers of service. Instead it offers a single tier of service: 1Gbps downloads. And the company offers this service at the affordable price of $70 a month with increased pricing for adding TV service.
This is the exact same strategy that C Spire is employing as it builds its fiber network in communities throughout Mississippi. Like Google, the C Spire service has a single broadband speed: 1Gbps for $80 a month or $70 a month if you're also a C Spire wireless customer. With a basic TV package the price goes up to $140 or $130 with a C Spire wireless contract. And since C Spire's roots are in the wireline phone business, the company also offers an IP telephony service over the fiber connection. All three services cost $160 a month or $150 if you subscribe to the company's wireless service.
"We took some of the things we like about the Google model, such as the crowd-sourcing information, and we applied it to our business," Moncrief said.
In many instances, the pricing for the broadband service is more than the average American pays for high-speed data service and a TV package. But the fact that people are getting 1Gpbs, which is often 100 times faster than service they'd get for a slightly lower price from a competitor, as well as the same, if not improved selection of TV channels, is the key to the offer, said Jared Baumann, who is heading up the C Spire fiber project.
"We've gone to town meetings where residents say, 'I pay more than that for the crappy service I get today,'" he said. "We've seen no resistance at all to the pricing."
How does Google do it?
The cornerstone of Google's business model is ensuring that the communities that are selected for Google Fiber are true partners in the deployment of the network. Specifically, Google looks to the city leadership for guarantees that access to public rights-of-way and permits needed for construction will be a quick and easy process.
The cornerstone of Google's business model is ensuring that the communities that are selected for Google Fiber are true partners in the deployment of the network. Specifically, Google looks to the city leadership for guarantees that access to public rights-of-way and permits needed for construction will be a quick and easy process.
C Spire has done the same thing in the communities where it's deploying its fiber network.
"We wanted to know that the city and town leadership would partner with us," Baumann said.
He said the top priority was ensuring that the cities would provide a streamlined permitting process. Baumann explained that in the past when it has laid fiber for its wireless network, C Spire has experienced permitting delays of more than a year.
Those kind of delays would kill the economics of this type of project, he said. To ensure a smooth process for its fiber-to-the-home build, C Spire negotiated a five-day permitting process with each city that was chosen to get the fiber network. In the case of disputes, C Spire's contracts with the cities require the issues to be resolved within a total of 15 days.
In another move adopted from the Google Fiber playbook, C Spire went directly to residents and asked them to commit to the service before construction even began. Each neighborhood or so-called "fiberhood" is required to sign up between 35 percent and 45 percent of households for the service in order to "greenlight" the project. Residents can sign up at "rallies" in person or online. And a $10 fee is required as part of a non-refundable deposit.
C Spire Fiber offers download speeds that are 100 times faster than competing broadband services.
(Credit: C Spire)
While a commitment of 35 percent of residents may not sound too hard to reach, let's put this in perspective. In New York City, which is considered Verizon Fios's biggest growth market, the company has 30 percent to 35 percent penetration in areas where it offers the service. And Verizon negotiated its Fios deal with the city back in 2008.
Having 35 percent or 45 percent of a market committed to a service, even before the company starts building it, is an impressive feat. And it should help ensure the success of the service.
Fiber networks are expensive to build, even when a company already has fiber in the ground, as C Spire had.
"You have to get creative about how you determine where the demand is for your service," Baumann said.
Nine cities in Mississippi will be getting C Spire Fiber as part of its initial roll-out. And C Spire has already qualified several "fiberhoods." The company expects to begin building the network in those cities this summer.
C Spire is not the only company that is exploring the Google Fiber business model. Baumann said he has received several calls from community leaders and businesses in other states that are also considering replicating the Google Fiber business model. He said he's confident that C Spire will make money from the service eventually. But he said it takes more than a business model to get such an ambitious project off the ground. And he credits the leadership at C Spire for taking the plunge.
"This is a long term investment in the community," he said. "It could take 10 years before we start to see a return on our investment. But our leadership is local, and we think it is important enough to Mississippi and our community to make this happen."
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