I don't know what all the fuss is about in the U.S. about the FCC mandating full-feature 911 for VOIP service providers. There have been some media reports about the cost involved, which could drive up VOIP prices and/or force small players out of the market. If VOIP wants to be taken seriously as a mainstream consumer service, 911 should be a low barrier to entry. You can argue that VOIP is different than traditional telephony service, and shouldn't have to live by the same rules. This may be true in some regards but fundamentally VOIP is a voice service/application so the need to offer 911 service shouldn't be seen as cumbersome given most, if not all, consumers take it as a basic option. In Canada, the CRTC took the right approach last month when it ordered stationary VOIP SPs to provide e911 and mobile VOIP providers to provide basic 911. It is probably the most logical part of the CRTC's decision to regulate VOIP.

The pot of gold at the end of the wireless rainbow - a.k.a. China's implementation high-speed 3G networks - will likely happen within the next three years, according to government officials. For wireless suppliers such as Nortel, Ericsson, Lucent and Siemens, China's 3G project represents the last major new business opportunity. As a result, there will be enormous competition - lower margins, modest profits - to see who can win the biggest chunk of the deals. There are rumors, however, China is delaying its 3G launch so domestic suppliers can get up to speed on China's local 3G standard, TD-SCDMA.
In other Nortel news, it looks like the media may have over-reacted to plans by Nortel and IBM to establish a joint R&D facility. In a Nortel press release issued late yesterday afternoon, it appears to be a major strategic development and a way to seriously reduce R&D costs. While it could become something significant down the road, the initial plans only involve 30 existing employees. Nortel said the number could climb as the new entity works on new projects. Let's check back in a year and see if anything serious materializes.