Physicians in the US state of Wisconsin are testing the SmartPill GI monitoring system to evaluate slow gastric emptying, a gastrointestinal motility disorder known as gastroparesis.

Although radio communications systems have traditionally been standalone, voice-centric platforms, the convergence of voice and data and the need for improved spectrum efficiency are driving a worldwide shift towards feature-rich, integrated voice and data digital radio technologies.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is releasing spectrum in the 3575-3700 MHz band (the 3.6 GHz band) to support the deployment of wireless access services in regional and remote areas of Australia.

The New Zealand Police (NZP), with more than 10,000 staff countrywide, needed to move from a dated, nationwide conventional analog network to a trunked digital solution.

Femtocells - small low-power base stations designed for indoor use in residential or small-business environments - are expected to grow tremendously in the coming years as they march closer to commercial deployment.

In 2009 we’re all familiar with the term ‘digital’. We now have digital TV, digital set-top boxes, digital radio, our music library is stored in digital format and so on. We look at the 50-in LCD in the lounge room, pause for a second, take a look at the picture and think, well that was five grand well spent.

With just three weeks until this year’s major radio and combined communications event opens in Melbourne, the list of those involved continues to grow. Exhibitors, speakers and delegates from Europe, the USA and Asia are signing up for what is proving itself to be a worthy addition to the calendar.

A multi-year contract to supply Hong Kong international airport with up to 70 million RFID labels will see speedier and more reliable luggage handling for many of the 48 million passengers that use the airport each year.

After last year’s tremendous success which saw the radio communication industry’s finest get together, RadioComms Connect will return to Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, on 18-19 November for the third year running. Last year, almost 250 end users gathered for this informative two-day event, with delegates travelling locally, nationally and internationally to attend.

Radio technologies that promise blisteringly fast Wi-Fi have been given a boost by a team of European researchers’ work on miniscule microchips.

These days, collaboration is key. The problems faced by users of radio communication products has allowed the industry to develop, with many new technologies currently being employed.

Fuelled by a new spirit of cooperation between European and Chinese technology experts, a Plugtests interoperability testing event has helped to ensure the effective worldwide application of RFID in postal applications.

The ACMA’s 2009 update of developments in technology, Trends in Communications and Media Technology, Applications and Use, has identified five key developments that are placing pressure on media and communications regulation.

In one of the most detailed radiofrequency mapping projects ever carried out in Britain, one technology innovator is undertaking the first Britain-wide radio spectrum monitoring for Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for British communications industries with responsibilities across TV, radio, telecoms and wireless services.

The real-time images allow operators to see what the problem is and ultimately will help the centre in assessing the kind of response that may be needed.