Nasdaq hack haunts lawmakers

Two senior US congressional Republicans say they were troubled by reports of hacking attacks on Nasdaq OMX Group computer network and asked for some answers, according to Reuters.

"The news that the Nasdaq Stock Market's computer network has been repeatedly penetrated during the past year is troubling to say the least," said House Financial Services Committee chairman Spencer Bachus and committee member Scott Garrett, both Republicans, in a joint statement.

"We would appreciate hearing from you regarding what you are doing to ensure the ongoing integrity and security of exchange trading systems and clearinghouses in response to these reports," they said in a letter addressed to regulators and the heads of major exchange groups.

Public wireless Internet connections are becoming more widespread in Finland, says YLE.

Free WLAN connections have long been available in cafes and libraries around the country. In Oulu, free WiFi covers the whole of the city centre while in Helsinki wireless Internet is being tried on public transit.

Helsinki City Transport is testing Internet services on some selected busses on routes 52, 52A, 58, 58B and 59 as well as some trams.

A new mobile network technology aims to banish ugly mobile masts and help deliver rural broadband, its makers claim, according to The Telegraph.

The system, dubbed 'lightRadio', shrinks and simplifies the electronics in mobile network base stations to slash costs and energy consumption by around half, said Alcatel-Lucent, the French networking vendor.

It offers connectivity to 2G, 3G and forthcoming 4G data networks via tiny cube-shaped antennae that fit in the palm of a hand and can be installed wherever there is power. The cubes do not have the range of a traditional mobile mast, but they are cheaper and less obtrusive, so can be installed in groups to offer the same or better coverage, the report says.