Recently honored by his alma mater, Yeshiva University, Quantum’s CEO, Ari Zoldan sits down with his college paper to detail how it was that the small-town boy from Lawrence, NY became the founder and CEO of a media powerhouse.

His press credentials ranging from the United Nations, the Senate to the House of Representatives, Ari now holds the position as Senior Washington Correspondent of Talk Radio News Service, a Washington, D.C. newswire, as well as an habitual figure on networks such a Fox Business, CNN, and other news outlets nationwide. His seat in the White House, as well as his position as one of the movers and shakers in the New York media business, just shows how far he has come, the article goes on to say, from where he sat in ’00’01 on “his mother’s couch going on job interview after interview, waiting for a position in finance that never materialized”.

After graduating from Yeshiva University’s school of Buisness, Syms, he searched diligently for a job in finance but remained unsuccessful. Instead of being discouraged, Zoldan decided to forge his own path… a route that he would do several times throughout his career, the majority of which proving to be both lucrative and sucessful.

“At that point, I really had nothing to lose, so I decided to start my own company,” Zoldan asserted. “I researched emerging fields and hit upon voiceover technology. I identified certain niches in the industry that weren’t being served and pounced on them.”

Zoldan soon founded small startup Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, for companies all over the world, especially in Asia and Africa. In 2001, he officially established Launch 3 Communications, a VoIP, and then founded Launch 3 Ventures with his brother David in 2004, which bought distressed assets from telecommunications companies and sold the parts overseas. He sold both companies to his two brothers—Launch 3 Communications to Dani in 2004 and Launch 3 Ventures to David in 2007—and focused on starting a new company, Quantum Networks, a technology incubator focused on emerging and next generation technology.

“I had a bunch of failures in between selling the business to my brothers and founding Quantam, but entrepreneurs can’t be afraid of failure,” Zoldan said. “The experience of failing time and again before landing on something that succeeded was probably one of the greatest things I needed to master.” Quantum is not only a success story but a unique place to work; Zoldan and his management team have carefully developed an atmosphere that encourages an open and proactive work environment with a hands-off approach to management. With more than 25 employees, most are in their early twenties, intuitive decision-making is at the core of Quantum’s business model.

Zoldan’s co-partner and COO at Quantum is Eytan Wiener said of Zoldan “’He has astounding vision and foresight for what works and what will not. I sometimes think of Ari’s life as a chess game, because he is always planning moves ten steps ahead and then waits patiently as they play out according to plan.”

Zoldan’s next steps would include branching into media. A natural progression to Ari, given his love of writing and politics, he has appeared on Fox News Channel and Fox Business, NBC and CNN Money, among other national broadcast outlets. Although his time is limited, he manages to be a popular motivational speaker on the lecture circuit and has a book coming out next year, Startup Karma, a leadership and management manual which focuses on infusing the laws of karma into one’s business.

Speaking to current YU alumni who are struggling to find a job, Zoldan offers some sage advice. “Finding a job is a full-time job, and graduates need to be open to avenues other than what they initially intended.”

The article in its entirety is available on page 5 of the YUToday ’12 winter issue.

If you would like any first hand information about jobs, experience, media availabilities, connect to Ari Zoldan via his different social profiles—LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter…

Ari Zoldan, CEO of Quantum Wireless, was interviewed on Fox News’ Varney & Co program this morning. The topic of discussion was online movie and TV show merchant Netflix, and whether it was the target of a takeover by Verizon, the nation’s largest wireless services provider.

Ari maintained that voice providers are looking to fill their wireless pipes with content as well as data. Data providers like Verizon need to evolve in order to survive in a world where data and content are transferred via the same mechanism.

Netflix’s stock is down 59% this year, and the shares are going for $79 a pop. The other two contributors on the show stated they “wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole”. But Ari stood his ground and said that a company with a customer base like Verizon could really benfeit by monetizing Netflix’s Market Share.

Ari Zoldan is an expert in 3G and 4G technologies, specifically WiMAX and LTE. prior to founding Quantum Wireless, Ari started Launch3, a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and fixed wireless service. Ari has contributed to CNN Money, Popular Science, and NBC as well as Fox News.

Watch the video of the interview for more information.

Back in February the wireless press and blogs were all over the cellphone booster story: Wireless carriers complained that the boosters threatened public safety. They blamed the boosters for interfering with networks. A leading manufacturer of boosters, Wilson Electronics, said hold on. Wilson, proud in making these boosters to the highest standards, said the boosters ensured public safety because they reduce the number of dropped calls and deliver connections for emergency responders in remote areas.

The FCC, considering a ban on boosters, invited comments from interested parties. Joe Banos, COO of Wilson Electronics, raised the controversy a mega-notch by proposing a detailed solution to carrier/vendor wars: Poor design leading to faulty boosters is the problem, said Banos, and the problem can be fixed by enforcing tight standards.

Wilson Electronics asked the FCC to raise certification standards and he offered specific criteria for setting those standards in place.

Banos also had a message for carriers: Why fight each other when you can make your customers happier and more loyal by sitting down with us and working out the technical solutions?

So that was back in February. This is September. Cellphone booster watchers still wait for the other shoe to drop. Where does the controversy sit now?

We got Joe Banos to answer. The man who stirred up the bees in the first place. The man who continues a crusade of awareness about cell-phone boosters to get us through dropped calls and dead zones–if and when boosters are designed and engineered to the highest standards.

As of February, the FCC was considering a ban on boosters. In September 2010 can we say the ban is likely or improbable?

Banos: The ban is improbable. I think Wilson has had moderate success in creating positive awareness within the FCC that, when properly designed, boosters are a necessary tool to improve the user’s service regardless of carrier or location.

You offered to have a discussion with the carriers to work problems out. Have you had any response from the carriers since making these overtures?

Banos: We see working with the carriers as really the only long-term solution. It will take time and, yes, there have been some somewhat positive exchanges with some carriers.

In your petition, you suggested design standards to the FCC to consider. Still under consideration?

Banos: Still under consideration. A device palatable to the carriers may require greater sophistication than we originally asked for. We have looked at some additional improvements and features which would give carriers more control over a booster's operation on the network that are attainable while keeping costs low to the consumers. Dialog with the carriers will eventually lead to this doable device.

What is Wilson’s worldwide market share in boosters? How much does the sale of boosters contribute to Wilson's total sales?

Banos: We estimate we have about 70% of the Booster market. Boosters are our business.

Worst-case scenario: A US. ban on boosters. What effect would this have on Wilson Electronics as a viable business?

Banos: This would certainly have an effect. The fallacy and sad side to a U.S. ban is that boosters of perhaps even lesser quality than available today will most likely remain available via Internet sales from low-key sellers here or abroad, which could worsen the problem.

Stephanie Canciello, unali artists

Quantum-Wireless.com recently had the unique pleasure of interviewing an internet pioneer, Craig Newmark. Craig established one of the most visited websites, craigslist.org. Almost everyone with a computer has browsed one of craig’s sub pages looking for a job, apartment or missed connection. He presented the idea of an online marketplace that’s completely free and patrolled by users. He still stays true to the original idea of an open marketplace where people can trade good and services without being blasted by advertising and other offers.

1. How did the idea for craigslist come about? Has it remained faithful to its original mission?

Pretty much everything at craigslist (note lower case c) arises from community feedback. I just started in 1995 with a simple events mailing list, and listened and did what people say they need and want. That continues to this day, under the leadership of Jim Buckmaster.

2. What is your reaction to the success craigslist has had?

It feels good that we’ve helped tens of millions of people helping each other out. It’s flattering, that (we’re going) back (to) do work, working (at) customer service.

3. How do you feel about being regarded as a revolutionary web entrepreneur? Do you view craigslist as a business, like say, Amazon or eBay?

I’m not revolutionary, not an entrepreneur, not a visionary or anything like that. I guess I am more of a community organizer. Craigslist is a community service and a business, that simple.

4. What do you think distinguishes craigslist from similar concepts that haven’t been as successful?

I don’t know of any others, but craigslist was built on the intention of helping other folks out and that remains our focus to continue to treat people like we want to (be) treated.

5. What are your thoughts on looking to craigslist as a social and political model? Is self governance something you believe in outside of the web?

Tens of millions of people have used craigslist, and they’ve seen there it’s easy to help each other out, to connect, and that continues elsewhere, like on Wikipedia. I strongly believe in self governance, and the consent of the governed.

6. As a site that has been largely consistent, what do you see for the future of craigslist? What do you see as the future for self governing and collaborative sites in general?

Future of craigslist is more of the same, adding more cities and more languages. We’re going to see a lot more of it, very soon, and that will dominate the Internet by the end of this decade.

7. How will Craigslist expand it’s mobile websites to accommodate increase in mobile internet use?

We do pretty well now, using a simple format that gives people the information they want. That works for mobile computing.

8. How is geo-locating going to change marketing in the future?

I think people will look at their mobile device and be able to see who and what’s near them. I’ve already done so.

Quantum-Wireless.com recently interviewed Wilson Electronic’s Marketing Manager Jonathan Bacon. He discussed Wilson’s latest offering, the Wilson Sleek along with the future of Wilson, along with his take on the F.C.C.’s position on cell signal boosters with the mobile carriers.

1.Can your please introduce yourself, your company and your position?

Wilson Electronics, Inc., a leader in the wireless communications industry for more than 40 years, designs and manufactures a wide variety of cell phone signal boosters, antennas and related components that significantly improve cellular communications. It has designed solutions for poor cellular reception in mobile, building and machine-to-machine (M2M) applications. All Wilson products are engineered, assembled and tested in the company’s U.S.-based headquarters. Wilson amplifiers fully comply with FCC regulations for cellular devices and are FCC and Industry Canada type accepted. Wilson Electronics has developed and patented microprocessor-controlled signal booster (or amplifier) technology, which protects cell towers from interference.

As the Marketing Manager at Wilson Electronics I oversee projects relating to driving SEO results for our products to ensuring that our packaging has the same look and feel. It also involves media outreach, product promotions, managing our social media outreach and projects and working with the sales team to ensure their needs, and those of their clients are being met.

2. How is the new Sleek different than other products on the market of its kind?

With the Sleek, Wilson Electronics engineers were able to combine all of the elements that make our products successful and effective, without sacrificing the key components that make it a Wilson product, all for a very affordable price. The Sleek is an all-in-one cradle cell phone signal booster. It works by having the phone placed into the cradle, placing the included magnet-mount antenna on the roof of the vehicle (or mounted on a metal bracket by a window for use indoors), and then plugging it in. It’s that easy! The cradle is also designed to support a Mifi card or even a GPS device (if it uses cellular signal) as it works to amplify both cellular and data signals.

3. What is the minimum separable distance between the cradle and the external antenna? Maximum distance?

It is recommended that the external antenna is about 12 inches away from any other antenna, and a few inches away from any windows or a sunroof. There really isn’t a maximum since you’ll only have about as much distance as the cord will allow, which is 12 feet. The key is to have the antenna mounted up high allowing it clear access to the radio waves it is trying to capture, and making sure it’s mounted on metal such as the roof of a car or a metal bracket.

4. What type of antenna can be connected to the new Sleek?

Included with every Sleek is one of our mini-mag’s, or a small, 4-inch magnet mount antenna. If you are interested, you can purchase several different, optional antenna’s as well. Those include:

* 12″ Magnet Mount Antenna: High Gain Magnet-Mount Antenna
* Trucker Antenna: Ideal for mirror mounting on a large truck. Mounts on a 3/8″ mirror mount
* NMO Mount Antenna: For permanent vehicle roof mount. For professional mounting on cars or pickup trucks
* RV Antenna: For vehicle roof mount on an RV

5. Who would be the ideal customer for the new Wilson Sleek?

Great question! Simply, it’s ideal for anyone tired of dropping calls, especially iPhone users.  Anyone who has experienced dropped calls while driving

* In a city,
* rural area
* or in general, areas of weak signal coverage

is the ideal user for the Sleek. An optional home accessory kit can be purchased as well, which will allow you to use the Sleek indoors. Please note that the Sleek is a single-user device, so it will only boost the signal of the phone in the cradle. It also works best with a bluetooth or headset device. Using it with a bluetooth device is ideal as it will give you additional range, while allowing you to enjoy the best possible cell phone signal.

6. We have read recently that the  Wilson Sleek is designed to work internationally, what is  Wilson’s marketing strategy for the international marketplace? And what regions are most appealing to Wilson?

The Sleek is designed to work with all major North American cell phone providers except for Nextel/iDen. It will be sold throughout Canada, Mexico and even parts of Central and South America.

Internationally, Canada is a great market because both Telus and Bell Canada (two prominent carriers in Canada) sell and endorse Wilson Electronics products. That said, the largest market is clearly the U.S., with rural areas (central part of the country, but rural areas don’t really have a specific region) having the largest need. That said, urban areas or heavily populated cities have a great need as well due to the buildings that can block signals, or cell towers being overloaded by the amount of people trying to make a call through each one. All of these factors make nailing down the most appealing region very difficult.

7. Would the Sleek 815226 support 3G networks on the iPhone 3GS if it uses the 2100 MHz frequency band?

No. Wilson Electronics does have some models available right now (811914) which will work with the 2100 MHz as well as 900 MHz. This will also work with the iPhone and comes with a cradle as well.

8. What other new products can we expect coming from Wilson down the pipe?

It’s important to note that for competitive reasons we’re not wanting to disclose everything we have in the pipe right now. That said, stay tuned as some very cool items are coming in soon–that will open us up to other bands and data speeds.

9. What is Wilson’s market position in the cell booster market?

Currently, it is our understanding that Wilson Electronics dominates the cell phone signal booster market. This is due to

* Our products having a reputation of being the most carrier friendly thanks to patented technologies and in-house engineering that is second to none
* A vast line of products that will work in a car, boat, RV, home, office, building, and even many M2M (machine-to-machine) products that help with asset tracking or data transfer
* Industry leading product guarantees and warranties
* U.S.-based tech support–now with extended hours of support, and
* The best credibility in the industry for building quality products that work as advertised

10. Who are some of your potential competitors, what edge does Wilson have over them?

Needless to say, there are several companies that exist in the cell phone signal boosting space, but none have been in the telecommunications business for more than 40 years, like Wilson Electronics has. Also, no one has close to the 10 years of specialized and focused experience in the signal boosting world like we do. It may sound like I’m boasting, but in reality we are proud of these facts, as both have lead to our credibility in the space and our drive to constantly improve our products and product lines. Additionally, we stand by these statements:

* Receive Signal Farther from the Site: Our signal boosters detect signals farther than anyone thanks to greater receiver sensitivity and lower noise figure
* It’s About the Patented Technology: Our patented oscillation protection eliminates interference that inferior products can create
* It’s About Protecting the Cell Towers: Our cell tower overload protection allows our signal boosters to figuratively turn the volume up when its far from the cell tower, and speak softer when its close
* All Engineering is Done In-House: Our engineers are part of the process from product development, to product testing before our award winning signal boosters ship off the production line
* Customer Satisfaction is Our Top Priority: Our products all come with a full one-year warranty and 30 day money back guarantee
* Signal boosters are proudly made in the USA

11. What’s on Wilson’s road map for 2010-2011?

We’d like to put the FCC issue behind us and either,

* Come to an agreement with cell phone carriers about what regulations should be implemented by the FCC in order to deem signal boosters as transparent tools to be used by the general public without concern of interrupting the network, or
* Work with the FCC to implement new regulations and/or standards for approving cell phone signal boosters so that poorly created boosters can be eliminated from the market

We’d also like to help more users see that dropped calls don’t have to happen just cause they have an iPhone or any phone for that matter. We’re confident the Sleek will help us break down the barrier to entry for many people who are hoping to eliminate dropped calls or poor signal strength. We’re confident the next two years will be break out years for the signal boosters especially as more people learn about the affordable and effective solutions offered to them, like those offered by Wilson Electronics.

12. What impact do you see the F.C.C. ruling having on Wilson Electronics and its competitors?

First, to clarify, there hasn’t been a ruling on signal boosters in regards to ours, and others, recent petitions. As we understand it, the FCC is currently reviewing the comments, and comments on the comments (Approx. 80% of which–by our count–were in favor of keeping signal boosters on the market from suppliers like Wilson Electronics, and in support of our petition to tighten regulations for signal boosters).

Based on the overwhelming support from the comments filed to the FCC, and the need for a signal boosters in rural areas, or even to help safety officials who depend on our products (more than 600 government or safety agencies currently use our products nationwide), we are hopeful the FCC will make a ruling in our favor. If this happened, it would either weed out the bad signal booster manufacturers since the regulations would be too strict, or at the very least, it would create a need for signal boosters manufacturers to start producing boosters at a higher standard. To reiterate, we proposed the following rule changes for approving signal boosters:

* Oscillation (feedback) detection and auto-shut down – To prevent interference with cell towers
* Proximity detection and auto shut down – To prevent signal overload of cell towers
* Bi-directional signal amplification – A weak link in cellular networks is the phone’s low power to the tower. Some signal boosters today amplify only the incoming signal to the phone. While the phone shows more bars, these boosters do nothing to increase the phone’s weak signal transmission back to the tower, where amplification is needed most.

Quantum-Wireless caught up with Steve Moehling, the Vice President of Sales for LandAirSea Systems.

How do you distinguish yourself from other GPS tracking companies?

Since many GPS tracking applications require that that equipment is hidden, development and engineering standards are critical.  Standard navigation equipment and/or handheld GPS devices are designed to operate in the open.  Therefore, these devices have a clear view of the sky or even an antenna placed in an optimal location.  LandAirSea customers demand that our products perform at a high standard even though they are installed in unconventional places.  All LandAirSea products are developed under a stringent set of performance guidelines and are not launched until they meet our standards for sensitivity and efficiency.  Many products on the market lack these sensitivity and efficiency standards.

What are some of the benefits of GPS tracking for a company?

There are many benefits companies receive from GPS tracking.  These include employee productivity, job costing, fuel savings, dispatching, just to name a few.  More elaborate systems allow inputs and outputs on the devices to control and/or monitor vehicle accessories such as door locks, door sensors, alarms, etc.

What is the difference between the 3100-INT and the 3100-EXT?

The only difference between the INT and EXT is the antenna configuration.  INT (internal), EXT (external).  Even though our devices are extremely sensitive, many customers desire to install the device in the engine compartment or trunk where the device would be surrounded by metal.  Since this metal would block the GPS signal, the EXT provides the ability to run the antenna to an area where there is adequate reception.  This antenna is very small and can be easily hidden.

What is your most popular device?

With more than 125,000 sold worldwide since 2006, the Tracking Key has become our most popular model.  This is due to its size, reception quality, and strong magnet.

How popular is the GPS Teen Tracking?

This has been one of the fastest growing segments in our market.  Statistics show that automobile accidents is the number one cause of teenage deaths.  GPS tracking provides parents the ability to monitor the driving habits of their children.  Although sometimes controversial to the teenager as an intrusion of privacy, parents look at it as a safety measure.

Are the devices easy to install?

All LandAirSea devices are designed for portability.  Installation and removal is provided by a simple, high-performance magnet.  Hard-wired devices provide a simple positive and negative connection.

LandAirSea has been manufacturing GPS tracking products since 1994 and has been at the forefront of this development since that time.  In addition, all LandAirSea products are manufactured in the United States.  Their corporate offices are located in Woodstock, IL which is approximately 50 miles northwest of Chicago.  They also have satellite offices in Houston, Boston and San Diego.