IP: Where's The Wireless Revolution?

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
>
>
> Where's The Wireless Revolution?
>
> By Michael Mahoney
> <http://www.broadbandindustrynews.com/broadband/html/f_wirelessrev.shtml>
>
> If you're still waiting for the wireless Internet revolution to take 
> hold,sit tight. According to recent research conducted by Gartner 
> Dataquest, most of the key wireless technologies are still evolving and 
> won't really take hold until around 2005. So where does that leave 
> wireless broadband?
>
> One thing the industry doesn't have to worry about is demand. The number 
> of wireless LAN users is expected to increase from fewer than 5 million in 
> 2000 to more than 23 million by 2003. And according to market research 
> company Parks Associates, wireless broadband will claim 17 percent of the 
> U.S. market by 2004. But what about now? And what about mobile wireless? 
> High costs, incompatibility issues, lack of accessible bandwidth and slow 
> LAN transmission speeds have kept consumers waiting for as yet unfulfilled 
> promises.
>
> Though the current generation of LAN technology can handle wireless 
> delivery of broadband content, it can still only do so at around 11Mbps. 
> Technology that is still in development is expected to quintuple these 
> speeds to 54Mbps but that isn't expected until the end of the year.
>
> Even with increasing LAN speeds, it still doesn't solve the problem of 
> getting the broadband to your cell phone or PDA. Wireless Application 
> Protocol (WAP), one of the current standards for wireless mobile access, 
> is subject to small screens, slow bandwidth, digit-only keypads and other 
> inconveniences.
>
> And even with Bluetooth, which lets users connect portable computers and 
> printers to mobile devices, application developers must still overcome the 
> form factors of cell phones and PDAs to build usable applications.
>
> Many in the industry are betting their chips on Third Generation, or 3G, 
> systems, which got a huge boost this month when the FCC said it is 
> preparing to release more of its government-owned frequencies. But 3G will 
> suffer from both a lack of global frequency standardization and compatible 
> devices, never mind the fact it won't be here for another year and a half 
> to two years.
>
> Part of the answer may lie in the Multi-Public Unit (MPU) market - which 
> uses wireless access point services and public kiosk technology and is 
> expected to grow to $1.2 billion by 2004. Through a hybrid system of 
> telematic mobile devices and short range fixed wireless hubs in gas 
> stations, shopping malls, airports, etc., you could also travel wherever 
> you please while remaining connected to your home network.
>
> The solutions for integrating wireless broadband into mobile devices will 
> most likely come from innovations in the applications themselves, rather 
> than from expanding frequency spectrums or ranges. The nearest solution 
> may lie in the unveiling of a new PC Card-based 128-Kbps mobile wireless 
> service by MCI Worldcom. Watch for it soon.



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