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Next Generation Networks: February 08, 2010 eNewsletter
February 08, 2010

2G+, 3G, 4G-LTE Versus Wi-Fi

By Brendan B. Read, Senior Contributing Editor

2G+, 3G, 4G/LTE (News - Alert) or Wi-Fi. What method are road warriors, using critical-data-and-bandwidth intensive solutions such as CRM applications, and whose employers (or themselves if they are self-employed) are juggling wireless costs, to choose and where?



 
To help them answer this question TMCnet.com recently asked several leading firms to discuss the advantages and challenges of Wi-Fi versus 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE with regards to accessing CRM on mobile devices. Here are their answers:
 
Mike Tennefoss, head of strategic marketing, Aruba Networks
 
802.11n Wi-Fi is ideal for providing high-speed network access in corporate facilities and SOHO/branch offices, and for use by fixed telecommuters. It has the advantage of being extremely economical, supporting multiple devices and users simultaneously, and concurrently running multiple data, voice, and video applications. Cellular is a good back-haul technology and useful for communicating with a single device, but it has the disadvantage of being a subscription, single-user service. Wi-Fi and cellular can be used in a complementary way to provide wire-free, instant access networks - to audit teams or contractors working at clients' sites, for example – where Wi-Fi delivers local network access and cellular provides back-haul to a data
center.
 
Tim Nguyen, chief information officer, Avidian Technologies
 
The most important factors when we think of CRM on mobile devices are: easy access to data “anywhere”, connection speed and useful information. The limitation of Wi-Fi is that it doesn’t have the coverage of 3G/4G because of proximity constraints. However, if the user is going to the same offsite location(s) that has Wi-Fi available, then this is a non-issue. They can rely on the Wi-Fi hotspot to get to CRM data. If the mobile worker needs to be truly mobile and their destinations may or may not have Wi-Fi, then 3G/4G are the options to get their CRM data. This will slowly change over time as 4G networks are installed and carriers move to full support of this. Mobile workers will then have anytime, anywhere access to important CRM data with just as much speed and reliability that they would have with Wi-Fi.
 
Vivek Thomas, president, Maximizer Software
 
From the current technologies available, Wi-Fi certainly provides the fastest and most stable wireless communication path between mobile devices and corporate servers.  However, as Wi-Fi is still not commonly available on many mobile devices, we cannot rely on it as the primary method of users’ communication. We therefore need to design applications that function regardless of the wireless connectivity choice.  Ideally, the device should be able to automatically switch from the cellular network to Wi-Fi when in close proximity to the local Wi-Fi Access Point (News - Alert).  Some network providers are already looking at providing such services to complement to their data plan bundles.
 
Atul Suklikar, vice president, product management Salesforce.com
 
In the case of Salesforce.com’s (News - Alert) mobile application, there really are no challenges, only advantages. The application caches data and updates itself automatically at regular intervals, relying on whichever network type is most readily available – Wi-Fi or network.

Additionally, the device's operating system mostly hides implementation details of different wireless/Wi-Fi technology so there's no compromise in performance or usability. Even roaming from wireless to Wi-Fi is completely seamless and transparent to the user.
 
Martin Schneider, director of product marketing, SugarCRM
 
Wi-Fi is great for “fixed-point” mobile usage (say, when you're on the go but stopping at a Starbucks to check email and update your sales call records for the day.” But for more role-based scenarios like field service and sales where the CRM data and device are accessed as part of an on-site process, having a more wide area 3G connection is best. Having to connect to a network at every site can be troublesome and time consuming versus simply being connected to a wide 3G network.

Brendan B. Read is TMCnet’s Senior Contributing Editor. To read more of Brendan’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Erin Harrison

(source: http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/broadband-stimulus/topics/mobile-networks/articles/74891-2g-3g-4g-lte-versus-wi-fi.htm)








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