Over the last year or so we've all been talking about
the convergence of traditional fixed or landline
networks with mobile voice, video, and data. But there's
another important convergence afoot that hasn't received
as much attention. Driven by the consumer hunger for
anywhere, anytime communication, IP and wireless are
coming together. And it's important to begin exploring
this evolving landscape and what it means for the future
of communications.
First let's define exactly what we mean by "IP" and
what we mean by "wireless."
IP is short for Internet Protocol. Most data networks
combine IP with a higher-level protocol called Transport
Control Protocol (TCP), which establishes a virtual
connection between a destination and a source. IP by
itself is something like the "snail mail" postal system.
It allows you to address a package and drop it in a
network without ever establishing a specific or direct
link between you and the recipient. TCP/IP, on the other
hand, establishes a connection between two hosts so that
they can send messages back and forth for a period of
time.
"Wireless" describes telecommunications in which
electromagnetic waves (instead of some form of wire)
carry the signal over part or all of the communication
path. A wireless device can connect to other devices
like cellular phones, laptops, personal digital
assistants (PDAs) with wireless modems, and wireless
LANs. Generally, wireless IP is a gathered body of data
or packets over a wireless transmission path.
It's always challenging to ensure that technologies
complement each other -- and the convergence of IP and
wireless is no exception. While IP has the greatest
potential for bringing together next-generation voice
networks, wireless is seen as the technology that will
bridge the gap between the stationary and mobile
workforces -- giving end users the "always connected"
capabilities they crave.
In this case, the mobile/wireless device landscape is
complex. And this complexity leads to some specific
issues the industry must address as it adds IP to the
wireless solution set:
- Which devices will be best suited to which
applications (wireless IP phone, PDA, etc.)?
- Which devices will gain market segment leadership?
- Will users continue to use targeted, standalone
devices or migrate to multifunction devices such as
those that combine the functionality of a PDA and a
cellular phone?
- What technological developments will ease existing
device and connectivity constraints?
- Does the solution environment have enough wireless
IP bandwidth available?
Generally, striking the right balance will mean
evaluating each mobile/wireless application and its
requirements separately. Applications need to be
evaluated for the frequency and type of data transfer
they require. If an application only requires periodic
synchronization with a central repository, but also
involves significant amounts of data entry on the client
device, then most of the application logic should be on
the client device. For example, sync-based content
delivery can be effective for applications that handle
sales force automation. It would be easy to store
catalogs, client information, reference material, and
other structured data files on the device and update
them periodically when the user returns to the office.
On the other hand, applications that require either
frequent or on-demand updates from a central repository,
but don't require much input from the client, might be
better off with a thin-client architecture on a device
that connects more frequently -- for instance, a
cellular IP phone.
Of course, the greatest challenge will fall to
developers of applications that require frequent,
on-demand updates and rich graphical displays. These
applications will need to add significant value to an
organization to justify their development cost -- and
the high risk of failure inherent in meeting their
design goals.
Unfortunately, the development picture for these
wireless applications will only become cloudier because
of the ever-changing landscape and its impact on
standardizing to a development environment and languages
(for example, WML, XML, HTML, C-HTML, WAP, Java/ J2ME, C
-- any derivative, HDML, XHTML, tag versus code). The
marketplace's diversity, complexity, and constraints all
make it hard for vendors to clearly see how to position
themselves for success. For the same reasons -- and
because of today's economic slump -- customers are
reluctant to embark on extensive mobile/wireless
projects unless they see the potential for significant
cost savings, productivity gains, or a clear competitive
advantage.
Device ergonomics, bandwidth, coverage, and roaming
constraints -- plus the lack of heavy demand for these
products -- all make it hard to predict just when the
market for wireless IP solutions will take off. The more
optimistic vendors point to standards that improve
compression algorithms, intelligence controlling the
display of the software residing on the device itself,
and the growing demand for more information by both
consumers and employees.
The eventual market segment opportunity will depend
on the availability of more bandwidth and improvements
to displays and mobile devices. End users are certainly
attracted to the prospect of anytime, anywhere access to
reliable information. That's why, despite the
challenges, there's high interest in mobile devices,
mobile access, and the potential of wireless IP for
cellular phones. Vendors looking to penetrate this
market segment will need to find a balance between
establishing a track record of successful customer
implementations and keeping themselves open to abrupt
changes in the market segment.
The slowing U.S. economy has led to softer vertical
and horizontal demand for wireless devices. Plus, this
market segment is in for some real challenges in 2002
because of the ever-changing who's who in the wireless
world, the new applications being developed, and the
potential for wireless handheld vendors to support
wireless IP.
The bottom line? Even though the general wireless
industry remains a favorite high-tech opportunity, it's
not immune to temporary setbacks and slowdowns. Although
wireless and IP are here to stay, vendors and
manufacturers will come and go and application
development will struggle to stabilize. In the long run,
we'll all be accessible anytime, anywhere -- and
probably wishing we were still relying on our answering
machines for near real-time communications.
Jim Machi is director, Product Management for the
Intel Telecommunication and Embedded Group. The Intel
Telecommunication and Embedded Group develops advanced
communications technologies and products that merge data
and voice technologies into a single network. For more
information, visit www.intel.com.
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