More Networking Choices

New forms of wide area networking (WAN) are available to connect the mobile devices back to the corporate IT environment. POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) dialup modems have stabilized at maximum speeds of around 56K. DSL and Cable modem technologies, lumped under the heading “broadband,” are being successfully promoted to both consumers and businesses. For the most part, wireless networks don’t feel terribly different than they were two years ago. The over-hyped 3G networks of the future are probably still at least several years away due to spectrum allocation issues, technical glitches, and the monumental network build out effort required. In the meantime, many telecomm firms are realizing that 2.5G services such as GPRS might be easier to provision and quicker to revenue in the short term. Reasonably far along in Europe and parts of Asia, the Americas have seen only extremely limited pilots for 2.5G in select test metro areas. We expect the telecomm companies to continue to over-hype both the bandwidth and timeframes they can deliver in. The reality is that aggressive companies are making wireless investments, building their skills and realizing a return on investment (ROI). Many more are sitting on the sidelines watching cautiously. There is a sense that big bandwidth, universal coverage, and total reliability are still a long way off for wireless. But certain situations offer compelling reasons to move ahead regardless, relying on the right technology to compensate for occasional inability to connect. Now,let`s go to APPCRAFT.ORG and post a mobile e-business project for free!