-- Network Computing Mobile Observer #2.15 -- Powered by CENT Your Mobile and Wireless Resource http://www.networkcomputing.com/mobile/ Wednesday, August 6, 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------- This issue sponsored by LXE Inc., designer and manufacturer of rugged wireless computers, scanners, and wireless networking products that improve supply chain performance. For free white papers, including 802.11a vs. 802.11b in the Warehouse or DC and A Guide to Determining Your Rugged Mobile Computer's Toughness, go to http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5Yb0Au ----------------------------------------------------------- Peter Rysavy joins us as this week's guest columnist. Some say wireless LANs are just another technology bubble that will soon burst, but I don't think so. WLANs are not an independent phenomenon; they are actually riding on the coattails of the much bigger broadband. (See below for full column.) Enjoy Network Computing Mobile Observer, and please feel free to let us know how we can better serve you (mailto:nwcmobile@cmp.com ). Until next week, --The Mobile Observer Team -------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue 1) The Mobile & Wireless Voice: What's Driving Wireless Data? 2) Weekly Mobile & Wireless Watch 3) Special PCCA Meeting on EDGE -- Successor Technology to GPRS 4) Tech Library Toolkit; Editor's White Paper Pick 5) Resistance Isn't Futile: InformationWeek looks at Spam 6) Product Watch 7) Resource Tools 8) Subscription Information --------------------------------------------------------------- 1) The Mobile & Wireless Voice: What's Driving Wireless Data? --------------------------------------------------------------- By Peter Rysavy (http://www.rysavy.com ) Why is WLAN technology booming and why is cellular data stilled somewhat stalled despite the global availability of massive multibillion-dollar networks such as GPRS and CDMA2000 1XRTT? In my opinion, one factor is at the heart of this divergence: the broadband revolution. By understanding how broadband plays into wireless, you will understand how wireless data itself is likely to evolve this decade. Despite some cellular data success stories, such as SMS, cellular data accounts for less than five percent of cellular traffic worldwide. Meanwhile, WLAN growth is substantial. Investors can't seem to find enough WLAN companies to invest in: WLAN hardware provider NetGear and hotspot aggregator iPass each raked in close to $100 million in the past two weeks. Some say this is just another technology bubble that will soon burst, but I don't think so. WLAN is not an independent phenomenon; it's actually riding on the coattails of the much bigger broadband. Witness the massive investments by cable companies over the last 10 years as well as Verizon's new bet of deploying fiber connections to every home and business throughout its territory within 15 years. Ivan Seidenburg, CEO of Verizon, in the August 4 issue of "BusinessWeek" says that telecom is history and that a "broadband industry" is emerging. In addition to telecom and cable industry players, giants like AOL, Intel, Microsoft and Yahoo all have huge broadband initiatives. And the uptake of DSL and cable modems in the United States remains torrid, with 58 percent growth last year. New, aggressive pricing plans, down to $35 per month, will further drive growth. But how does this apply to mobile computing? Let's look first at cellular data. Cellular data today effectively gives us modem- like performance, which is fine for many applications and even great for microbrowsers, picture phones and PDAs. But it does not support the standard computing configuration (which is ever more bandwidth intensive with huge e-mail attachments, automatic virus protection updates, automatic OS updates, etc.) that we all use day in and day out. What about 3G cellular? Isn't that the broadband answer? Unfortunately, no. While these systems promise peak throughputs of 2 Mbps (WCDMA), 2.4 Mbps (1XEV-DO) and 8 Mbps (HSDPA), these channels must be shared by large numbers of users across the coverage area, and the average user, once these networks are loaded up, may not experience rates much better than 100 Kbps. Workable, yes. Useful thanks to huge coverage areas, absolutely. Broadband, no. Now look at WLAN technology. We not only begin with high data rates--802.11a and .11g offer 54 Mbps with sustained rates of about half this amount--but have another huge advantage working for us--frequency reuse. Because the coverage areas are so small compared to cellular, we get to reuse the same frequencies very close by. Consider, too, that there is more unlicensed spectrum than there is cellular and PCS spectrum combined and that there is more on the way. The net effect is that each user gets a much bigger slice of the spectrum pie and that WLAN actually delivers an uncompromised broadband service that fully matches other broadband technologies. WLAN not only has the bandwidth advantage, but the infrastructure cost to deliver each user bandwidth is substantially lower. Cellular companies obviously have done the math, as they now all have hotspot initiatives. Some of this is defensive, but it's also logical--they do happen to have the right (mobile) customers. Hybrid networks also make sense, with cellular for background coverage and hotspots where people are concentrated. Deploying WLAN technology privately in places like enterprises and college campuses is a no-brainer. The business formula gets tougher with hotspots: people are reluctant to pay much for this service; it's not as cheap to deploy as you might think, despite inexpensive access points; and there are an increasing number of freenet options. Now consider the momentum WLAN have: broadband capability, low cost, standardization, available in most new mobile platforms and a huge number of applications (productivity, entertainment, multimedia communications). It is absolutely inevitable that WLAN will become ubiquitous in public areas. It will never match the cellular footprint -- how it is deployed and by whom likely will be chaotic. Maybe many of us will never have to pay for service; maybe it will take the rest of this decade to unfold. But it will happen and in a big way. It will cause as much turmoil in the telecom industry as the PC did in the mainframe industry. --------------------------------------------------------------- 2) Weekly Mobile & Wireless Watch --------------------------------------------------------------- By Julio Caraballo (mailto:jcaraballo@nwc.com) Research in Motion (RIM) is again a possible target for buyout or hostile takeover, this time by industry giant HP, because of its large number of technology patents. RIM also is attractive because of its industry-leading "always on" e-mail technology, which dominates the enterprise market niche. Plus, the company's stock has more than doubled in the past year. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YO0Ab Microsoft, in pursuit of a leadership role in the smartphone marketplace, obtained approval from the Federal Communications Commission to introduce its new operating system for this type of mobile device. Initially targeting tri-band GSM models, we do not expect to see the OS in the U.S. market in the near future; Microsoft has been focusing on introducing its smartphone products in the European marketplace. The OS is still regarded as rough and in the works. Microsoft's small European customer base--especially in the United Kingdom--has experienced some minor problems with the 2003 version. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YP0Ac To gain competitive advantage on industry giants Microsoft and Intel, which are aiming to dominate the mobile application marketplace, a new alliance headed by Texas Instruments, ARM and Nokia was formed. MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface Alliance) hopes to accelerate the development of application- rich mobile phones and benefit end users by developing easy-to- use designs, enhancing options and increasing competition in this market niche. The alliance is looking to capitalize on an open standard for components that plug into cell phones and deliver multimedia capabilities. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YQ0Ad Texas Instruments is looking to improve its support of multi- band 802.11 products by acquiring fabless semiconductor company Radia Communications. Radia specializes in the development of RF (radio frequency) semiconductor, subsystem, signal processing and networking technologies for 802.11 WLAN multi-band/multi-mode radios. TI will use Radia's 802.11 RF technologies in its silicon and software for the 802.11 market. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YR0Ae --------------------------------------------------------------- 3) EDGE Meeting --------------------------------------------------------------- What: Special PCCA Meeting on EDGE, Successor Technology to GPRS Where: Indianapolis Marriott North, Indianapolis, IN When: August 19-20 AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless and T-Mobile this year are launching EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which promises to triple data rates and double network capacity. The purpose of this meeting is to present and discuss details of the technology, including how real and effective the technology is, deployment status, device availability and supported applications. Presenters will include AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Ericsson, Microsoft, Nokia, Tartec and TTPCom. A workshop for attendees will offer "hands-on" experience with the technology. For more information. http://www.pcca.org/news/Agendas/ag03-08.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- 4) Tech Library Toolkit; Editor's White Paper Pick --------------------------------------------------------------- Here are this week's hottest mobile & wireless white papers. a) Unleash the Power of Wireless CRM With salesforce.com Airforce Wireless Edition your data is always as close as your own wireless device. --salesforce.com http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YT0Ag b) Understanding the Layers of Wireless LAN Security & Management This paper outlines the specific elements of WLAN security (perimeter control, access control, date protection and monitoring) and WLAN management (configuration, fault diagnostics, network usage and policy enforcement). --AirDefense http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YU0Ah c) Enterprise Wireless Instant Messaging--Selection Criteria This paper offers selection criteria for secure, enterprise wireless IM and serves as a roadmap for implementing this critical collaboration vehicle. --Air2Web http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YV0Ai d) The Authentication Scorecard This paper provides a consistent, structured framework and a corresponding tool--the Authentication Scorecard--that will help organizations to understand, evaluate and select the most appropriate authentication technology. --RSA Security http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YW0Aj e) Improving Field Sales and Service with Mobile Printing Applications Field sales and service operations represent one of the last remaining opportunities to gain major cost savings and productivity benefits from relatively modest automation investments. --Zebra Technologies http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YX0Ak Find more vendor white papers, analyst reports, Webcasts and recent industry research findings. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0BsdA0Aa Get the latest mobile & wireless papers via our RSS feed. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0Bu2H0At ------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's White Paper Pick ------------------------------------------------------------- Road Warriors need access, too. Hotspot wireless 802.11b networks and low-cost wireless access cards are allowing people to check their e-mail or download a document while getting their morning cup of coffee or waiting for an airplane. But providing road warriors with wireless access is an IT director's nightmare. Read this Rainbow Technologies white paper, "Wireless Security--Extending Access to the Road Warrior," to learn about key security challenges faced by organizations when deploying wireless access to road warriors. You will learn best practices for securing WLAN connections in hotspots as well as encryption and authentication. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YY0Al Access more white papers, case studies and product information on Wireless Security in the Network Computing Tech Library. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0ByUs0AH --------------------------------------------------------------- 5) Resistance Isn't Futile: InformationWeek Looks at Spam --------------------------------------------------------------- How is your organization at filtering spam from e-mail systems, and how effective are these strategies? The editors of InformationWeek are conducting a brief, online news survey exploring the impact of spam on enterprise e-mail systems. In return for participating, you will be entered into a drawing with $250 grand prize check or one of five $100 checks. To participate in the survey go to: http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5Rv0A8 --------------------------------------------------------------- 6) Product Watch --------------------------------------------------------------- a) Sneak Preview: Proxim's Orinoco AP-2000b/g (Network Computing: August 7, 2003) I tested the AP-2000 and found that Proxim delivers on the promises of 11g, but the standard still raises questions about performance and deployment. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5Mb0Ai b) One Slow User in the Hotspot Can Degrade Wi-Fi Performance (InternetWeek.com: July 31, 2003) French researchers found a flaw in wireless LAN technology that could allow one user to slow others connected to the same hotspot. The flaw is in both the 802.11a and 802.11g standards as well as the most widely used Wi-Fi standard 802.11b. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5YZ0Am c) Sprint PCS Users Gain Access to AOL IM and E-Mail (InformationWeek.com: July 30, 2003) Deal gives AOL links to four of the five major wireless service providers. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5Ya0At d) Wireless Technology Pushes Further into the Supply Chain (InternetWeek.com: June 26, 2003) Companies that have used wireless technology for years to track and distribute consumer goods are pushing it out to the fringes of the supply chain, where they hope the technology will help them achieve sales goals. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B3Md0Ai --------------------------------------------------------------- 7) Resource Tools --------------------------------------------------------------- a) Read more Network Computing articles on mobile and wireless technology. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0CTL0Ab b) Download wireless white papers. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0PxW0Ab c) Research wireless products and vendors. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0N7c0Ag d) Read more mobile and wireless stories on TechWeb. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0OgG0A2 For in-depth market research and analyst reports, look no further than the Network Computing Market Research Library. Here you'll find thousands of reports from the leading research firms. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0BsdA0Aa ----------------------------------------------------------- This issue sponsored by LXE Inc., designer and manufacturer of rugged wireless computers, scanners, and wireless networking products that improve supply chain performance. For free white papers, including 802.11a vs. 802.11b in the Warehouse or DC and A Guide to Determining Your Rugged Mobile Computer's Toughness, go to http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0B5Yb0Au ----------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------- 8) Subscription Information --------------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed as: bshimmin@nwc.com If you'd like to change your e-mail address for this newsletter. http://www.submag.com/CGI-BIN/wemlchgflo?pub=nc If you'd like to unsubscribe from this newsletter. http://www.submag.com/cgi-bin/subscribe/nc?wp=unsub&tc=5 Did someone forward this newsletter to you? 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Network Computing's Security Alert Consensus Created in conjunction with The SANS Institute, this free, customizable newsletter will give you concise, timely, accurate and authoritative data on security holes, exploits, patches and workarounds, all delivered directly to you from the industry's brightest and best security experts. What's more, you can choose your content, selecting from various areas of interest. For more information and to subscribe to this free newsletter. http://update.networkcomputing.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eA0BewbF0cA0COV0Ag Look for the next Network Computing Mobile Observer newsletter on Wednesday, August 13, 2003! Copyright (c) 2003 Network Computing, a CMP Media LLC publication. This message powered by DARTmail http://www.doubleclick.net/us/corporate/privacy