2. Mobile Data Networks - The Big Picture

The answer to the question of which next-generation mobile standard will be the winner in the battle to widen the data pipe to your mobile device is "none of the above". At least that's what wireless industry expert and pundit Andrew Seybold said in his "Becoming the Wireless Data Expert in your Company" session that was part of the Wireless Data University session I attended last Sunday.

Seybold said since there isn't a single mobile voice network standard, there won't be a single wireless voice / data standard in the U.S. either. (Other countries typically have chosen one standard, with GSM being the current dominant technology.) But it won't matter, since chip and handset vendors will work to make products that handle multiple networks.

Though not a believer in Wi-Fi hotspots as a viable business model, Seybold thinks even Wi-Fi will probably have a place in the wireless broadband ecosystem. He predicted that T-Mobile may lead the way with "seamless" roaming between cellular and Wi-Fi based data networks with Wi-Fi radios also being integrated into mobile devices and adapters. (Sony Ericsson's GC79 GPRS/ Wireless LAN PC card is already available.)

His advice to companies considering the technology was to concentrate on the back-end and what they want to do with higher-speed wide-area wireless connectivity. The connection technology is changing and will continue to change, and in the end will matter only in that the flavor you use will depend on your choice of service provider.