The uptake of wireless technology has had more than its share of false starts. Public cordless telephony using the CT-2 and CT-3 standards was announced and trialled in the early 1990s, but soon disappeared without a trace. At about the same time, most PABX vendors introduced some form of cordless extension capability which they trumpeted with the hype that every employee needed to be able to be contacted at all times, meetings and ablution breaks notwithstanding. Cordless extensions are used, but they are very much a niche technology. And then there's WAP, a means of transmitting data and accessing the Internet, or a small subset of it, through mobile networks. Although very much alive, the uptake of WAP has certainly fallen well short of early forecasts.
Despite these past false hopes, a number of wireless technologies, each addressing very different applications, have recently entered the local market. To what extent they will be taken up remains to be seen, but it's a safe bet that while they'll all take root, copper mining stocks will still be a safe investment.
Many of the more established technologies continue to be used. Point-to-point infrared systems are still used to link rooftops and microwave technology continues to be deployed in metropolitan area networks. NEC has deployed 500-600 PHS cordless systems in the ANZ region and Ericsson reports that that 15-20 per cent of all extensions it sells use the DECT cordless system.
Nonetheless, there are a number of new wireless technologies that are primarily designed to transmit data.
Wireless LANs
Starting at the enterprise level, the predominant wireless technology is wireless LAN technologies. As standardised in the IEEE specifications 802.11A and B, a wireless LAN provides transmission between desktop and laptop PCs, hubs and routers, but not switches. PCs are typically fitted with an access card, itself including an antenna, and access points (base stations) mounted on walls and ceilings are wired to a hub.
According to Roy Wakim, Avaya's Solutions Manager of Convergence, "802.11 LAN transmission can operate up to 250 metres in an open environment and, as it does not interfere with medical equipment, is safe in hospitals."
He explained that, "802.11 LANs are well suited to applications in warehouses and constructions sites where wireless connection of PDAs to the LAN can be particularly advantageous." Troy Andrew, Cisco's Business Development Manager, added that they were also useful in factories, open-cut mining sites, wineries and educational institutions where, "students can bring their own laptops into classroom without having to wire the desks".
The 802.11B specification stipulates a bit rate of 11 Mbits per second whereas the less widely supported 802.11A stipulates 54 Mbits per second. According to Mr Andrew, up to 20 devices can typically be operated in the vicinity of each access point. PC access cards typically cost from $120 to $350 and access points cost from $600 to $2000.
Wireless LAN uptake has so far been modest. Ross Chiswell, CEO of Integrity Data Systems which distributes the ORiNOCO range of products from Proxim, (it purchased them recently from Agere), noted that the last quarter saw the first drop in sales of wireless LAN technology.
Mr Wakim attributed the modest uptake, in part, to the market awaiting components that complied with the faster 802.11A specification, and in part because of security concerns. Although wireless LANs have been hacked into, doing so is no easier than being able to hack into a wired LAN by tapping into a cable. On this point, Andrew is adamant that the best security came from having a comprehensive security policy and following it.
Where deployed, wireless LAN technology has largely been added on to an existing wired LAN, although, according to Peter Lemon of IDC Research, it is enjoying greater use in new installations in place of a wired LAN.
Wireless LAN systems that typically offer voice prioritisation, additional security capabilities and an upgrade path from 802.11B to 802.11A are available from Avaya, Cisco, Enterasys, ORiNOCO and Proxim, Symbol Technologies, 3Com and others. Furthermore, according to Ross Chiswell, a plethora of other vendors offer products that simply replace the wires of a conventional LAN. Provided the buying organisation uses only 802.11A or only 802.11B-compliant components, they should be able to interoperate.
Finally, although LAN expertise is widespread, wireless expertise is not. Chiswell stressed the necessity of having a wireless LAN designed and implemented by persons who have the necessary expertise.
GPRS and WAP
Moving outside the bounds of the enterprise premise, the well-established GSM mobile phone technology is being enhanced with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). GSM is a circuit switched network in which each call occupies one frequency or channel in one cell from commencement to conclusion. GPRS is the overlaying of packet-based IP transmission onto an existing GSM network.
Because data is packetised, GPRS devices are able to be in permanent connection through the network, transmitting only when required and being charged for by data volume, not connection time. GPRS also allows several remote devices to interface with a single hub or host without requiring that host to have multiple network access channels. The use of IP packets also allows a higher throughput than with modems connected to GSM phones.
However, throughput is limited by the number of timeslots allocated by the GSM network to GPRS and the number of other users that are concurrently transmitting or receiving data. If a single GPRS device was somehow able to exclusively use eight channels, the maximum data rate would be 172.2 Kbps.
The primary applications of GPRS involve access to corporate networks by sales representatives and service personnel to check stock levels, pricing, place orders and enter service details, for example, although it can also be used to access the Internet. GPRS is supported by the Telstra, Optus and Vodaphone GSM networks. One company offering this technology is Hewlett-Packard which is packaging PDAs with vertical application-specific software for mobile sales, mobile service and mobile health care applications. Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson-Sony also offer GPRS solutions.
The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) was also developed specifically to transmit data through mobile network. However, unlike GPRS, WAP is simply a means of presenting transmitting data through a mobile network and it presenting on a WAP-compliant mobile phone. WAP is not specific to GSM and does not require the network to specifically cater for it.
Broadband
Remaining in the carrier realm, wireless technology is also being deployed to interface fixed and mobile devices with telco exchanges. CKW Wireless, which purchased 3G spectrum in last year's spectrum auction, will deploy the i-BURST technology from US-based ArrayComm to give its customers access to its network.
CKW is in the process of establishing a broadband cellular network by which it will offer wholesale wireless broadband access to distributors such as mobile operators and ISPs who will, in turn, retail this to their customers.
i-BURST uses frequency-adaptive antenna technology to offer broadband wireless local area access technology. Using the IntelliCell spatial processing, which allows frequency re-use within the one cell, subscribers are able to achieve an aggregate data rate of 1 Mbps compared, according to Nitin Shah, ArrayComm's Vice President and General Manager, with data rate of, "a few hundred Kbps for GST. Using a frequency of 5 MHz, this represented 4 bits per Hertz per second per cell making it far more spectrally efficient than GSM which had a comparable figure of 0.1". Security is provided by public key encryption.
He went on to explain that i-BURST would typically be offered in an 'always on' mode with between 500 and 1000 subscribers per cell, of which only a minority would be expected to be using the service at any one time. The technology also offers roaming with handover between cells. "The i-BURST technology is designed for networks to target mobile knowledge workers and sales persons, as well as residential consumers." He anticipated only a modest uptake in 2002, but a much larger customer base by the end of 2003.
He added that a consumer could be expected to pay in the order of $70 per month, with a possible additional volume-based tariff, and that radio modems would cost a few hundred dollars. i-BURST technology is currently deployed or contracted to be deployed in Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea, Malaysia, UAE and the Philippines.
Bluetooth
Getting very local is Bluetooth, a universal radio connector which is used to connect devices in close proximity to each other. Standardised in IEEE 805.15 specification, Bluetooth does not require line of sight between devices, but has a range of only 10 metres.
Whatever the technology, a potential implementation must consider the question of why. Although there are applications that specifically require a wireless LAN, there can be little benefit in deploying one to replace an adequately functioning LAN using wires. And although GPRS and broadband wireless technologies have their obvious attractions, they will be of little benefit to those who have no need for this mobility.
