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Despite technical and market challenges, Dave Molta
finds that wireless networks are moving towards faster speeds,
primarily with the goal of providing mobility to users
 Great
technology changes are happening in the mobile and wireless
space. IT managers should keep an eye out for current leading
wireless technologies, which includes wireless LANs (WLANs),
wireless personal area networks (PANs), wireless wide area
networks (WANs), and fixed-access wireless technologies.
Essentially, these wireless networking technologies give
users the ability to work on “untethered” networks,
compared to wired technologies, where users have to work on
“tethered” ones, said John Boladian, technical marketing
manager, Intel Communications Group, Intel Asia-Pacific.
These technologies are specifically engineered to suit the
needs of the intended user base. However cost is still a key
consideration, and if cost structure is not suitable, it could
mean that the wireless technologies may not take off, warned
a Unisphere representative.
Compared to wired technologies, wireless networks are evolving
at a much slower pace. However, as the needs of wireless clients
are also evolving, wireless networks are moving towards faster
speeds, primarily with the goal of providing mobility to users.
In the past year, Bluetooth has managed to survive the hype
and has emerged in some products. WLANs saw the most growth,
with new products built around the IEEE 802.11b/WiFi (wireless
fidelity) standards. Last year also saw the first 3G services
rolled out in Japan and 2.5G services in other countries.
Despite technical and market challenges, fixed-access wireless
systems are operational in millions of locations, and the
growth potential is enormous.
So what about 2002? It is likely to be the most significant
year in the development of mobile and wireless technology.
As a group, PANs are networks that operate within
a close range, typically 10m, and are designed to connect
consumer devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs, to one another
as a wireless replacement for cable and infrared capability,
said Lee Lup Yuen, principal consultant, Global Competency
Group, National Computer Systems (NCS).
Unisphere explained that PANs came into existence because
of the need to link the ever-growing number of digital devices
found around individuals, whether mobile phones, MP3 players,
digital video cameras, or personal digital assistants.
PANs may also serve as a bridge between consumer devices
and other types of networks, such as WLANs and wireless WANs.
Within PANs, do we really need yet another wireless technology?
 Yes,
according to the champions of Bluetooth. But is there any
real demand for PAN technology, or is it a market dreamed
up by European wireless nuts?
Bluetooth is today’s dominant PAN standard, and the
latest poster child for Gartner Group’s famous hype curve
that tracks emerging technologies through various phases of
market acceptance.
In the early stage, the market bought much of the Bluetooth
hype, then wrote it off as irrelevant. Now that these products
have advanced past the “shipping beta stage”, Bluetooth
might just prove its mark in 2002.
Bluetooth wonders
While Bluetooth’s data rate is a tenth of the 802.11b
WLAN rate, you get several key benefits in exchange.
First, Bluetooth chips are small and highly integrated,
making it easy for manufacturers to embed the technology in
devices.
Second, Bluetooth is cheap (about $10 per chip in bulk)
and is getting cheaper (about $4 per chip by year-end).
Finally, Bluetooth’s power requirements are much more
modest than those of 802.11b, making it feasible to use in
a range of low-power devices.
The architecture in Bluetooth also offers key benefits.
By embedding software into flash memory on the chips, manufacturers
can deliver zero-configuration wireless capabilities. Bluetooth
devices that support similar software profiles will discover
each other when they come within transmission range.
For example, a bluetooth-enabled PDA with a printer profile
will automatically recognise the existence of a Bluetooth-enabled
printer as it comes within range of a piconet.
The greatest benefit of using Bluetooth is still cable replacement.
A Bluetooth-enabled headset will free users from cabling hassles
and improve the usability of devices, such as mobile phones
and MP3 players. The tangle of keyboard, mouse, monitor and
printer cables that clutter your work area eventually will
go away.
Bluetooth’s appeal does not stop there; Bluetooth will
let mobile-computing devices leverage communications gateways
for Internet access.
 Lee
suggested that Bluetooth might even be used as a remote-control
medium, for household appliances like TVs, VCRs and microwave
ovens with Bluetooth chips.
The biggest obstacle to Bluetooth’s success is unfavourable
market perception and the rise of general confusion over wireless
standards.
A problem of a smaller scale is the possibility of receiving
interference from WLANs, portable phones and microwave ovens
in the 2.4-GHz band.
There is yet another Bluetooth problem, Lee suggested. Bluetooth
is today defined by a standard that governs the type of applications
for “profiles” that may be used. Examples of Bluetooth
profiles are connecting headsets to handphones for making
voice calls, and connecting PDAs to handphones for dialup
access.
The profiles, which are currently defined, are limited and
this restricts the type of applications that may be developed.
For instance, there is no Bluetooth profile for a VCR, so
users today have no standard way of controlling a VCR with
a Bluetooth mobile phone.
In Asia, Bluetooth headsets linked to mobile phones are
popular, but only among the affluent due to the high cost
of such headsets, observed Lee.
Asian consumers use Bluetooth technology to link up PDAs
and mobile phones for wireless dialup access, but as Bluetooth
configuration can be complex, this is limited to IT-savvy
users, he said.
Also, Unisphere pointed out that Bluetooth has to pitch
itself against the growth of Internet-aware WLAN-capable devices,
as WLAN becomes more pervasive in enterprises.
There will not likely be an explosion of Bluetooth activity
in 2002 but rather a gradual ramp-up, especially in mobile
phones and PDAs, that will serve to legitimise a more widespread
adoption in coming years.
Wireless LANs
The WLANs market appears set for tremendous growth, given
the very bullish analyst projections. The adoption of WLAN
technology is especially widespread in Asia, said Lee.
In Singapore, for example, large education institutions
are among the early adopters. WLANs are ideal for these institutions
as they need to link up thousands of mobile students and staff
over their large campus environment.
Service providers are also starting to offer WLAN “hotspots”
in the region, such as in airports, hotels, shopping malls,
and retail franchise operations, said Unisphere.
The worldwide WLAN market should hit about $1.4 billion
this year and rise to $1.7 billion in 2002 and $3.8 billion
by 2006, according to Gartner Dataquest.
While that is an impressive growth trajectory, it actually
underestimates the potential market impact because the cost
per unit of a WLAN setup is dropping rapidly.
Gartner
Dataquest also projected that WLAN adapter shipments will
rise from slightly more than five million this year to over
nine million in 2002, exceeding 40 million in 2006.
So what is fuelling all this growth? WLANs continue to enjoy
their greatest success in key vertical markets where the benefits
of mobility and cable replacement make them an appealing alternative
to traditional LANs.
Image plays a role as well; many colleges and universities
are actively deploying the technology partly because the concept
of a “totally wireless campus” concept has marketing
appeal.
Beyond these core vertical markets, WLANs are proving to
be extremely popular and cost-effective in small-office/branch-office
and home environments, especially in comparison with installing
wired infrastructure.
In addition, the performance limitations of the existing
generation of WLAN technology is not a big obstacle, given
the relatively low user density.
In the home, the driver is multi-PC households with broadband
access. The wireless solution is extremely cost-effective
for sharing a cable modem or DSL.
For medium to large organisations, WLAN deployment is significantly
more complex. Many systems are being established at the departmental
level, with or without the approval of the central IT organisation,
to provide access in conference rooms and other public spaces.
More ambitious enterprise-wide deployments, such as the
one installed on Microsoft’s campus, are often stalled
by concerns over cost, security, performance and long-term
viability of existing standards.
As these issues begin to be resolved in 2002, we expect
to see more organisations roll out enterprise-wide WLANs.
Otherwise, deployment will be more tactical and substantially
more limited.
Perhaps the most interesting market for WLANs is targeted
at mobile professionals who frequent public spaces, such as
airports, hotels, and convention centres.
While, the failure of MobileStar Communications may lead
some to conclude that there is no money to be made in the
public-space WLAN market, a more reasonable deduction is that
we are at an early stage of development-competition will weed
out the weaker players.
Do not be surprised to see major carriers, frustrated by
the cost, complexity and performance limitations of 3G cellular
technologies, entering this market in 2002.
Despite the positive outlook for WLANs, there are significant
hurdles to overcome.
The issue of security has been made even larger by the attention
drawn when researchers demonstrated holes in the 802.11 wired
equivalent privacy (WEP)-encryption system.
While some of those holes are expected to be plugged within
the year, by both improvements to WEP and more sophisticated
authentication mechanisms, concerns about the cost and interoperability
of WLAN security frameworks are likely to dissuade some sites
from jumping in this year.
Those that move forward probably will bite the financial
bullet and deploy a virtual private network (VPN) overlay.
In addition, the introduction of 5-GHz 802.11a WLAN products
capable of data rates in excess of 50 Mbps will force many
organisations to reconsider their strategies and take a wait-and-see
approach, unless short-term ROI is compelling.
Another key issue for WLANs is the cost of the technology.
WLAN access points and adapters are still priced at a premium,
compared to ordinary copper cabling. Additional WLAN access
points are also needed to cover areas with wireless “blind
spots”, said Lee.
Wireless WANs
The term wireless WAN is used here to describe products
and services that provide mobile wireless services using a
single device over a wide geographic area.
The core infrastructure for wireless WAN services is the
cellular architecture that has been developed to support mobile
voice communications. Today’s 2G digital cellular systems
offer greater cost benefits for service providers and more
consistent voice quality for users.
Unfortunately, these systems provide only limited data support.
On top of that, primarily circuit-switched wireless connections
with data rates of 14.4 Kbps or less and the lack of a unified
standard have hampered market acceptance.
“Wireless WANs is still in the early life cycle stage
in Asia,” said Koh Kong Meng, country manager, Personal
Computing Division, IBM Singapore.
In Asia, the adoption of wireless WAN technology like general
packet radio service (GPRS) is limited to the IT-savvy mobile
workforce, said Lee.
While limited data rate is the most common complaint regarding
2G cellular data services, the lack of always-on, packet-based
services is greater impediment to application deployment.
In fact, some of the early packet-based wireless services,
such as cellular digital packet data and Ericsson’s Mobitex,
have proven quite effective in enabling innovative mobile
wireless applications, but these early systems are expected
to be subsumed by more widely adopted standards, including
GPRS and cdma2000 1X.
There has been momentum behind both technologies, which
offer packet-switched data services at theoretical speeds
in excess of 100 Kbps, but global deployment has been hampered
by a dramatic financial downturn for telecoms carriers.
“The common issues in setting up a wireless WAN] include
choosing the right technology and partners, peripheral versus
integrated solutions and using wireless handhelds as a computing
alternative,” said Koh.
There are also security problems when using wireless WAN
technology to connect to the corporate network. The network
requires expensive hardware and software, such as firewalls
and VPNs, which hinder adoption, added Lee.
In addition, GPRS handsets and networks are not reliable
yet. According to Lee, each GPRS handset has its quirks in
terms of connectivity. The telco networks also have GPRS “blind
spots” that seem to come and go depending on the location
and time.
Fixed-access systems
Unlike other wireless technologies, fixed-access systems
have nothing to do with mobility. Instead, they represent
a cost-effective alternative to private cabling infrastructure
or leased-line services.
For instance, if you are faced with the challenge of interconnecting
two buildings in a campus or metro area when no pathway exists
between the facilities, point-to-point wireless connections
represent a reliable and cost-effective solution.
For about $5000, you can implement a wireless Ethernet bridge
that delivers better performance than that of T1. As most
systems are based on unlicensed radio technology and relatively
simple radio/antenna designs, you can have the system up and
running in a few days.
The market for point-to-point systems is maturing rapidly
as vendors continue to improve value with higher data rates
and enhanced management and reliability. A number of vendors,
including Proxim and Western Multiplex, now deliver cost-effective
Fast Ethernet solutions.
If you are willing to secure Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) spectrum licences, you can even acquire systems that
provide performance at several hundred Mbps. Significant developments
in the coming year can be expected, particularly for high-performance
systems running in the unlicensed 5-GHz band.
Finally, do not overlook emerging fibre-less optical systems
that deliver high-bandwidth point-to-point services.
The point-to-multipoint market is a little more uncertain.
The financial problems of US-based multipoint distribution
system (LMDS) vendors Teligent and Winstar may have soured
some organisations on this technology, but the problems faced
by these companies had more to do with ill-conceived business
plans than faulty technology.
LMDS returns
LMDS systems are likely to make a comeback within the
next several years. There is significant potential for systems
operating in the multi-channel multipoint distribution service
(MMDS) band.
Not only has the market received a boost from the FCC’s
decision not to reallocate the MMDS spectrum, it should benefit
from forthcoming radio technologies designed to overcome the
line-of-sight requirements of current offerings.
However, in Asia, LMDS has not seen much success, because
of the strong growth of optical fibre based MAN technology.
Today, Metro Ethernet using optical fibre permits each user
to potentially have 1 Gbit/s of capacity, while LMDS is far
from achieving this, said Unisphere.
Despite the significant appeal of these wireless solutions,
they all have substantial distance limitations and fail to
meet the needs of users in remote locations. But satellite-based
systems can deliver service virtually anywhere.
Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) systems have been used
for many years for low-speed data services, and they are now
being offered for bidirectional broadband service. Some technical
challenges still exist, particularly with temporary outages
caused by heavy rain, but this technology is poised for broader
deployment.
VSAT is not the only technology worth noticing. Large-aperture
systems, and even low earth-orbit satellite, have significant
commercial potential and should see development in 2002.
This article has been reprinted in arrangement with Asia
Computer Weekly.
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