WiMAX,
EV-DO,
MIMO,
ZigBee and
UMTS. It sounds like a spelling bee gone out
of control, but these are just a sampling of the wireless
technology options users have available to them these days. The
wireless industry is going nuts as cellular and wireless LAN
companies face off against one another over who's going to
deliver the fastest, most reliable service for the least money.
If you're trying to make a buying decision, it's a time of great
confusion, but also great opportunity.
That's because lots of exciting new options are emerging from
cutthroat competition. They promise to drive the cost of voice
calls even closer to zero and enable data access from almost any
location. Now is a great time to save money and buy some
flexibility while the standards mess sorts itself out.
Here are some next-generation wireless options for small and
medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that I think are worthy of your
attention, even if the standards aren't yet fully baked:
VoIP over wireless: It's time to just do it; wireless
infrastructure is now cheap and robust enough that SMBs should
seriously think about moving their voice traffic to a wireless
backbone. Not only are speeds blazingly fast (the emerging 802.11n
standard is up to five times as fast as the 54Mbit 802.11g), but a
clutch of standards is also emerging to make wireless LANs more
manageable and reliable. The big companies will wait for the
standards to be finalized, but why should you bother? You're
smaller, faster and able to respond more quickly to changes in
technology. Just make sure your suppliers offer free upgrades to
the standards when they're finalized.
Hybrid handsets: The newest cellular handsets now support
both cellular and Wi-Fi technologies. This is a great step forward
for users because it enables them to switch seamlessly to the
lowest-cost access method depending on what's available. When
you're in the office, your phone is on Wi-Fi. Outside, it switches
to cellular. The user never knows the difference. This option
deserves your attention for any of your serious road warrior users.
Wi-Fi calls are basically free, so using hybrid handsets can
drastically reduce your cellular minutes. That gives you more
options to consolidate your cell plans and save money. Load up on
cheap Wi-Fi routers and save.
EV-DO: Have you ever suffered sticker shock when you
check into a Sheraton and find that Internet access is going to run
you $12 a day? Do your field reps play the Wi-Fi shuffle, walking
blocks to find a Starbucks that will give them free Internet access
in exchange for a double cappuccino? You don't need that
aggravation. 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), a high-speed
wireless Internet technology based on cellular network technology,
offers sufficient bandwidth and coverage to make it a practical
option for your road warriors. EV-DO isn't cheap and it isn't for
everybody, but if you or your users travel more than five days a
month and frequently work out of airports and hotel lobbies, it's a
hassle-free alternative to scrounging for cheap Wi-Fi access.
WiMAX: Don't invest today, but be ready for a future in
which WiMAX dominates the wide area network. The new 802.16e-2005
standard will establish WiMAX as a legitimate competitor to
cellular services over long distances. The 802.16d spec, which has
already been ratified, supports speeds of 1Mbps to 5Mbps. Early
claims of 30-mile coverage are dubious, but it's reasonable to
believe that Internet access providers will soon start to knit
together WiMAX networks that can provide broadband performance over
very wide coverage areas, which means users won't have to hunt for
that local coffee shop. Keep an eye on this exciting standard,
because it looks capable of living up to its somewhat inflated
early promise.
Don't worry too much about picking the wrong horse in any of
these areas. Cellular and wireless data companies will each support
their entries for a long time to come. Meanwhile, you can move
ahead with your campaign to cut voice costs and enable anytime,
anywhere access to your network for your employees in the field.
What have you got to lose?
Paul Gillin is a technology writer and consultant and former
editor-in-chief of TechTarget. His Web site is
www.gillin.com.