Wireless Services Slowly Becoming a Consumer Necessity, 7-16-2006
The wireless world incorporates a great deal more than cell phones, ranging from satellite-based services and Wi-Fi hotspots to vast wireless networks on corporate and college campuses. The ubiquitous BlackBerry device, with its wireless email capabilities, saw subscriptions pass the 5 million mark in 2006. Whether it's through Bluetooth (with about 600 million Bluetooth-enabled devices sold worldwide in 2006), the much faster data transfer speeds of upstart ultrawideband (UWB), satellite, cell phone or Wi-Fi, consumers and business users alike are becoming more and more reliant on wireless-based services and devices in their daily tasks. There is no end in sight to the rapid acceleration of wireless. According to a recent report from Plunkett Research, Ltd., the most important factors affecting the wireless industry include:
- MIMO (802.11n) Is the High-Speed Wireless Wave of the Near Future.
The latest leap in Wi-Fi technology is 802.11n (Multiple Input Multiple Output antenna technology-also known as "MIMO"). It has the potential to provide theoretical data transfer speeds as high as 500 Mbps.
- Municipal Wi-Fi Broadband Systems Make Whole Cities Wireless.
Because of their relatively low cost and ease of installation, many cities and communities throughout the U.S. have installed (or are making plans to install) municipal Wi-Fi systems with the intent of making Internet access available to all citizens at all times.
- WiMAX Extends Far Beyond Wi-Fi.
A newer standard known as Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access, or WiMAX (802.16), is adding considerable fuel to the wireless fire. WiMAX has the capability to deliver extremely fast Internet connections to wireless devices, such as laptops and mobile VoIP telephones, with each WiMAX antenna having about a 30-mile broadcast range. WiMAX speeds can reach up to 70 Mbps.
To find out more about these exciting trends and more, check out Plunkett's Wireless, Wi-Fi & RFID Industry Almanac 2007, just released, or go to www.plunkettresearch.com and sign up for a subscription to Plunkett's completely up-to-date online database!
About Plunkett Research, Ltd.
Plunkett Research, Ltd. is a leading publisher of complete business research and analysis resources, designed to enable professionals in marketing, research and finance to access complete trends analysis, statistics, technology analysis and financial analysis of the world's most exciting industries. For more information, visit www.plunkettresearch.com, or call 713.932.0000.