Different is good

A very simple message to the sector of the wireless industry that insists on monopolizing its own time and effort with fighting the air interface fight while bigger things happen all around them: Wake up.

Evidence from the front came last week at the Wireless '99 show. Big things were brewing with broadbandwireless at this show, and very few people seemed to get it. They were busy marking their scorecards to see which camp-the IS-95 CDMA proponents, the IS-136 TDMA supporters or the GSM guys-was doing the best job protecting its image, at whatever cost.

Meanwhile, new equipment players were emerging on the broadband wireless scene and the current guys were quietly getting stronger. And the carriers-the established competitive local exchange carriers and the holders of local multipoint distribution service licenses-were listening, even as they made their own leaps forward in strategic partnerships, network buildouts and service launches.

To be fair, the Universal Wireless Communications Consortium and the U.S.-focused GSM Alliance forged an agreement last week to cooperatively address national and international roaming issues. That could help answer some of the questions regarding air interface interoperability and go a long way toward melding the technology islands that have developed, particularly in GSM waters. In addition, wireless data over PCS, cellular and enhanced specialized mobile radio networks seem a bit more compelling every year, and this year Nextel in particular took a step that could do great things for the data side of the business.

But enough being fair. The "narrowband" side of the wireless industry seems to lack focus on the fundamental issues that go along with being technology developers and network operators.

They know about what's truly important-things like the new technologies being developed for the transport portion of the network and how crucial operations support systems are making service offerings available and reliable-they just don't ever talk about it. They act as though these issues will work themselves out while they jockey for the best position in the third generation network race. They leave the real stuff for someone else to figure out.

Enter broadband. Broadband wireless, that is-a new business and technology sector that is getting inappropriately lumped into the narrowband mobility world because it has wireless in its name. Good for it, because the result so far is that this undeveloped infant of an industry sector is coming across as the far more responsible older brother that plays nice, shares its toys and does what it says it's going to do.

The fascinating thing is that this isn't really wireless at all in the mobility sense. You have to wonder how an association such as the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association feels about giving a significant chunk of the spotlight as it did last week to a business that doesn't really apply, only to end up having it overshadow and diminish the efforts of the mobility industry. I would imagine the powers that be are none too pleased.

All issues about sector positioning and the appropriateness of the broadband industry's presence aside, these guys are doing good stuff and they're looking good while they're doing it. Not only do they fully understand the fundamental issues like transport and operations software, they talk about it. They have something to say, and it's something good. Their managers come from traditional telco upbringings, but they have experimental spirits on top of a solid core of knowledge. They are mixing it up.

Remember this: The business case that the broadband wireless carriers are pursuing is absolutely separate from the mobility side of the industry. The broadband side is chasing landline voice and data, not mobile users, with their wireless play.

But if they are asked to preach their separate gospel at a mobility-oriented show, they're nobody's fools to go ahead and take advantage of a little industry confusion. And what a refreshing twist that what they have to say is so much more than rhetoric.

Let this be a lesson to you there on the narrowband mobility side: Do more, say less.