Eye on the enterprise

The show floor at the first ever Internet World Wireless 2001 conference last week in New York City was dominated by a multitude of software application developers and other wireless enabling technology companies, all discussing how their solutions will propel the wireless Internet market ahead. Considering that most investment in wireless these days is geared toward the enterprise market, it could be the best bet for driving the usage of mobile data applications in the United States.

Though much of the focus these days for wireless carriers and other wireless players has been on ensuring network capacity for third generation wireless, they also are becoming increasingly active in the application space. Without the right apps, a high-speed, high-cost network will not do anyone any good.

Considering that operators are getting ready to roll out GPRS in North America later this year, 3G may be closer than we all think, said Larry Mittag, vice president and chief technologist at Stellcom, a wireless integration firm exhibiting at the show.

While carriers such as Sprint PCS and AT&T Wireless have introduced consumers to wireless data, Mittag claimed the industry overall seems to be lagging behind when it comes to business apps—thus the need to focus on the enterprise.

“We have got to start preparing for it today and move business infrastructure onto a platform that can move to wireless,” Mittag said. “Infrastructure is out there… now we need information providers and compelling stuff so that devices [and services] will sell.

“Putting enterprise information on wireless devices is the next step to creating a set of capabilities that will allow us to unleash our data, he added.”

Companies such as FedEx began putting wireless technology to use for efficiency purposes on a proprietary basis long before all this talk about wireless-enabled business applications began. Now there are vertical apps such as this as well as horizontal ones that make sense for wireless.

“The move toward enabling businesses for wireless is inevitable. Slow consumer growth of wireless data has prompted a shift to business,” said Tom Kucharvy, president of Summit Strategies. “I expect the wireless market for business applications to explode, driven by old verticals and functional horizontals.”

While the attitude among many in the industry is that wireless data growth in the U.S. will explode because of the viability of the business market, a further upswing in the consumer market also is expected.

“There is potential for the consumer market in the U.S.,” Kucharvy said. “Although I think the U.S. will lead in the business market because the market is so much more wired, unlike Japan and Europe. We will learn from Japan and Europe about the consumer market, and they can learn from the U.S. about the business market.”

Sprint PCS, active in targeting the consumer and business markets, maintains it will continue targeting both with wireless data offerings.

“We think we can nail both the consumer and the business market and believe it would be foolish to choose just one on which to focus,” said Paul Reddick, vice president of product management and development at Sprint PCS.

There had been some speculation that Sprint PCS unveiled its suite of wireless data business applications because its consumer business was floundering. However, Reddick maintains that Sprint PCS introduced its line of enterprise initiatives when it did simply because that's when they were ready to go to market.

The carrier launched some of its consumer offerings under the same premise such as AOL Instant Messenger. Contrary to popular belief, the uptake of this application began with consumers and is being adopted in the work place, Reddick said.

For its part, OracleMobile is trying to help its partners—whether application developer or carrier—solve the question of how to help enterprises be more efficient when inside and outside of the physical office. “Even with limitations, many things still can be done,” said Allyson Fryhoff, vice president of wireless strategy at OracleMobile. “I believe the business user will drive revenue in the U.S. for now.”