Wireless vendors get in Sync

Reflecting on how the computer industry established a common protocol so that all computers could talk to one another may help put last week's announcement of a new industry group aimed at developing a single, common data synchronization protocol, called SyncML, into perspective.

Having the same data accessible across wireless devices will soon become as typical as e-mail.

Only seven companies thrust the synchronization initiative into the spotlight, leaving plenty of room for speculation about why others had not yet joined the initiative. Despite this, the announcement highlighted the fact that the mobile data market will explode in the next few years. Like the gradual success of e-mail, reliable wireless data communication will depend on data synchronization.

Already on board are IBM, Lotus, Motorola, Nokia, Palm, Psion and Starfish Software. While the companies introduced the SyncML initiative as an open standard, encouraging all companies to join, they reiterated that they were not announcing a product.

"SyncML is not a sync product," said Frank Dawson, consulting engineer with Lotus. "It is a common data sync infrastructure."

SyncML, an abbreviation for synchronization markup language, is the common language for synchronizing all devices and applications over any network. Networked information can be synchronized with any mobile device, and mobile information can be synchronized with any networked applications. It also enables synchronization over fixed networks, infrared, cable or Bluetooth. Geared toward the broadband and wireless environments, it is considered transport-independent, Dawson said.

By mid-year SyncML specifications will be reviewed, with a published edition expected by the end of the year.

How quickly vendors begin to incorporate the standard will depend on each company's product cycle. However, Dawson predicts products will begin rolling out within one or two years of the review.

Perhaps the most glaring omission from the participant roster is Microsoft, though current SyncML members agree that every company has its own methodologies.

"It is in the vendors' best interest to support [a standard initiative], but companies have their own reasons for doing things," said Naqi Jaffery, an analyst with Dataquest. Microsoft was slow to join the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum, perhaps an indication that it might consider the SyncML initiative later, he said.

However, "the benefit of being an early supporter is having early access to the specifications so you can begin doing some prototyping," Dawson said.

Insiders also speculated that because Microsoft and Ericsson have relationships with data synchronization software provider Extended Systems, they might not pursue the initiative.

In mid-January Ericsson entered into an agreement with Extended to provide mobile workers with the tools to directly access, exchange and manage information between their cellular phones and PCs. In addition, Extended will provide its mobile data synchronization and management software to bundle with select Ericsson phones.

Two months before that announcement, Microsoft struck a relationship with Extended to increase customer access to secure, server-based synchronization and management solutions.

Finally, three weeks ago, Microsoft and Ericsson announced that they would form a joint company to market and deliver mobile e-mail solutions for network operators. They also agreed to continue supporting the developing open industry standards, including WAP and Bluetooth.

Regardless of Microsoft's lack of involvement in SyncML, current members are confident it will go forward successfully.

However, analysts had mixed reactions. "Microsoft is an important player on the computer side, but that does not mean that it owns the device side," said Rolf DeVegt, vice president in the computer industry practice at Renaissance Worldwide. "It would not enhance Microsoft's strategy to support an open standard because they already have their own technology which they could keep proprietary."

Microsoft's lack of support "will certainly have an impact because the industry would have a situation where there are several competing solutions from several vendors," Jaffery said. "It would be ideal when all companies can get together and offer a universal standard. If there is an universal standard it will accelerate the growth of the market." Despite the indifference, Jaffery said if any standard has a chance of succeeding, it would be SyncML.

For Nokia, being involved in the initiative now means staying ahead of the competition.

"We want to be the first to introduce products so we must introduce the standard first," said Janne Jormalainen, vice president of digital convergence at Nokia Mobile Phones.