Data's Latest Charge

Despite the explosion in wireless voice products and services, wireless data applications have radically underperformed even the most pessimistic projections. Early visions of wireless data suggested that business users, who were becoming increasingly mobile, would be able to transmit faxes from vehicles. But as the Internet and intranets have grown in popularity over the last few years, accessing the World Wide Web and corporate e-mail have replaced that earlier driver of wireless data.

By the year 2000, almost 96% of all Fortune 500 companies will have or will be in the process of implementing intranets. Today, virtually all Fortune 500 companies have Internet access. Could this Net exposure be the charge that wireless data needs?

Looking back briefly, wireless carriers at first did not understand the lackluster sales performance in data services. Yet, the symptoms began to emerge early. Subscribers didn't want to fuss with hardware and multiple cables to hook up data-related devices. They didn't want to become computer geeks who needed to be able to write the software for specific applications. And they didn't want the frustration of dialing up endless arrays of numbers on data networks only to be stopped by a busy signal or unsuccessful handoff.

Further in the educational process, wireless carriers realized that, like their customers, they didn't want to be hindered by these roadblocks either. Their goal was and is to bring subscribers onto their networks and move airtime. The wireless data answer had to come in the form of an easily accessible network device that could efficiently handle data from transmit through receive.

Fortunately, a number of promising wireless data options have started to emerge.

SMART PHONES The smart phone is today's classic hardware data solution. First, let's clarify the definition of this device. Some suggest that the smart phone can carry short messages or has a pager-type device built in. If that is the case, many of today's wireless digital devices that carry the latest IS-41 or WIN service features would qualify.

In fact, under the pure definition, a smart phone is one that eclipses the basic short-message-service features of message-waiting and text-message capabilities. The true smart device provides 2-way access to corporate databases, automated dispatch and reply, mobile e-mail and universal message notification. Examples of smart phones come from Mitsubishi, Nokia and Samsung.

Mitsubishi's Mobile Access is an HDML-browser-enabled CDPD phone with AMPS-based data/fax modem capabilities. The company basically built from its phone up -- adding a CDPD modem for 2-way paging and fax as well as other data applica-tions. Users can connect the MobileAccess phone to their laptops and the fax/data modem to access and send information.

Samsung's Duette uses CDPD with an embedded HDML browser. Duette enables customers to receive and send e-mails. It also features simple electronic organizer capabilities.

Nokia's 9000 Communicator is a full-featured GSM phone, fax, notepad, address book and e-mail in one package with the same user interface.

END TO END Apart from hardware solutions, new providers of software and technology are emerging to enable end-to-end data solutions for digital and smart phones. Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Unwired Planet have created a non-profit company working under the name of the Wireless Application Protocol Forum (WAP Forum). The forum's Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) will bring Internet content and advanced services to digital cellular phones and other wireless devices. The protocol is like that of the Internet, but it is enhanced specifically for the wireless environment. The forum says its goal is to create a global wireless protocol specification that works across differing wireless network technology types for adoption by appropriate industry standards bodies. The standard will support a micro-browser with a user-friendly interface, smart-messaging applications and secure access. Applications using WAP will be scaleable across a variety of transport options and device types.

Carriers will benefit, according to the forum, because they will be able to develop new services while their customers experience a wider selection of options for their applications, advanced services and Internet access.

The forum has accepted current specifications from its members and recommendations from the industry to incorporate into the standard. The completed draft of their initial specifications is due to be released shortly.

Prior to joining forces with the consortium, Unwired Planet, which was established in 1995, sought to bring the Internet and intranets to the fingertips of the mass market of portable devices. With its UP.Link, it extended the Internet and intranets to mobile phones, allowing mobile users to access live data. The company created a thin-client architecture that would allow UP-enabled phones to be cost- and size-competitive with standard wireless devices. It also matched Internet standards to leverage massive industry investment in bringing content and legacy data to the Web.

BUREAU APPROACH Other companies providing end-to-end solutions are attempting to serve as the interface or gateway between the wireless carrier and the Internet. GoAmerica runs a fault-tolerant nationwide service bureau. The bureau offers wireless network operators a portfolio of wireless Internet and intranet, e-mail and messaging solutions. It now has established partnerships with Ardis, CDPD (AT&T and BAM) and RAM. Later this year, GoAmerica plans to lock up relationships with other CDPD carriers as well as GSM and CDMA carriers.

"We achieve our solution bundles through our partnerships," said Joe Korb, GoAmerica executive vice president and director. "We do this not only on the hardware side but on the software side, which we define as proxy gateways and technology alliances that provide content services."

Korb said the service-bureau approach is simple and makes sense for wireless operators.

"We believe that the market doesn't need complicated pricing structures. While it would be great to say that it is flat rated, it is not going to happen," Korb said. At GoAmerica, regardless of the network the carrier or subscriber is using, pricing is the same.

Using the GoAmerica service bureau, data is sent and received from any Windows 95 laptop or Windows CE palmtop via a PC card, which operates over nationwide wireless networks. Using Airbus software, a user's data is transmitted to GoAmerica, which then securely directs the data to and from a corporate intranet or the World Wide Web.

According to GoAmerica's Korb, "The way we achieve our network independence is to base everything on IP-based protocols. We do that because some networks like CDPD are native IP. Others like CDMA and GSM are going to follow IP over circuit. More fundamentally, that is the way data is being passed around in corporate America and on the Internet. Everything that is based on IP provides people with an open platform for connecting applications or using standard interfaces like browsers."

Analogous to the network independence, Korb explained the plethora of devices that manufacturers have developed. These include laptops, integrated vertical terminals and palmtops such as the Microsoft HPC class device, the PalmPilot class device, 2-way pagers and smart phones.

"Our response is let all of these devices run across a whole variety of networks. We will simply provide the services that wrap around these devices," Korb said. "We want people to be able to choose and literally mix-and-match devices depending on the situation."

Because of subscribers' varied needs, the mix-and-match approach may be the spark wireless data needs. If subscribers could take any device they are using and access the Internet and intranets in exactly the same way, it is likely that the mobile market soon will be tapping that resource as much as its wireline counterpart.

Although mobile data services have been slow to take off, at least one market research study predicts a growth surge over the next several years, driven by wireless e-mail and Internet applications. The Strategis Group predicts that the number of mobile data subscribers will grow from about 2 million in 1997 to more than 10 million by the year 2001, with annual service revenues jumping from about $380 million to more than $1.7 billion.

"You don't need a weathervane to see which way the wind is blowing," said Stephen Virostek, Strategis director of wireless data research. "The masses are building behind wireless e-mail and wireless Internet/intranet access."

More than 80% of wireless data subscribers in 2001 are expected to use e-mail or 2-way messaging capability, according to Strategis.

Last year saw significant refocusing among wireless data service providers, with the goal of facilitating mass-market acceptance. While mobile data providers continue to launch a barrage of wireless e-mail services supported by smart phones and 2-way messaging devices, Strategis suggests that potential customers have not yet reached a consensus on which device will be used to send and receive wireless data messages. The company's research indicates that 35% of wireless e-mail users prefer using a cellular or PCS phone, while others prefer a portable PC (25%), pager (21%) or wireless organizer (19%).

"The growth of the Internet and e-mail is the saving grace for the mobile data marketplace," said Elliott Hamilton, vice president at Strategis. "Smart mobile data carriers will hitch their wagons to the Internet and ride the Internet and e-mail growth curve."