wi-fi
wi-fi

wi-fi

Wi-Fi & cellular subs to reach 55 mn by 2010

Worldwide demand for Wi-Fi and cellular converged services will reach 55 million by 2010. Western Europe, Japan and Korea will be key UMA markets and, as broadband penetration grows, China will quickly become a very attractive market. Wi-Fi and cellular convergence is about to hit the mainstream, with mobile operators planning to deploy UMA services over the next 12 months, according to a new report from Senza Fili Consulting, a consultancy focused on wireless data technologies and services.

KDDI Unveils MS Wi-Fi Phone

KDDI and Fujistu have introduced a prototype smart phone, or “hybrid information terminal,” that will be available to visitors attending the Aichi World Expo 2005, which begins here in March and runs through to the end of September. The ‘Love and Mate’ [.jpg] (yes, that’s what they’re calling it) handset comes in Orange and Blue; both feature Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for PocketPC software for PDA and phone operation, and Windows Media Player 9. This is one of the first deployments of Windows on a phone in Japan.

Wi-LAN Launches Mobilis at ITS World Congress 2004

Wi-LAN Inc., the global provider of market-leading broadband wireless communications products and technologies and the original charter member of the WiMAX Forum, today launched Mobilis, the first commercially available two-way broadband wireless product designed for a high-speed mobile environment, at the ITS World Congress 2004 in Nagoya, Japan. Wi-LAN is initially targeting Mobilis at the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) market. ITS wireless applications include real-time video surveillance, streaming advertising, and hotspot Internet access for passengers.

OMRON Launches EPC-compatible UHF-band RFID Reader/Writer

OMRON Corporation, a leading Japanese RFID systems provider, is launching the V740 series EPC reader/writer for UHF-band RFID tags in North America. The first UHF tag reader/writer from a Japanese RFID device manufacturer, the unit supports both EPC Class 0 and Class 1 protocols. It is also designed to accommodate Generation 2 protocol by EPC Global (C1G2) by upgrading its firmware when these specifications become available. Additionally, the product supports standard network protocols including DHCP, UDP/IP over Ethernet, 820.11x (Wi-Fi), HTTP and SNMP, and its superior network adaptability enables its software to be easily implemented from remote sites.

Intel Finally Hits Tri-mode Mark

Intel Corp. released its tri-mode 802.11a/b/g Centrino wireless module late last week, missing its own estimates and severely lagging behind its competitors by as much as two years. Intel’s original Centrino technology hit the scene in March of 2003. The 802.11b wireless product was followed by a backward-compatible 802.11g version in October of that year.

Mobinet Index 2004

The latest Mobinet study from A.T. Kearney reports that 41 percent of the world’s wireless phone users expect to be regular or heavy users of data services by 2005. The Index looks at current and planned usage of wireless data services such as mobile email, games, music downloads, photo messaging, and news updates and the strong user demand represents a whopping 200-percent increase over the past year. Have mobile data services finally reached a tipping point?