FCC to Propose Net Neutrality Rules for Wireless
By Phil Goldstein
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is going to propose new net neutrality rules for wired and wireless networks in a speech on Monday, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, which cited unnamed people familiar with the proposal. If such rules go into effect, it would be a major blow to wireless carriers that have argued that the mobile Web is inherently different from the wired one, and requirements to support data-intensive applications could harm the quality of their networks.
In reaction to the news, wireless trade association CTIA reiterated its longstanding position against net neutrality in wireless. "We are waiting to read the chairman's proposal, but as we've said before, we are concerned about the unintended consequences that net neutrality regulation would have on investments from the very industry that's helping to drive the U.S. economy," said Chris Guttman-McCabe, vice president of regulatory affairs for CTIA. "We believe that this kind of regulation is unnecessary in the competitive wireless space as it would prevent carriers from managing their networks--such as curtailing viruses and other harmful content- to the benefit of their consumers."
According to the WSJ report, the FCC's plan will take into account the bandwidth limitations of carriers, although it's unclear exactly how that provision would be implemented.
Net neutrality has been a long-standing issue among wired Internet providers, and it recently migrated into the wireless world. Skype has argued for unfettered access to wireless networks via its mobile VoIP service, for instance, and Sling Media's SlingPlayer Mobile video application for the iPhone can transmit only over WiFi and not AT&T Mobility's cellular network.
An FCC representative was not immediately available to comment on the report. Genachowski is expected to appear at an event Monday in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Brookings Institution think tank. Josh Silverman, the CEO of Skype; David Young, Verizon Communications' vice president of federal regulatory affairs; and Ben Scott, the policy director of consumer advocacy group Free Press, are also expected to appear.[FierceBroadbandWireless]
Wi-Fi Chipset Revenue On Course to Approach $3 Billion in 2008
Over the last several years, the market for Wi-Fi chipsets (primary components, not including power amplifiers, LNAs and other external components) has grown from just over $1 billion in 2006, though just over $2 billion in 2007, and is expected to deliver revenue of nearly $3 billion in 2008.
According to ABI Research principal analyst Philip Solis, “We expect more than 1 billion chipsets to ship during 2011 alone, while the 2013 opportunity will be more than 1.6 billion units.”
On the device side this is driven mainly by cellular handsets, consumer electronics, laptops, netbooks and MIDs. The laptop market already has 100% attach rates, so much of the growth will come in the other device categories.
Much of this powerful growth will be in 802.11n chips. “n” is quickly being built into access points and laptops, and a little less quickly in mobile devices, which will frequently use a variant that does not include MIMO connectivity, in order to preserve most of 802.11n’s benefits but at lower cost and size. [ABI Research]
Nearly One Million Small and Medium Businesses Are Candidates for Early 802.11n Adoption
Retail, real estate, warehousing and transportation are among the SMB market segments that could prove fertile ground for adoption of 802.11n equipment, assuming vendors can find the right channels to reach them.
“Small businesses tend to buy from retailers, office equipment stores, and select value-added resellers,” says ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt. “Small businesses tend to buy small numbers of devices and trade them in more frequently than large companies. They also tend to be far less knowledgeable about technology and standards than large companies with dedicated IT personnel. The result is that small businesses are likely to buy 802.11n products while they are in draft status and deploy them immediately.”
Many of those businesses will have employed Wi-Fi already, so what – apart from its greater speed and throughput – will prompt them to upgrade to “n”? One trigger is related to PC replacement cycles: increasingly, when computers are updated, the new models will include 802.11n as a standard built-in feature.
Several characteristics specific to the retail, real estate, warehouses and transportation vertical markets make them especially likely to benefit from 802.11n’s new abilities. Warehouse operators have had problems with interference using conventional 802.11g. 802.11n’s MIMO technology should reduce interference and make it possible to use Wi-Fi-based RTLS software.
Retail SMB establishments could benefit from the greater coverage offered by 802.11n; and real estate, increasingly using Wi-Fi to transmit graphic images of homes, will very likely add video applications as soon as they become practical. Deploying 802.11n will provide enough bandwidth to handle these tasks.
These businesses will be “low-hanging fruit” for those vendors, distributors and retail channels that specialize in serving the SMB segment.
ABI Research’s study, “IEEE 802.11n Update, Forecast, and Vendor Evaluation” analyzes vendors’ differentiated value propositions and market positioning, and provides a detailed vendor matrix that identifies winners in several major product categories including, best channel, best value proposition, best innovation, best product implementation, and overall winner. [ABI Research]
Availability of Combo Chipsets Will Drive Mass Market Integration of GPS in GSM Handsets from 2009
GPS semiconductor vendors are increasingly focusing on GSM handsets as their next target market for GPS chipsets. While until now CDMA handsets and navigation devices have been the main GPS product categories, GSM mobile phones are expected to increasingly feature GPS-chipsets as handset-based navigation and a wide range of location based services such as local search and social networking become popular.
GPS already has become a standard feature on smartphones, with recently launched products from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Palm and Samsung and the iconic iPhone, expected to become important drivers for LBS uptake due to their large screens and text input facilities.
“Despite its appeal, the handset form factor poses a series of new challenges to GPS chipset vendors”, says ABI Research director Dominique Bonte.” While minimal power consumption, price, and small footprint are even more important in handsets than in PNDs, the bigger issue is related to indoor coverage, as handset-based LBS services will be frequently used in urban canyons and indoor environments such as shopping malls where GPS reception is impaired.”
The very important trend of “combo” chipsets – integrating different radio technologies such as FM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS on a single chip – promises to provide a solution to power, footprint, and price challenges, while also allowing integration of alternative positioning technologies such as Wi-Fi to provide better indoor coverage and a seamless positioning experience to the end user. This is evidenced by the recent announcement of Broadcom’s partnership with Skyhook Wireless.
The expected availability of combo chipsets in 2009 from major GPS chipset vendors such as Broadcom, Atheros, NXP, and Texas Instruments will play an important role in accelerating the adoption of GPS in mass market handsets, ultimately making it a standard handset feature. [ABI Research]
Researchers See Light as The New WiFi
By Jim Barthold
Researchers at Boston University's College of Engineering are literally interpreting the phrase "lighting up a network." The college, along with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of New Mexico are partners in an $18.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) program to develop ways to use visible light to generate communications technology instead of radio waves.
The multi-year program will use low-power light emitting diodes (LEDs) to create smart lighting that would become the equivalent of a WiFi access point. Similar to the IR technology used for TV remotes, the white light would provide Internet connections to multiple devices within a room. Besides replacing the wireless network, it would also replace most conventional lighting devices and serve the dual purpose of lighting up a room and a network.
Rensselaer and UNM are tasked with creating novel devices and system applications ad materials to interface with the network. BU will focus on developing computer networking capabilities and the optical technology for the network's backbone. The university expects to get $1 million in funding for the next 10 years from the NSF and outside funding from industrial partners and entrepreneurs. [FierceWireless]
Real-time Intelligence Visualization Is Becoming the New RTLS
Recent decades have seen the widespread adoption of short-range wireless communications, including wireless LANs (Wi-Fi), ultra-wideband (UWB), and RFID. All of these can be used as part of real-time location systems (RTLS).
But according to a new Research Brief from ABI Research, a preoccupation with the technologies alone is misplaced: a more useful concept is “real-time intelligence visualization” (RTIV), in which the technology becomes the means to an end, not the end itself.
What is RTIV? According to research director Michael Liard, “RTIV is not about the individual technologies. It is about the process and logic that end-users must embrace. That concept focuses on end-users seeing data (or the ‘intelligence’) and their tagged assets in new ways, with ‘real-time eyes.’”
RTIV involves the capture of real-time data (regardless of the technology), and the processing and synchronization of that data with back-end systems through defined rules. This leads to the creation of actionable business intelligence that is accessible to the relevant systems and people. It involves the establishment of alerts, alarms, actions, decisions, and where required, audit trails and documentation. The result? Data that can provide a “smart enterprise-wide view” of tagged objects, assets, and personnel through wireless identification and location.
These competitive, yet complementary wireless technologies, approaches, and solutions have historically been treated as independent silos, but they are now converging. In a growing number of end-user environments a combination of technologies is being used. For example, passive and active RFID may be used jointly for fixed and mobile asset tagging; Wi-Fi- and UWB-based RTLS solutions may be leveraged for hospital asset tracking; or a combination of GPS and active RFID may be employed for cargo tracking and security.
Whatever the technologies involved, Liard concludes, “The end (as well as the beginning) of real-time intelligence visualization must be the value propositions and business problems challenging end-users. [ABI Research]
CIOs: All Our Apps Will be in The Cloud by 2013
Blame Facebook and Wi-Fi
By Tim Ferguson
Business applications will increasingly head into the cloud as consumer technology filters through to business, according to UK CIOs.
More than half (56 per cent) of the CIOs surveyed believe all applications used by their organisation will be hosted on the internet within five years, while 76 per cent of the CIOs questioned think the increased availability of wi-fi and broadband at home is encouraging people to look at using online applications.
The research, commissioned by salesforce.com, found 83 per cent of CIOs feel tech from the likes of Google and Facebook are shaping the technologies that businesses are adopting.
Google and Microsoft have been leading the push to the cloud, with popular online collaboration services in the shape of Google Apps and Office Live Workspace, while the likes of salesforce.com and its rivals have long been touting software as service for applications such as CRM.
Speaking to silicon.com, senior analyst with Freeform Dynamics, David Tebbutt, said while the progression to more cloud-hosted applications is inevitable, the CIOs timings may be ambitious. "I think [the surveyed CIOs are] wrong on timescale. I think a lot of work will migrate to the cloud in that timescale but I think a lot more will migrate later on. I think we're talking about fairly long timescales."
Others remain unconvinced the cloud is ready for business. Citrix CTO and chair, Martin Duursma said recently cloud-based applications - or software-as-a-service - remain "several years away" from being enterprise ready.
He added companies shouldn't rush into putting mission critical apps into the cloud until the services have become more reliable.
Freeform Dynamics' Tebbutt said companies need to work out which applications they feel comfortable with putting into the cloud and who they want to host services.
"It's about trust isn't it really? That's what it boils down to," he said. "I do think that a lot of work will go out to the cloud. It really depends on the nature of the business."
The research was carried out by Coleman Parkes and quizzed CIOs from 100 UK organisations. [silicon.com]
Analyst: 802.11r WiFi Standar to Help VoIP Adoption
By Pete Wylie
The 802.11r wireless network standard will likely be a useful innovation, despite slow adoption by enterprise users, according to Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at researcher Quocerca. The recently ratified standard, which enables WiFi devices to maintain seamless communication while switching between access points on WLANs, is a remedy for the original standard's failure to account for roaming access.
The standard will help VoIP adoption, because presently, VoIP devices have QoS and security issues because it takes 100 milliseconds to switch from one access point to another, according to an IT Pro report. The amended protocol will improve QoS and reduce the hand-off time to less than 50 milliseconds, a common industry benchmark for maximum delay.
Bamforth predicted that enterprise users would need time to integrate the new standard, however, and present investment in VoIP would be a major indicator to adoption speed. [FierceBroadband Wireless]
Microsofts Tests WiFi in Vehicles
By Doug Mohney
Microsoft is testing WiFi usage in vehicles, an effort that is shedding new light on public wireless networks and how VoIP calls might get transmitted - or not.
Testing is being conducted around Seattle, and the biggest advantage to tapping into a community WiFi network is lower cost of access. Plus, every mobile device has built-in WiFi these days .
However, WiFi has a big problem with hand-offs between base stations; not so good for an in-progress VoIP call over a cheaper WiFi network. (You may queue your WiMAX commercial here in a limited number of second-tier U.S. markets). There's also the assumption that there's a nice big WiFi network available for use; the muni WiFi market has had its ups and downs of late.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts, the University of Washington and Microsoft have worked up a solution to talk to multiple access points at once. The "Vi-Fi" (Vehicle WiFi) system would treat one access point as an "anchor" primary reception point and use other base stations in the system as auxiliary paths.
Some tricky math allows the system to figure out the chance a packet received by an auxiliary base station wasn't received by the anchor; if true, the aux base station relays the packet to the anchor as a backup. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
Study: One Third of All Enterprises Deploying Pre-802.11n
By Lynnette Luna
A new study from BT North America found that nearly one third of all enterprises are deploying 802.11n WiFi technology, despite the fact that the standard isn't ratified yet. The consulting firm, which surveyed 226 U.S. organizations about their wireless installations, said the rate of adoption of 802.11n technology was unprecedented and indicated that the benefits of 802.11n were an urgent need for a significant number of enterprise sites.
The BT consultants said they see customers most often adopting the draft 11n infrastructure in brand-new construction, where it's matched with a high-capacity wired infrastructure. [FierceBroadbandWireless]
What Do SMB Wi-Fi Customers Really Want?
When it comes to Wi-Fi, small-medium businesses defy generalization. Depending on their size, budgets, and the nature of their activities, SMBs reveal very different patterns of Wi-Fi adoption, deployments, upgrades, and attitudes to security. A survey of SMBs that are customers of the market-leading Wi-Fi vendor has identified their preferences and the logic behind the choices they make.
According to ABI Research vice president and research director Stan Schatt, “To understand the SMB Wi-Fi market as a whole, it’s instructive to examine the customers of the market-leading vendor, Cisco/Linksys. The combined installed-base market share of the two brands is 50%, so their customers are truly representative of the whole market.”
Prior to Cisco’s acquisition of Linksys, both companies offered WLAN equipment, although Cisco tended to serve the enterprise, and Linksys was more consumer-oriented. Post-acquisition, says Schatt, Cisco has done an excellent job of segmenting its SMB customers into Linksys- and Cisco-branded equipment purchasers.
Both groups are interested in migration to 802.11n, with 45% of Cisco and 41% of Linksys customers indicating definite plans to upgrade, and overwhelming majorities of these intending to act within the next 12 months.
However, a Linksys SMB customer is most likely to purchase Wi-Fi equipment from an online retailer or a bricks-and-mortar retailer. SMB customers of Cisco-branded Wi-Fi equipment are far more likely to purchase their equipment from a WLAN VAR or directly from the manufacturer.
Network security issues also show both similarities and differences between the groups. Says Schatt, “SMBs don’t have time or resources to manage security. A real opportunity exists for a managed WLAN security monitoring service. In fact, nearly half of those surveyed expressed an interest in such a service.” [ABI Research]
Universities Saying “Yes” to 802.11n
Universities, already early-adopters of earlier flavors of Wi-Fi, are also leading the charge towards 802.11n, especially in North America.
“Although current penetration of the higher education market is only 2.3%, that still represents a good rate of uptake for such a new, pre-standard technology,” says ABI Research vice president and research director Stan Schatt.
The reasons for this are the same as those prompting higher education’s already rapid adoption of previous Wi-Fi technologies: the need to serve large numbers of users at once, the demands of on-campus security, students’ expectations, and innovative use of video in the curriculum. The latter qualification is especially important in light of 802.11n’s five-fold expansion in bandwidth compared to its predecessors.
“As video becomes an essential part of the academic experience, bandwidth video requirements and newer laptops (which increasingly will have 802.11n built in) mean that a marriage of convenience will occur between students’ needs to view video anywhere on campus and the ability of 802.11n–enabled laptops to handle the bandwidth requirements,” notes Schatt.
Universities’ pool of tech-savvy staff also means they are unafraid of “bleeding edge” technologies, and they frequently write related software in-house.
Duke University, University of Arizona, Carnegie Mellon University, and many others are seeing significant deployments, conducted by vendors such as Cisco, Aruba, Meru Networks, and Trapeze Networks. Trapeze recently announced a major deployment at the University of Minnesota, which will cover 22 million square feet of indoor space as well as outdoor space over two adjacent campuses.
There are more than 80,000 students, faculty, and staff at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. It is scheduled to take five years and $15 million to light up the 300 buildings and over 1,300 floors of indoor space as well as the outdoor areas. [ABI Research]
Higher Education Market Fertile Ground for 802.11n Wi-Fi
ABI Research has forecast that Wi-Fi will be available in 99% of North American universities in 2013. Much of that penetration will be in the form of 802.11n equipment: higher education is clearly the number one market for early adopters of 802.11n.
According to ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt, “ABI Research expects 802.11n uptake – which is today fairly small in the education market – to ramp up steeply to quite a high rate of penetration.”
There are several reasons for this. Many students now assume a campus Wi-Fi network as a given, and many of their shiny new laptops will be “n”-compatible. Universities have great bandwidth demands, as lecture halls may need to serve a large number of users with multimedia content at any given time. 802.11n’s greater speed and capacity can address that need.
Moreover, says Schatt, “Universities are breaking new ground by using video over Wi-Fi in a number innovative ways. This is driving the adoption of high speed 802.11n. Students in the near future (at least the diligent ones) will be just as likely to watch their favorite professor’s lectures on their laptops as they will be to view ‘America’s Next Top Model’.”
In an interesting twist, educational institutions with limited funds are jumping to 802.11n to “future-proof” their networks, rather than purchasing an 802.11g Wi-Fi network now and coming back in a year or two seeking funds for an upgrade to 802.11n.
However, a few barriers to adoption do still exist. Some institutions are concerned about the impact of 802.11n’s increased bandwidth on the wired side of their infrastructure. Some have limited budgets, and some – particularly those with less emphasis on research – may be conservatively inclined to wait for confirmation of the 802.11n standard before taking the plunge. [ABI Research]
Delta Launches Wi-Fi Access on Entire Domestic Mainline Fleet
Delta Air Lines customers traveling throughout the continental United States will soon be offered the added convenience of broadband Wi-Fi access onboard the airline's domestic fleet of more than 330 mainline aircraft.
Delta is joining with Aircell, a 17-year leader in airborne communications for business and commercial aviation, to install the company's Mobile Broadband Network on the carrier's domestic fleet. The system, Gogo, will enable Delta customers traveling with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, to access the Internet, corporate VPNs, corporate and personal e-mail accounts, as well as SMS texting and instant messaging services. Gogo will be available to customers for a flat fee of $9.95 on flights of three hours or less, and $12.95 on flights of more than three hours.
"Delta remains committed to providing a travel experience that maximizes the time our customers spend with us onboard by offering them even more productivity options," said Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer. "Our customers asked for in-flight connectivity, and we're responding by rolling out the most extensive Wi-Fi network in the sky. Beginning this fall, our passengers will have the ability to stay connected when they travel with us throughout the continental U.S."
Gogo will be offered initially on Delta's fleet of 133 MD88/90 aircraft and will rapidly expand to the remaining domestic fleet of more than 200 Boeing 737, 757 and 767-300 aircraft throughout the first half of 2009. The airline expects to have more than 330 aircraft complete by summer 2009. The full fleet agreement between Aircell and Delta will provide a consistent, convenient experience for customers traveling on the airline who wish to use the Gogo Internet service.
"The advent of Air-To-Ground (ATG) technology has made broadband connectivity in the cabin economically viable for the first time for commercial airlines," said Jack Blumenstein, President and CEO, Aircell. "The game has changed and Delta will be among the first to provide an enhanced customer experience with broadband Wi-Fi access on more than 1,000 daily flights within the U.S."
In addition to being the most cost-effective in-flight broadband technology available, the Aircell system is extremely light, requires minimal space on the aircraft and is installed overnight, making it a sound investment in a competitive, high fuel-price environment.
Aircell LLC is the world's leading provider of airborne communications. As winner of an exclusive FCC frequency license in 2006, Aircell has built a revolutionary mobile broadband network for commercial and business aviation. In 2008, the Aircell Network and its inflight portal, known as Gogo, will revolutionize the commercial airline passenger flight experience, delivering a robust Internet experience at 35,000 feet.
In addition, the Aircell Network provides airlines with connectivity to operations and a path to enhanced cabin services such as video, audio, television and more. A similar feature set is available to Business aircraft operators. Aircell has facilities in Broomfield, Colorado, and Itasca, Illinois. Aircell's vision is to give everyone the ability to stay in touch, in flight(tm). For more information about Aircell, please visit http://www.aircell.com/.
Gogo(tm), powered by Aircell, turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot with true inflight Internet access. Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, can surf the Web, check any e-mail, Instant Message, access their corporate VPN and more. Plus, Gogo includes free access to valuable online content from The Wall Street Journal and Frommer's. [FierceWireless]
Home Network Technologies Will Coexist, Not Compete
Consumer electronics products no longer exist in a vacuum: increasingly they are linked to each other via a number of short-range radio technologies. CE vendors, faced with a series of overlapping use-cases, network areas, standards, and technologies, need to understand the applications best suited to each, and how they relate to each other.
Fortunately, short-range networking technologies are settling into more or less clearly defined roles, and will by and large coexist and complement each other rather than competing. “Technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, 60 GHz, and ZigBee will not compete within the home,” says ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen, “but will be used in coordination, overlapping and coexisting for full wireless network coverage.”
“Each of these technologies has a sweet spot or specialty,” he continues. “Bluetooth will be the driving technology in the PAN (personal area network) and may see some success in remote controls, especially for gaming. Wi-Fi will be the key technology for wireless LAN (local area network). UWB and 60 GHz respectively will be specialized for home office peripherals, and for wireless HDMI (uncompressed video sent from a set-top box to a high-definition TV). ZigBee stands apart, as a home automation technology.”
There are a few competitive counter-trends worth noting. Recently, Intel and OZMO Devices announced a program that uses standard Wi-Fi protocols to handle PAN tasks such as syncing notebooks with various PC peripherals and wireless consumer electronics. The RF4CE (Radio Frequency for Consumer Electronics) industry consortium has been formed recently to develop a new protocol for radio frequency remote controls that would compete with Bluetooth to replace IR remote controls for audiovisual equipment. However, these are the exceptions that prove the rule. [ABI Research]
Study: Wi-Fi Hotspots Stay Hot in 2008
Wi-Fi hotspots are continuing their torrid growth in 2008. According to ABI Research's WI-FI Hotspots Forecasts, by the end of this year global hotspots will grow by 40% over 2007. The greatest growth and the largest number of hotspots continue to be found in Europe. While the UK has long led in European Wi-Fi hotspots, there is also marked growth in France, Germany, and Russia.
Most remarkable about the hotspot market, says vice president and research director Stan Schatt, are the dynamics of a fast-changing business model. "Starbucks' decision to go to a virtually free Wi-Fi hotspot model is having a profound impact. Hotspot owners are beginning to see Wi-Fi as a cost of doing business and an operational expense, rather than as a profit center." Schatt expects major retailers to move towards a free service model in phases. "The first phase is likely to be a free or almost free service for good customers, those who have signed up for loyalty cards."
One reason hotspot owners are willing to move towards such a business model, according to Schatt, is the realization that, "Charging for service is counter-productive in the long run because the real money will be in value-add content downloads." In the near future hotspots are likely to encourage users to pay to download the latest music and TV shows. Airport clubs are likely to offer hotspot users the chance to download movies for their upcoming trips. Starbucks has already begun selling music CDs in its stores. The next logical step will be to move to selling music downloads.
The proliferation of devices that support Wi-Fi also makes charging for such services more complex for hotspot owners. If a person is on a 3G connection on a dual-band phone and then moves into a Wi-Fi hotspot, how does the Wi-Fi billing take place? How many separate accounts must a customer who has both a dual-band phone and a Wi-Fi enabled laptop have in order to use a Wi-Fi network? Garnering money for downloads is a much more straightforward matter. [ABI Research]
Wi-Fi Alliance Certifying Devices for Voice Over Wi-Fi Applications
Driven by the growing popularity of Wi-Fi technology and voice over IP (VoIP), the Wi-Fi industry has developed a new certification program for voice-capable Wi-Fi devices in home and small office environments. Today, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal program as well as some of the first products that have achieved this certification. This groundbreaking new certification program extends beyond interoperability testing to test the performance of products and help ensure that they deliver good voice quality over the Wi-Fi link.
“Wi Fi enabled devices are increasingly used for data and also multimedia applications,” said Edgar Figueroa, executive director ofthe Wi-Fi Alliance. “Our certification programs deliver interoperability and quality of service between Wi-Fi CERTIFIED devices. Now, the Voice-Personal program goes to the next level, helping to ensure good voice quality for calls made over a Wi-Fi network.”
Estimates from analyst firms forecast shipments of Wi-Fi/cellular converged phones to number between 250 and 350 million units in 2011. In a converged Wi-Fi/cellular phone, Wi-Fi connectivity can offer significant throughput to support bandwidth-intensive applications.
By allowing subscribers to utilize Wi-Fi for voice as well as data onconverged phones, carriers can manage licensed spectrum resources better, as subscribers make and receive calls using a combination of licensed and unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum. Additionally, voice over the Wi-Fi network can mean improved indoor coverage.
“We are seeing increasing expectations from wireless subscribers that handsets include Wi-Fi technology to handle both voice and data, and carriers are responding in kind with an interesting array of offerings combining Wi-Fi and cellular service,” said Victoria Fodale, manager, Market Data/Intelligence for In-Stat. “Delivering a high-quality user experience with voice over Wi-Fi will be critical to the success of converged service offerings, so the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal testing program is an important step for the industry.”
Voice over Wi Fi is typically used within mixed voice and data environments, in which multiple data streams compete for the available network resources. Products that successfully achieve Voice-Personal certification prioritize voice communication over data, audio, or video traffic, and also have met strict performance levels for key metrics that ensure a quality experience in voice applications: packet loss, latency and jitter.
The following are among some of the first devices to become Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal:
- Broadcom BCM94704AGR High Performance Dual-Band (2.4/5 GHz) Router Reference Design
- Cisco Systems Aironet 1250 Series Access Point (AIR-AP1252AG )
- Cisco Systems Aironet 1200 Series Access Point (AIR-AP1231G with AIR-RM21A)
- DSP Group Expeditor Reference Design (with XpandR 1.01 software)
- Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
- Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
- Meru Networks AP200
- Redpine Signals Lite-Fi™ TGn SDIO
Products Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal have also passed tests for core interoperability (802.11a/b/g or 802.11n draft 2.0) and Wi-Fi Protected Access™ 2 (WPA2™) for the strong security protections, as well as Wi-FiMultimedia™ (WMM) for quality of service and WMM Power Save (accesspoints only). Users should look for both access points and client devices that are Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Voice-Personal to ensure optimal voicequality when making calls over a Wi-Fi network. [FierceWireless]
Wi-Fi Consumer Access Point Shipments to Grow to 88M in 2013
Shipments of consumer-oriented 802.11n Wi-Fi access points are expected to see a dramatic increase over the next five years, rising from just 6 million this year to a forecast 88 million in 2013.
This rapid growth won’t reach full velocity from a standing start, however. According to ABI Research vice president Stan Schatt, “802.11n will become the default Wi-Fi technology of choice as equipment vendors include it in their new products. The real market growth will kick in when sufficient numbers of consumers have 802.11n capabilities embedded in their new laptop and desktop computers. We anticipate the greatest adoption to take place in the 2009-2010 timeframe.”
A similar pattern is expected in the enterprise: the rate at which companies replace their laptops. “You can achieve 802.11n connectivity with adapter cards,” says Schatt, “but most IT managers don’t like them because they can get lost or damaged.” Most enterprises work to a roughly three year laptop replacement cycle, but, Schatt believes, that cycle may be slightly longer in the current economic climate.
Successful vendors to the enterprise will be those with well-established channels selling to the early-adopting vertical sectors of education, healthcare, retail and manufacturing. Schatt suggests that, "While some larger organizations remain initially wary because 'n' is still a draft with ratification of the final standard expected next year, companies with workgroups that need 802.11n’s extra speed, range, and robustness may push ahead in a piecemeal fashion.” By the end of 2013, the enterprise component of 802.11n equipment sales will represent about 16% of the total market.
That said, Schatt also reports that many vendors seem pleasantly surprised by the speed of enterprise adoption that is taking place already, which he attributes to the reassurance provided by the Wi-Fi Alliance’s interoperability testing certification. [ABI Research]
Chrysler Turns Cars Into WiFi Hotspots
By Sue Marek
Soon motorists will be able to check email and surf the Web without finding a local Starbucks or Internet cafe. Beginning in August, automaker Chysler is going to outfit cars with a dealer-installed system called UConnect Web that turns vehicles into WiFi hotspots. The system will be offered in most 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeap vehicles. The in-vehicle wireless router will cost $449, plus installation of up to $50. Mobile Web access will cost about $29 per month after a $35 activation fee. Service will be provided by Autonet Mobile.
The UConnect Web device, which will be hidden within the car, will work only when there is a key in the ignition. It will use a cellular 3G network and promises download speeds between 600 and 800 kbps with upload speeds of 200 kbps. [FierceWireless]
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Markets Are Evolving in Different Directions
Global markets for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi both continue to show strong growth and will remain the leading personal area networking technologies, but prices and market developments are pushing each of them in new directions, according to a new short-range wireless communications forecast from ABI Research.
Senior analyst Doug McEuen says, “Bluetooth and Wi-Fi equipment and chipset numbers continue to increase. But with IC prices continuing to fall due to technology evolution and greater IC production efficiency, revenues aren’t rising as dramatically. That’s especially the case for Wi-Fi, where the chipsets have been very expensive for a long time. As the attach rate, particularly in laptops, increases to 100%, production is growing rapidly and prices are falling. That’s a good thing, because as the laptop market reaches saturation, Wi-Fi will need to find new opportunities.”
So IC vendors are hoping that lower price points will make the ICs attractive to other market segments, especially the huge but very cost-sensitive wireless handset market. “If you’re a radio or IC manufacturer and your unit price is above $2.00, you’re going to have trouble getting your product into a cell phone,” notes McEuen. “That is definitely one of the reasons why Wi-Fi has seen slower adoption in that market.”
Another key trend noted by McEuen is that Bluetooth’s prevalence in wireless handset/headset combinations is being supplemented by greater penetration in MP3 players and other portable media devices. It is also making inroads in the automotive industry. Bluetooth already has great penetration in the handset world and its price point is very low. It is also evolving towards higher speeds and greater capabilities. [ABI Research]
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