Early attempts at wireless data transmission evolved around proprietary technologies. Usually, the cost to deploy such networks limited their use to that of large companies. The services  offered  usually  revolved  around  some form of dispatch service. Today, however, cellular networks are ubiquitous and quite capable of serving the data requirements of not only large companies, but individuals. Cellular is changing the way we communicate on an everyday basis.

Another factor in moving to a Wireless Internet is the size of computing devices. Miniaturization and improved batteries are providing smaller, better mobile tools. Laptops and PDAs are small enough to be very mobile but powerful enough to tackle  anything that we might do on a desktop computer. Portability and connectivity can be readily achieved. Now a mobile businessman can be more productive because he can access his data in his office or retrieve data stored from a global  Internet connection. As the performance of the Wireless Internet approaches that of a fixed connection, there is no longer a need to remain tethered to a desk.

There are two types of Wireless Internet connections: those through cellular and those through a mobile data network. There is a very big distinction between these two types of connection. Cellular has traditionally been a circuit-switched connection, whereas mobile data networks are packet based. The next generation cellular standards will eliminate this difference. Data on the Wireless Internet will be packet-based using TCP/IP, the same protocol used on the Internet. The spectrum resource or channel will become a shared resource, and new methods of usage billing rather than airtime billing will emerge. Data speed will also increase from 64 Kbps to more than 2 Mbps depending on the technology.

The Wireless Internet is a natural and inevitable progression from the wired Internet when you consider today’s wireless communications devices, a very mobile society, and a free market economy where anything can be sold if it has the right sales approach. Cellular penetration is very high, with over 1 billion cellular users projected by the end of 2002. Some estimates put data revenue streams in 2006 higher than today’s voice revenue streams. This may be a bit optimistic but it is clear the demand for wireless data transmission is growing. A cellular device is a personal device and the value of wireless data is in the knowledge of the user, his buying habits, his location  and  other  personal  information.  The  proper  use  this knowledge will create new revenue streams. Applications must be created that the user cannot live without.

The terminal market varies to users’ demand. As we stated earlier, a Wireless Internet device does not have to resemble a cellular phone or even possess the functionality of a cellular phone. The new Wireless Internet will be accessed by many new devices and methods. Voice functionality does not necessarily need to reside on the device. Voice recognition and text-to-speech may be the solution for access. User interfaces must change to reflect the wider spectrum of data throughput. Displays and keyboards may no longer be of primary importance: If you have voice recognition and text-to-speech capabilities, do you need a bigger display and keyboard? Maybe the Wireless Internet device will require no human interface. Technologies used in terminal devices are largely determined by the application required.