Mobile industry tests the Wi-Fi airwaves

The mobile industry is ramping up for a new generation of cell phones and services combining the long-distance strengths of traditional cellular service with the short-distance, low-cost advantages of Wi-Fi. Reuters reports.

" Industry players at the 3G World Congress & Exhibition in Hong Kong this week were buzzing with expectation for future services that would marry traditional cellular with Wi-Fi, a short-range technology often associated with wireless Web surfing in homes, offices and coffee shops.

Traditional cellular's main strengths lie in its mobility, enabling users to make calls while on the move over long distances from nearly anywhere in the world.

Wi-Fi, meanwhile, is only usable within short distances of antennae, often called "hot spots." But it is easily installed in buildings where cellular is often absent, and its high data transmission speeds enable more efficient file transfers and Web surfing.

Use of Wi-Fi could also help companies and consumers save money by transferring their calling and file transfers to local fixed-line networks at home and in the office, allowing them to bypass more costly cellular networks.

Nearly every major cell phone and telecommunications equipment maker at the gathering in Hong Kong is either testing a hybrid Wi-Fi service or handset, or has already launched an early model or two."

Image from Intel

emily | 3:05 PM | Technology |
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