QCOM
According to the following research report, Euros may be waiting until 2007 for high speed wireless data based on gsm. Could this represent the opening that Qualcomm has been searching for?
( BW)(FORRESTER)(FORR) Higher Mobile Speeds Arrive Much Later Than
Promised, According to Forrester Research
Business/Technology Editors
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 23, 2000--European managers expect higher
mobile speeds to build better customer relationships -- and vendors say this is imminent. But rollout will
occur slowly and unevenly, forcing firms to adopt these new technologies in stages. In a new Report,
Forrester Research B.V. (Nasdaq: FORR) outlines how companies must act on new mobile opportunities to
serve customers better, strengthen ties with partners, and boost internal productivity while hedging their bets
on shaky technologies.
"Hype from vendors like Nokia and operators like Orange says that European firms will get 2 Mbps
speeds on mobile devices and connect anywhere at anytime -- all by 2002," explains Lars Godell, analyst for
Forrester Research B.V. "The reality is that gradual, uneven bandwidth upgrades will creep along through
2007 and only city areas will see 2 Mbps speeds by 2007."
Forrester believes that Europe's high-speed mobile future will be enabled by a series of new mobile
network technologies like General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System (UMTS). These technologies will transform the way corporations serve customers, reach business
partners, and communicate internally -- but only after they are widely standardized and implemented.
"To increase mobile speeds and global connectivity, new technologies are being developed, including
always-on packet-switched connections and Bluetooth, a short-range radio technology that allows
high-speed communication between devices and networks," added Godell. "The benefits these technologies
offer will arrive later than promised for a number of reasons, mainly because operators will not be able to
justify the huge investments needed to build an entirely new mobile network. Shaky standards and
incompatible handsets will also give early adopters a bumpy ride."
Forrester believes that only technologies requiring minimal upgrades to existing networks and handsets,
like High-Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD), GPRS, and Bluetooth, will see widespread adoption before
2005. Operators and firms that adopt HSCSD this year will enjoy first-mover advantages, while riskier
network technologies like Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE) will fade away, and UMTS will
arrive late.
With a patchwork of high-speed mobile standards persisting over the next seven years, European firms
face a dilemma. If they act too late, they will miss opportunities to mobilize business processes and reach
customers in new ways. If they act too soon, they risk being burned by premature commitments to
immature technologies. To cope, firms must match mobile data projects to technology realities in three
stages. Firms should start in 2000 by experimenting and laying the groundwork.
For the Report "Mobile's High-Speed Hurdles," Forrester spoke with 47 corporate IT managers as well as
46 mobile operators, telecommunications equipment suppliers, software houses, and systems integrators.
When asked when they will roll out high-speed mobile data services as part of their business, 53% of
executives interviewed said that it would depend on market readiness, while 19% said that they might not
use it. |
