"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."
wirelessdesignonline.com.
European Report Say Higher Mobile Speeds Will be Late
3/24/2000 Despite the hype surrounding higher mobile speeds, European
managers may have to wait longer than they think for 2.5 and 3G solutions,
according to a new report from Amsterdam-based Forrester Research B.V.
The report 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.
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.
Additional information this and other reports from Forrester Research can be
found at www.forrester.com. |
