Cha2,
<< Curious why you see SMS or "messaging" as a "data" tornado. >>
Because it is 100% data - transmitted wirelessly.
15 Billion data messages a month, that 2 years ago was 10 Billion per year.
What would you call it?
Messaging is SMS, and will give way to EMS, and MMS, and messaging includes e-mail as well.
Remember this. The 'killer app' of wireless mobile telephony (2G, 2.5G, or 3G) is, and will remain, 'Voice'.
The 'killer data app' in mobile wireless telephony is messaging and will remain so for a long time.
Fixed wireless is another story, for another time.
<< This type of "messaging" is simply using a voice system for short messages in lieu of voice mail, no? >>
No. Absolutely not. Voice is voice, and data is data. Instead of paging, yes, to some degree. E-mail did not replace voice mail. It is a different manner of communication. They serve different purposes. I cant transmit a photo I just took with voice mail.
Messaging extends and transitioning a platform that has been primarily voice-centric (GSM) to data, and CDMA, which began life as 100% voice-centric to data, and changing the habits of consumers in the process.
SMS is used for simple text messaging including images, but it is also used for transmitting applications (say Java), provisioning for private consumers, and of course e-mail, and synchronization with a server or other client.
<< Also isn't this used primarily where the data rate is so slow (GSM) that SMS is the only practical "data" application? >>
Data rates are slow in every mobile wireless technology today. That will start to change with packet data transmission using 2.5G technologies such as 1xRTT or GPRS, when they are debugged, and become generally deployed.
Devices that receive today's slow transmissions can't yet store large attachments. It is not all about speed, although speed is important.
Certainly messaging is 'practical' and multimedia (streaming audio, video, and large file transfers) is not.
Right now the CDMA world is scrambling feverishly to catch up with the GSM world to enable 2-way messaging. They are catching up. Relatively speaking messaging will be as large in cdmaland as GSMland (even before - but especially once data roaming is addressed).
What is important is that consumers are starting to use mobile wireless telephony for data applications and the statistics and forecasts are mind boggling.
The mobile wireless data tornado has arrived. The mobile wireless multimedia tornado has not.
<< What I have been looking for is a data wireless tornado which reflects the wireless / internet nexus. >>
WAP (and 'i-mode') start to get you there, but you are really looking at a tornado that is way beyond wireless data tornado, and shouldn't be confused with it.
You need raw speed and optimization that is not here yet, and devices that will come out of pure 3G initiatives.
<< On another subject ... Here is another CDMA modem card announcement >>
Primary application (as with GSM & GPRS modems) ... messaging. Secondary ... server connectivity. Tertiary ... web access.
Primary users today ... corporate customers ... and that is their hierarchy.
<< Do you still "hate" WAP or are you warming toward it? >>
As a user, I sure do. Looks like it will have greater utility with V. 2.0.
As an investor, I like it because it is a method of bringing mobile wireless data to the masses.
It's been great for CDMA, When you look at the 1,000,000 Sprint PCS subs, or the 750,000 Verizon subs that are "web enabled", that means they are WAP (and SMS or WIM) enabled.
Remember, here is what WAP 2.0 (The Next Generation) brings ...
* XHTML (with backwards compatibility to WML)
* TCP
* Color graphics
* Animation
* Large file downloading
* Location-smart services
* Streaming media
* Data synchronization with desktop PIM.
These are meaninful capabilities.
Heck, someday I might use it for something other than retrieving a stock quote.
For now I'll use phone as modem at speeds effectively the same as dialup..
- Eric - |
