DoCoMo, NEC, Others To Set Wireless LAN Standards
June 27, 2003 (TOKYO) -- A group of 106 firms including major electric machinery and cellular phone operators plans to establish standards for wireless LAN (local area network) systems in order to expand the market, which has been growing at a slow pace.
In Japan, connections to the Internet through wireless LANs with devices such as notebook computers can be made at nearly 3,000 locations including restaurants and train stations.
However, the number of users has not grown due to factors such as conflicting connection formats between operators, redundant fee charges, and incompatible equipment that prevents connections from being established.
The Mobile Computing Promotion Consortium, an industrial group, hopes to create universal standards for wireless LAN connectivity by the end of 2004. The organization will address such issues as roaming rules that allow connections between LAN operators, equipment specifications that enable any operator to provide a stable connection, the need for a highly secure encryption system, and a function that automatically turns on a terminal when it enters a wireless LAN service area.
A promotion committee within the consortium was established by 28 firms including Fujitsu Ltd, NEC Corp, Toshiba Corp, Hitachi Ltd, NTT DoCoMo Inc and KDDI Corp. Testing and data collection will begin within the year at connection points nationwide.
The use of the cumbersome wireless LAN system has not spread due in part to the fact that cell phones are highly advanced in Japan.
"If a user-friendly uniform standard can be established, the market will expand," says a consortium representative.
(The Nihon Keizai Shimbun)
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