Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Technical analysis for shorts & longs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill Cotter who wrote (36569)	3/26/2002 2:17:23 AM
From: Johnny Canuck	Respond to of 67879

Bill, That segment of the industry is still in early days. As much as some people will demand and need 802.11B, there really aren't that many applications for wireless connectiond for computers and terminals and printers. 802.11B does not really have enough capacity to stream video so the applications are limited. Also keep in mind that Bluetooth and 802.11B use the same carrier frequency, but Bluetooth uses a much lower modulation frequency. Bottom line is that Bluetooth interferes with 802.11B, so there are some problems with the technology. Players in 802.11B off the top of my head are RFMD and INTC. I don't know of a pure play and 802.11 sales are a pretty of sales right now.

To: Bill Cotter who wrote (36569)	3/26/2002 6:56:36 PM
From: Johnny Canuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 67879

Bill, I got this today in my EMAIL. *************************** Wireless Data Starting To Take Hold Dear Colleague: One of the most exciting new networking technology areas is wireless, in particular those new products and services that are becoming available for wireless data communications. There are at least three different areas in which we today see significant progress in the development and deployment of wireless networking. Cellular telephone system operators continue their evolution to more advanced 2.5G and 3G systems, with the ultimate goal of providing megabit/second bandwidth to mobile users. At the other extreme, enterprises and many residential users have been deploying their own wireless LANs in record numbers, particularly as 802.11b product prices have fallen rapidly. And somewhere in the middle, we're seeing the introduction of more fixed broadband wireless systems targeted at the metro area, with the goal of providing "wireless DSL" Internet access to small-to-midsize enterprises and residential customers. But significant issues remain that hinder the widespread acceptance and success of wireless data networking. The security of data transmission across wireless broadband links is sufficiently questionable that many users currently employ encrypted tunnel VPNs as a "band aid" solution. Most WLANs to date have been based on the single 802.11b standard, but newer 802.11a/g/h standards promise to fragment the market and create interoperability issues. Contention for use of the same crowded spectrum, for example between Bluetooth, portable phones, and 802.11b WLAN devices, promises to turn 2.4 Ghz into a "junk" band. And seamless roaming of users between wireless LANs, MANs, and WANs, while very desirable, does not exist today. These and other issues have left the wireless data networking area wide open to startups with innovative solutions. At the Next Generation Network Ventures conference next month, we have a session featuring four vendors with different ways to approach this market. Aperto Networks has developed technology for scalable fixed wireless broadband networking. Their products can not only be used as an alternative to DSL/cable services, but also to link 802.11 "hot spots" or 3G cellular network access points together within a metro area. They have virtually eliminated the lengthy provisioning cycles, reach, and availability issues associated with competing wireline broadband alternatives, and made use of innovative non-line-of-sight and QoS techniques. Atheros Communications is the first vendor to develop silicon chipsets for the newer 802.11a WLAN standard. "11a" is incompatible with the popular 802.11b and its follow-on 11g WLAN standards. However, the company's technology can deliver near wired-LAN performance (54-108 Mbps), it avoids the crowded 2.4 Ghz band by using 5 Ghz frequencies, and it provides more robust communications; thus 802.11a stands a good chance of becoming the next generation WLAN standard. Numerous public WLAN "hot spots" have started showing up in coffee shops, airport waiting areas, and other places where people congregate. Users love the network performance and convenience of these services, but heretofore there hasn't been an easy way for network owners to charge for these services, or for users to subscribe to a single service that encompasses multiple hot spots. The startup HereUare intends to be the third-party service provider that solves this problem. The fourth vendor in this session, Mobilian, has developed a solution to the problem of interference between 802.11b wireless LANs and Bluetooth, since both operate on the same frequencies. For portable device manufacturers that need to support both 802.11b and Bluetooth, Mobilian's integrated system-level solution promises to provide much better performance than approaches that switch back and forth between separate Bluetooth and WLAN radios. We've highlighted participating companies in just one of the sessions at NGN Ventures, but invite you to visit ngnventures.com to see the other markets covered at the conference. Besides wireless networking, we are featuring startups with equally innovative products and technologies in areas such as switching/routing, metro networking, components, and IP telephony. We believe that this year's crop of NGN Ventures startups represent those companies that have the highest potential for success in a challenging business environment. If you've read this far, you may be interested in wireless networking. Register and pay in full by April 2, 2002 using VIP Code: C1ND3MCQ, and you will receive free a PCMCIA card for 802.11b Wi-Fi wireless networking for your notebook computer. A wireless LAN will be available on-site for the duration of the NGN Ventures conference, which will allow you to stay connected to your office via high-speed (up to 11 Mbps) wireless access to the Internet. This wireless LAN card will be yours to keep, so after the conference you will be able to use the card with a corporate or home 802.11b network or at public access sites like airports, hotels, and Starbucks coffeehouses. This offer cannot be combined with any other NGN Ventures discount or promotional offers. Please join us at NGN Ventures ngnventures.com , where you will hear the experts debate the important issues and gain insights about the future of next generation networking. David Passmore Research Director, Burton Group NGN Ventures 2002 Conference Co-Chair Dr. John M. McQuillan President, McQuillan Ventures NGN Ventures 2002 Conference Co-Chair