Presence Technology Expected To Be Part Of 3G Wireless Networks
Presence technology is a type of application that makes it possible
to locate and identify a computing device (including, for example,
handheld computers as well as desktop models) wherever it might be, as
soon as the user connects to the network. One application of presence
technology, instant messaging (IM), is already very popular. Presence
technology is expected to be an integral part of third generation (3G)
wireless networks, and is likely to be employed across a wide variety
of communication devices, including cellphones, PDAs (personal digital
assistants), television sets, and pagers. A number of wireless
application service providers (WASPs) are developing platforms for
mobile presence applications, called m-presence.
Future applications of presence technology could take any number of
forms. For example, a driver with a wireless phone enabled with GPS
(global positioning system) could be tracked, sent messages warning
about traffic delays and suggesting alternate routes. Among other
possibilities, users of the technology could in the future
automatically set up an impromptu teleconference by connecting all the
parties as soon as they were detected to be available. Privacy issues
will be addressed by allowing a high degree of user-defined control,
allowing people to select conditions in which they would be
detectable, for example.
The Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) Instant Messaging and
Presence Protocol (IMPP) Working Group was formed to establish core
standards that could be used to make presence technologies
interoperable, a challenge that is currently slowing their
development. Many of the current IM systems, for example, don't make
it possible for users to exchange messages with the customers of other
systems, a situation which has been compared to a long distance
telephone service provider making it impossible for users to
communicate with another long distance provider's customers. Lucent
and Novell have joined forces to form the Presence and Availability
Management Forum (PAM), a venue for collaboration within the industry.
