News
Issue #2002 - 44 (November 2002)
(Updated Nov. 20, 2002)

INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Developments in Wireless LAN Sector- 802.11g, WLAN Roaming and Dell

1. 802.11g Standard Being Introduced With a Splash at Comdex in Las Vegas
This week's Comdex show in Las Vegas may not offer good news for 802.11b, the currently dominant WLAN technology -- or for 802.11a, for that matter. In the show, leading players such as Intersil and Broadcom are planning to demonstrate products based on 802.11g specifications: the standard is yet to be ratified by the IEEE, but it promises a 54 Mbps throughput -- meaning an actual data speeds of about 17 to 19 Mbps -- in the 2.4 GHz band; it this promise is realized, the new technology will likely replace the relatively stodgy 802.11b -- which runs at a respectable but not exactly breathtaking 11 Mbps -- and lessen the appeal of 802.11a.

Intersil will demonstrate the multiband Prism Duette chipset -- a chip which allows the radio to handle 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g transmissions, the samples of which are already being used by several Taiwanese builders of access points and cards. Buffalo Technology will announce that it is planning to offer an 802.11g access point and adapter in early 2003. Cisco is pushing 802.11g as well: it has borrowed technology from Intersil, but is developing its own MAC layer, and incorporating Cisco's own management and security features, with an eye to offer an 802.11g enhancement to its current Aironet 802.11b WLAN customers. 

2. WLAN & WWAN Roaming Attracts Another Player - From ToGEWANet with WeRoam Servoices

TOGEWAnet From Switzerland, a WLAN and GSM network integrator, has developed the WeRoam service, offering users the ability to roam between 802.11 hot spots and GSM and GPRS networks. Now, this Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)-based authentication and billing solution has been incorporated into a commercial product by Southlake, Texas-based Transat Technologies, and all eyes are on it. WeRoam allows users to roam between 802.11 hotspots, GSM, and GPRS networks deployed by, or in partnership with, TOGEWAnet. The users are authenticated and billed wherever they are, as long as they use products with built-in Transat technology. The solution allows carriers to enter into deals with hot spot providers, so that when their GSM customers use the WLAN they are authenticated as the same user and billed to the same account. Users will need to use a SIM smart card to identify themselves to the cellular or WLAN network on which they are. The SIM module may be available as a removable chip card the size of a postage stamp, and it is also built into mobile phone handsets. SIM is the Extensible Authentication Protocol used in GSM mobile phone networks. Companies which rely on the Transat software will not have to create a new user list, as the solution integrates with the carrier customer Home Location Register (HLR) database and there is no need to duplication data. TOGEWAnet demonstrated the WeRoam service this past summer, but the service is only now getting into commercial use. 

3. TI offers a new 802.11a/b/g solution
Texas Instrument Incorporated (TI) of Dallas, Texas, announced a new multimode WLAN solution. The new solution relies on TI's Auto-Band technology, and supports enhanced security and QoS. The clincher, however, is the ability of new processor and accompanying system reference designs to offer seamless (this is the adjective TI suggests) interoperability among the three different 802.11 physical layers, allowing users to roam -- with a continuous connection -- from an 802.11b network to 802.11a network, to an 802.11g network (when it becomes available), without having to adjust their network settings manually. TI's TNETW1130 is a single-chip MAC and baseband processor; TNETW1130-based access points can simultaneously operate, and stations can automatically switch between, the different transmission modes and frequency bands. The TNETW1130 supports Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), but also offers legacy support for WEP. We should also note that the new chip will meet the requirements of the 802.11i draft standard with hardware accelerators for WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access - see story in the 6 November issue of the Report), and the mandatory and optional implementations of AES. The chip is also capable of supporting additional security enhancements which enterprises may develop for a more robust WLAN security. The TNETW1130 has a QoS engine for support of EDCF (enhanced distributed coordination function) and HCF (hybrid coordination function) as specified in the 802.11e draft standard, thus facilitating quality-sensitive applications such as voice over WLAN. What is more, the TNETW1130 relies on a flexible, firmware-upgradeable platform allowing customers to comply with possible changes in the 802.11g, 802.11i, and 802.11e draft standards and others, if such changes occur in the process of ratification. The 12x12 mm sized chip uses Packet Binary Convolutional Code (PBCC) modulation to deliver 22 Mbps rates; it also supports Complementary Code Keying (CCK) operation.

The TNETW1130-based reference designs are scheduled to sample in December 2002 for initial development by customers. Products based on the chip are expected to be available in April 2003. TI has priced the new chip aggressively -- initial total Bill of Material (BOM) costs for customers adopting the TNETW1130 will be below $23 for 802.11g Cardbus and below $28 for 802.11a/g Cardbus, in volume quantities.

4. China Mobile planning integrated Wi-Fi
November 2002 -- BWCS -- China Mobile has awarded Huawei Technologies a contract to supply it with a public access wireless LAN solution to integrate with its existing cellular GPRS network. The Huawei will supply a complete WLAN system including access points, access controllers and authentication servers. The initial system will be able to support 350,000 WLAN users. 

Huawei's WLAN solution is designed specifically for mobile operators and enables them to leverage their existing cellular roaming and billing infrastructure for hotspot services. The Chinese vendor is one of a handful of mobile equipment providers and specialist solution providers that have developed integrated WLAN/cellular platforms. Both Nokia and Ericsson have mobile operator WLAN offerings and newcomers such as Mobility Network Systems, Transat Technologies and TOGEWAnet are also supplying converged solutions to mobile carriers. 

5. Sprint PCS to jump on the Wi-Fi bandwagon with new roaming service, hot spots
Sprint PCS has started to assemble a network of hot spots as it positions itself to enter to public WLAN market. The company has already signed agreements to let subscribers roam onto a number of different hot spots then be charged for wireless Web access on their Sprint PCS bill. The company has yet to release formal pricing or a launch date for its WLAN roaming service. Sprint PCS is the third major U.S. carrier to either launch or begin adding a subscription Wi-Fi service to its consumer offerings. T-Mobile is the leader among U.S. carriers, offering Wi-Fi access in over 2,000 locations. AT&T Wireless currently offers Wi-Fi access in the Denver airport, with plans to launch hot spot services in 10 other locations by the end of the year. Sprint PCS almost entered into an agreement with Boingo Wireless a few months ago, but failed to move forward.

For more information: http://www.80211planet.com and http://www.bwcs.com

6. Dell pushes into Wi-Fi market with dual-band WLAN for notebooks
Dell plans to add dual 802.11a/802.11b access to its line of Latitude business notebooks by the end of 2003. The company also expects to reduce the price of its network access points to about $50. Dell expects the overall price of accessing a wireless network -- a process that requires fitting a PC with required hardware and purchasing a wireless access point for the home or office -- to ultimately fall below $100. According to Dell, one in five enterprise customers buys a Dell Latitude with Wi-Fi access built-in.

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: WiFi is the hottest wireless technology at the moment - it is available everywhere, has pretty good speed and getting faster by the month and it is cheap. Security problems are being addressed.

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of Securities Exchange act of 1934 in USA. Similar provisions exist in other countries. There is no assurance that the stipulated plans of vendors will be implemented. MobileInfo does not warrant the authenticity of the information. Readers should take appropriate caution in developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology architectures.  All trademarks used in this summary are the property of their respective owners.