News
Issue #2002 - 46 (December 2002)
(Updated Dec. 10, 2002)

INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES

WiFi News - Homeland Security's Fear
Homeland Security gurus dub Wi-Fi a possible terrorist threat

According to federal cybersecurity czar Richard Clarke, Wi-Fi could pose a potential new tool for terrorists threatening the U.S. Clarke made his comments at this week's 802.11 Planet conference. Wi-Fi manufacturers, as well as home and office users, face a clear choice, panelists at the show said: develop real Wi-Fi security or face government regulation.

Wi-Fi to drive uptake in PC, laptop sales
According to new findings from IDC, shipments of desktops, notebooks, and servers will rise 8.3 percent in 2003 to 147.5 million units, then rise 11 percent to 163.8 million units in 2004. This growth is being driven by many factors, one of which is the proliferation of 802.11b. Shipments will likely reach 136.2 million units for 2002, a 1.6 percent increase over 2001, IDC said. Last year marked one of the worst years in the history of the PC industry, with shipments shrinking 4.2 percent worldwide and 11.4 percent in the United States.

Intersil Forecasts predicts strong through 2006
Dennis Eaton of Intersil yesterday predicted several big changes for the Wi-Fi market at the 802.11 Planet show. Wi-Fi products are expected to generate $2 billion in revenue this year with growth projected at 30 percent a year at a compound rate through 2006. Eaton warned that the biggest challenges the Wi-Fi market currently faces in educating users on the technology so that proliferation can continue. He also warned that incompatibility between standards, such as 802.11b and 802.11a, could cause problems for some consumers, especially those on the lower-priced product levels.

Nortel to Link Wi-Fi Networks with CDMA, GPRS, UMTS Networks
Nortel Networks said it is introducing technology that enables wireless operators to seamlessly link existing and future wireless Wide Area Networks with wireless Local Area Networks. Nortel Networks said its integrated WWAN/ WLAN technology will give GSM, GPRS, UMTS and CDMA wireless operators the opportunity to provide businesses and consumers with a single "sign on" and seamless service between 2G/3G networks and wireless hot spots. This technology will also give operators the capability to provide consolidated billing, authentication and security without the need to restructure existing network architectures. As part of its integrated WWAN/WLAN offering, Nortel Networks is working with Mobility Network Systems, a supplier of carrier-class WLAN solutions, to provide products that will enable GSM, GPRS and UMTS operators to integrate WLANs into their existing networks and service platforms using SIM and RADIUS technology. In interoperability testing conducted earlier this year, Mobility Networks ipRAN technology was successfully integrated with Nortel Networks GSM, GPRS and UMTS core network infrastructure and products, including Home Location Register and Nortel Networks Univity GPRS Gateway Serving Node. Nortel Networks CDMA technology will enable CDMA operators to provide WLAN services to their customers using existing CDMA2000 core network equipment. Nortel Networks is working in collaboration with Bridgewater Systems and MetaSolv to support common authentication and billing between CDMA2000 and Wi-Fi networks, enabling a single sign-on for the customer and consolidated billing information. CDMA operators can choose to deploy their own WLAN access networks or act as a virtual network operator through WLAN access wholesalers or aggregators. (Source: EE Times, InternetWeek) 

For more information: http://www.wifi.org; http://www.intersil.com

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: WiFi movements chugs along at a faster pace.

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