Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Driving Wireless

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Mar 2003 18:38:15 -0500

Driving Wireless

By Tony Scott
March 13, 2003

Just as the automobile helped make portable radios a viable mass market consumer
concept, ubiquitous broadband wireless connectivity could ultimately be driven by its
adoption in the automobile.

Have you ever heard your elders ask you to get something out of the "ice box"? Of
course, they were referring to the refrigerator, which has long since replaced the
original "box." Similarly, how many times have you heard somebody refer to a cell
phone  as a "car phone"? Technology has moved these products way beyond their
original names.

Although wireless technologies may be remarkable today, I think we will soon stop
thinking about whether there is a wire or not. In fact, wired may become the
exception. Almost none of the contractors working on my recent home remodeling
used anything but wireless tools. (I know you were not thinking about that kind of
wireless, but battery  and power management technology is one of the key
enablers.)

The automobile may just be the vehicle (pun intended) to bring on the next
generation of wireless technology. One current example -- the mass adoption of RFID
(radio frequency identification) tags (such as E-ZPass on tollways, turnpikes and toll
bridges) is driving up usage of this wireless technology and driving costs down
dramatically.

The adoption rate of digital
satellite radio is being
accelerated by the major
automobile manufacturers,
although the experience is just as
compelling at home. And soon an
increasing number of cars will
come with a digital wireless key
-- it will just stay in your pocket
or purse. If you own more than
one vehicle, you may eventually
only have to carry one wireless
digital key for all your automotive
needs. And it could obviously go
further than that.

Just as the automobile helped
make portable radios a viable
mass market consumer concept, I
think that ubiquitous broadband
wireless connectivity could ultimately be driven by its adoption in the automobile.
Finally, the same basic fuel cell technology that will power future automobiles will also
be used to power wireless devices, such as cell phones, laptops, and PDAs , but
instead of battery life measured in hours, the new fuel cell technology will enable
"untethered time" to be measured in days.

My argument for the auto industry as an enabler for some of these emerging
technologies is based on the premise that the industry has two unique advantages.
First is scale. The U.S. auto industry delivers 15 million toll million new cars to market

each year. This volume can help drive the unit cost of any new technology to the
lowest possible level. Second, the industry has enough clout to drive standards in
almost any area that it engages in.

However, the wireless world will not be without its challenges. In my view, spam is
likely to be the biggest unsolved issue we will have to face as the world becomes
more and more wireless. It's the one issue that I think has the potential to sabotage
all the great innovation taking place in the wireless world. Imagine coming home to
your wireless "ice box" only to discover hundreds of junk e-mails and instant messages
posted there. You might wish you just had a handful of tacky refrigerator magnets to
deal with.

http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/20992.html#story-start
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