Cellphones will sport Wi-Fi, say industry execs
Will Wi-Fi prove to be a key technology integrated into future cellphones? Panellists speaking yesterday at the annual Telecosm conference in Squaw Valley, California believe so.
"I believe Wi-Fi will become a standard component of cellphones in the future," said Sky Dayton, CEO of Wi-Fi network provider Boingo Wireless, according to a Comms Design report.
However, Dayton's vision will only be realised if mobile phone network operators decide that Wi-Fi has a role to play alongside cellular technology within the handset. The two technologies certainly offer value to data customers, allowing providers to offer high-speed Internet access at fixed locations, from which users can roam into slower but more widespread 2.5G or 3G coverage.
That's US telco SBC's plan, for instance. Earlier this month, it said it plans to build a 20,000-node network of Wi-Fi hot-spots tied into the 3G network offered by its Cingular subsidiary.
But Wi-Fi in the handset? There's a benefit for data-based applications, such as video streaming, where the higher bandwidth offered by Wi-Fi could yield better playback quality, provided users find themselves in range of a hot-spot.
