Wi-Fi technology is expected to be the centre of attention at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association conference in New Orleans this week.
CTIA Wireless 2003 will feature major players from across the industry, many of whom are keen to tap into the wireless internet access market.
Wireless fidelity or Wi-Fi sends internet signals through the air using radio waves. It has already been described by Gartner analyst William Clark as “the success story of this decade” and is set for rapid expansion in the near future. It is based on the 802.11b standard and there are a growing number of hot spots where PDA and laptop users can enjoy high-speed internet access without having to plug into a network.
Initially, Wi-Fi was only available to tech-savvy consumers in the workplace but companies such as Microsoft, Intel and T-Mobile have helped to develop the infrastructure and bring the technology to the mainstream. The necessary antennae are now readily available and hot spots are appearing in railway stations, airports, coffee shops and restaurants in the US and elsewhere.
Wireless LAN is widely regarded to have more potential than 3G and Gartner estimates that by 2006, there will be 89,000 public Wi-Fi network access points and almost 100 milllion Wi-Fi users worldwide.
