Wireless Internet applications are software programs that
require wireless communication technology that can
take advantage of the mobility and high-speed data transmission
offered by advanced data services and networks. Many of
the communications applications and services that were available
for mobile communications in the 1990s were limited by
slow-speed (less than 10 Kbps) data transmission. Using 2G
mobile systems, it was not possible to offer streaming video,
rapid image file transfer, or high-speed data file transfer services.
New high-speed networks will enable applications that
process images, color, and moving video to provide users with
a far richer experience than possible using voice alone.
Much of the demand for wireless data access has come from
a combination of the availability of Internet information applications
and low cost mobile communication. The Internet’s
standardized global collection of interconnected computer networks
has allowed access to information sources that provide
significant benefits to those companies and individuals looking
for specific knowledge. The Internet has created a culturechanging
awareness of many new information services.
In the late 1990s, new, low-cost, high-speed connections to
the Internet became available. The resulting rapid market
growth of Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable modem
technology has stimulated the development of new applications
that are only possible via broadband high-speed connections.
In the early twenty-first century, consumers are
becoming aware of these new broadband multimedia applications
and the transition back to low-speed text-based services is
difficult. In the near future, as high-speed wireless networks
are deployed, cellular phones and PDAs will be converted into
portable stereos and video players. These new combined
devices eliminate the need to carry various gadgets, offering
consumers convenience.
Already many consumers are aware of the benefits of wireless
mobile service and broadband applications. Potential
Wireless Internet customers may only need to be made aware
that these services can be delivered via high-speed wireless
data communication services to convert them from the traditional
wired (e.g., Internet access) to new wireless services.
Of key importance for 3G technologies are those broadband
applications that provide the mobility, low cost installation,
and rapid deployment that competing broadband
technologies cannot provide. 131