(keitai-l) Is this the future?

I am leaning heavily towards believing that the entire spectrum of wireless 
technologies (W-CDMA, CDMA 1x, PHS, WiFi (in all of its flavors), etc...) 
are going to disappear from consumer consciousness, with "smart" devices 
that find the fastest and cheapest connections  available from specific 
locations at specific times of day taking over the connection process.

Would you all agree with this, or do you feel that there will be a place 
for "branded" technology?

Here's an article from the Nikkei Weekly this week (5/12/03) that supports 
my belief.  Do you think this will succeed or fail?  Why?

Is this a scary thought for carriers/ISPs that will lead to a fight or will 
you happily go along with this?

Thanks in advance for your comments!

-- Philip

Wireless communication devices to choose own response mode
Government-affiliated Communications Research Laboratory, known as CRL, has 
developed a method that enables a single wireless communications device to 
choose different technologies to transmit data, automatically selecting the 
appropriate one for a given situation.

Currently, wireless communications devices use one of three basic 
technologies: cell phone, personal handy-phone system or wireless local 
area network. The new technology will enable one terminal to use all 
three.  CRL aims to commercialize the technology in two to three 
years.  The new technology is the result of a private-public partnership 
including KDDI Corp. and the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. group.

Cell-phone and PHS handsets now use specialized networks, but by 2010 the 
networks are expected to be merged with the Internet, which includes 
wireless LANs, creating the need for terminals that are compatible with 
different wireless technologies.  The new technology measures the strength 
of the signals being received with a terminal from base stations and then 
chooses the appropriate format to respond in.

Wireless LANs, for example, offer the highest speed. But outside urban 
areas, it may be unavailable in places, so the terminal will choose to 
operate as a slower cell phone. This will allow the smooth transmission of 
video data anywhere in the nation.



Philip Sidel
Assistant Professor of Marketing
The International University of Japan
Graduate School of International Management
Phone:  81-(0)25-779-1400
Fax: 81-(0)25-779-4443
Email: psidel@iuj.ac.jp