Wireless Network Evolution

On the mobile networking side, third-generation WCDMA technology will dominate the wide area access networks as well as licensed band hotspots. 802.11a and 802.11b wireless LAN technologies provide high data rates (on the order of 11 Mbps and 54 Mbps) and are ideally suited for hotspots such as airports, convention centers, and other public places. New WLAN security standard increases WLAN's significance, especially if the access provider does not have a license to operate a cellular network. Cellular operators are also interested in WLAN technologies and are in the process of building such networks to complement their wide area cellular service.

A nominal air interface bit rate of 2 Mbps in WCDMA hotspots is clearly less than WLAN can provide. However, direct bit rate comparison does not reflect the end user experience since WLAN lacks the QoS and smooth handover features that are standard in the WCDMA air interface. Advanced WCDMA radio resource control optimizes the access bandwidth usage, thus lowering operator costs and giving indirect savings to the subscriber.In the short term, the evolution of wireless networks is based on the technology path chosen. Third-generation license ownership is one of the major control points here (thus the high European auction prices).

Existing second-generation GSM, TDMA, or CDMA networks are another crucial factor when selecting a new technology. In the longer run one or two technologies will dominate the market. A small number of technologies can provide better economies of scale than multiple heterogeneous networks. Global roaming and other features are also easier to achieve when only a few interfaces must be matched. UMTS networks, WCDMA radio technology, and global radio band allocation have been major steps toward harmonizing the networks. The IETF Mobile IP working group is attempting to specify a universal mobility management mechanism with IPv6 technology.Personal area networks (PANs) are an interesting future development.
A single node ("personal base station" or "mobile router") passes traffic between the subscriber's personal area and the wide area, which is in the operator's domain. Technically a small-scale gateway between the domains is not that difficult as low-power integrated circuits can do most of the user plane processing, but the deployment scenarios are much harder: PAN management is a totally new issue; how trusted is the mobile router from the WAN perspective (and vice versa), Bluetooth devices already implement the required radio technology. Several control technologies related to security, QoS, and addressing are still under study in Bluetooth Forum and IETF Mobile ad hoc networks working groups. PAN use cases vary from cooperation of a mobile phone and embedded intelligence in an automobile to mobile phone-wireless earpiece-laptop communication.