Who Will Deliver the Wireless Future?

NEW ORLEANS -- Ubiquitous high-speed services and new ways to use phones are on the way, but just how providers will deliver these services remains a topic of debate at the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association wireless show here.

Wi-Fi wireless LAN hot spots will complement fast wide-area data services such as General Packet Radio Service, says Sky Dayton, founder and chief executive officer of Wi-Fi service provider Boingo Wireless.

Boingo on Tuesday announced at the CTIA show a partnership with T-Mobile that lets users connect to Wi-Fi hot spots and GPRS services with the same account and the same software. The software, provided by Boingo, will show the user all the hot spots available in the local area. It also shows whether GPRS is available, and lets the user choose between the two.

"These two technologies really belong together. They have different strengths and they're complementary, and together we can deliver a better user experience," Dayton said.

Or Maybe 3G?

Irwin Jacobs, chair and CEO of Qualcomm, sees a different future. High-speed third-generation cellular service will leave behind Wi-Fi for most users on the go, he says.

"[With 3G] you don't have to go to a hot spot. You don't have to park your car in the gas station in order to get a download. It's available wherever you might be," Jacobs said.

"That's the one, I think, that will end up being the preferred service...for most people. Once you've paid for that service, then why pay additional whenever you're near a hot spot, if the service is completely adequate?" Wi-Fi's place will largely be in homes and offices, he said.

The cost of deploying a high-speed wireless WAN infrastructure will drop when large numbers of users sign up for it, Jacobs said.

Keiji Tachikawa, president and CEO of NTT DoCoMo, gave a glimpse into the future of that carrier's wireless services. Wireless services are moving from voice to non-voice, from domestic to international, and from people to other kinds of "users," such as PCs, cars, and pets, Tachikawa said.

Wireless Trumps Wired

An informal poll on stage of four top executives of wireless operators showed varying views on some topics but agreement on one: Wireless carriers now have an opportunity to grab customers away from wired telephony altogether.

One of them gave a hint as to how he will tackle the competition. Len Lauer, president of Sprint PCS Group, said his company is readying a package of services that combine local, long-distance, and mobile phone service. Timing of the introduction is not set, according to Sprint.

The carrier executives were playing to a sympathetic crowd. Opening the session, CTIA President and CEO Tom Wheeler said he heard a mobile phone ring.

"This is the only show in the world where no one on stage objects if your cell phone goes off," Wheeler quipped, to laughter from the audience.