Mobile and wireless computing technologies are increasingly impacting the business activities of companies and employees. They are also affecting the lifestyles of consumers who, through advances such as 3G technologies, are given greater access to data in many forms, including video.
The broad acceptance of these technologies in the business arena, particularly in the networking environment, has brought significant benefits in areas where change is continuous and (wired) network points have to be moved regularly, says Sybrand van den Berg, a wireless development engineer at Duxbury Networking.
"Although wireless [WiFi] network adapters are yet to reach parity with their wired counterparts on price, the cost savings in terms of changes and additions when compared to a wired environment are significant - particularly if large number of users are involved," he says.
Van den Berg says the impact of wireless networking technologies on smaller businesses as well as SoHo concerns is expanding, mainly due to the ease of use, deployment and - more recently - security of wireless infrastructures.
"For example, wireless ADSL routers are making wireless technologies more accessible to SoHo users who do not have to face complex wiring challenges in existing buildings," he says.
Looking to the future, Van den Berg says `last mile` applications using wireless technologies present significant opportunities for telcos to deliver services quickly to end-users.
However, for the moment, the legal implications are placing barriers in the way of organisations looking to address this space.
"Despite the progress made in the ICT sector, there is still a perceived `grey area` covering issues such as wireless communications crossing legal boundaries - including public roads. The industry needs urgent clarity on this issue," he stresses.
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