Prometheus’ fire unbound

(Conclusion)

Because the Internet has found its way into the mainstream providing the connected masses with information, communication and entertainment, the adoption rate of Wi-Fi is now just beginning to reach escape velocity. Goldman Sachs has projected that more than 95 million people worldwide will become mobile Internet subscribers by end-2004.

That is just only the tip of the iceberg. Analysts agree that Wi-Fi will have an enormous impact on the technology sector as well. It has already begun to take shape in various Silicon Valleys around the world. Laptop and handheld device manufacturers like IBM, HP, Dell, Sony, Palm, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Mitac, Nokia and Apple, to name a few, are already building Wi-Fi circuits into the motherboards of a number of their new mobile gadgets and devices, rapidly making Wi-Fi a standard component similar to the way the wired 56K dial-up modem was the standard in the early days of the Internet.

If you are thinking of acquiring a new laptop, it would be worth your while to consider getting one with a built-in Wi-Fi. Newer models that use the Intel Centrino processor already have Wi-Fi built in. Older models will need a wireless PC card and prices will depend on the brand and whether it works only on the 802.11b standard or both 802.11b and 802.11g standards. Prices for add-on cards usually range between P1,000 and P3,000 depending on the brand.

These prices are comparatively lower than what it cost to buy a dial-up modem a few years ago.

Under ideal conditions, the 802.11b standard transfers data at speeds of up to 11 Mbps in the 2.4-GHz band of the wireless spectrum. This is almost 200 times faster than a wired 56 Kbps dial-up modem connection.

The latest standard, 802.11g also uses the 2.4- GHz band and is compatible with b-based networks. However, it promises much higher transmission rates of up to five times faster than the 802.11b standard. Getting a g-based device means that you can work with older b-based networks and enjoy faster data transmission rates when using a g-based network. Even then, a few WLAN cards on the market are now reaching speeds of 104 Mbps as long as the access point and card are of the same brand.

A number of mobile handheld devices and portable gadgets that are sold in the Philippines already have built-in Wi-Fi radios such as HP’s iPAQ 4150 and 5455, the Palm Tungsten C and Dell’s Axim X5. IBM also offers many laptop models with Centrino chipsets. Those that don’t have Wi-Fi built in can have wireless capability by adding a Wi-Fi card that would fit in either the Compact Flash (CF) or the Secure Digital (SD) card slots found in almost all new PDAs and laptops.

Desktop computers can also be easily fitted with an internal card for Wi-Fi connectivity. To do this, you will need to open up your desktop’s case to insert a wireless PCI LAN card in one of the slots available or use an external wireless transceiver that plugs into a USB port. Both operations take about only 10 minutes to accomplish. A few Airborne Access customers have even set up their own private Client Server and Peer-to-Peer networks in their offices, shops and homes. An in-site Client Server network is suitable for distributing wireless access to a large number of desktops, laptops or PDAs. An in-house Peer-to-Peer network is ideal for a home or shop with at least one desktop. A desktop so fitted can then share wireless access to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices within range of about 300 meters.

Popular retail outlet chains such as Seattle’s Best, Netopia, California Pizza Kitchen, Tequila Joe’s and Cheesecakes use Airborne Access’ LaunchPad Partner Program and have established their own hotspot environments to improve sales while better serving their customers’ needs. LaunchPad is also extensively used at the NAIA-1 and -2 passenger lounges of several international airline carriers like British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Korean Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Quantas and Singapore Airlines. Likewise, the lounges at Club Manila, Hariraya and PAGSTOP are likewise Wi-Fi hotspots.

Even malls and hotels are unfettering themselves from having to use wires. The entire Shangri-La Mall is now a hotzone powered by Airborne Access and its internal POS communication system has gone completely Wi-Fi. Because all levels of the Shangri-La Mall now provide Wi-Fi access, subscribers of Airborne Access’s various access and subscriber plans such as Wingspan, Horizon and Engage can now effortlessly access the Internet while dining, shopping or simply strolling around the comfortable premises of Shangri-La Mall. Westin Philippine Plaza is also providing its guests broadband-on-demand wireless access, it also being a LaunchPad hotspot serviced by Airborne Access.

Affordability is also now fast becoming the buzzword of a few forward-thinking marketing managers of companies that manufacture handheld devices and portable gadgets. They have begun to offer models along with an advisory that purchases can be accomplished using regular credit card installment modes which stretch out to as much as 24-months. The majority of other manufacturers, however, have yet to latch themselves on to this trend perhaps not fully appreciating that Wi-Fi use and the freedom of mobility that it instantly affords is fast-becoming a lifestyle choice for a growing number of people, if not already becoming the norm. It certainly makes sense. Listed prices or SRPs of such devices start from P12,000 up to P36,000, far too out of reach for many unless the pain of paying is stretched out at more reasonable levels, especially here in the Philippines.

Very soon, Wi-Fi will transform our world into a truly connected global village devoid of any boundaries and unshackled from any cumbersome wires, be it in time or space. It will offer individuals, institutions and corporations instant mobility, high-speed connectivity and an unprecedented reach to the wealth of resources using the Internet anytime, anywhere. Indeed, Prometheus’ fire unbound.