Wireless Technologies and Mobility

When was the last time you surfed the Net on your mobile phone and were limited by its small screen? Have you ever wanted to hook onto the Web but found yourself connectivity-handicapped because you were not in a hotspot? Wireless technologies of all kinds ranging from mobile phones running on 3G technologies to laptops utilising Wi-Fi facilities are fast re-shaping the way we work and play.

Mobile phones started out running on the simple analogue cellular network but soon evolved together with network technology to run on WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) before morphing further to be able to run on high-quality 3G technology as it does today. 3G technology supports fun and useful data services on demand and provides a comparatively more rewarding wireless experience. The story is not much different for web-enabled PC access that began humbly with the use of 56K phone lines prior to the advent of cable technology and Wi-Fi access via routers or hotspots.

How significant then is 3.5G technology? Well, for one, it is much faster – think cutting down the download time vis-à-vis regular 3G technology by as much as 10 times over*. However, it is not the 3.5G technology in itself that is ground-breaking; rather, that honour lies in the package that this new 3.5G technology now comes in, i.e. the technology is now embedded into a laptop to allow you to enjoy the mobility a mobile phone affords you coupled with the entire range of PC functions and Operating System (OS) versatility that only a laptop can provide. Basically, 3.5G-enabled laptops allow you to surf the Internet via a 3.5G SIM card that is inserted into the laptop, with connectivity being established via a mobile network. To draw a rather far-fetched parallel, it is like a futuristic version of a PC hooking onto the Internet through a broadband Internet connection via a landline, except that the landline, like a cell phone, has become mobile.

There are of course myriad benefits to this technological marriage, for example, substantially faster download speeds to support the streaming of larger amounts of data for multimedia applications (an MP3 several minutes long can be downloaded in a fraction of the time taken on a 3G platform). In addition, there is no need for messy wires that need to be correctly connected and finally, complete and utter portability and mobility. Did we forget to mention that your handy companion will also revolutionise your business and leisure trips overseas to major cities in the continents of Europe, Australia, Asia and even Africa by plying you with unimagined connectivity?

In selected Asian regions, Fujitsu has established business-to-business partnerships with some of the respective Telco so as to better facilitate connectivity for its consumers. In any case, there is no hassle with getting online using 3.5G-enabled laptops and certainly no need for a manual configuration. Rather, all you have to do is activate the application and then click to connect to the network. It doesn’t get any more straightforward than this, does it?

Whether you’re a professional who is on call anytime for video-conferencing, a student who requires instant, up-to-the-minute information or just someone who wants to secure the best cinema seats by booking tickets online, 3.5G-enabled laptops will let you meet your objective without any hassle and in any place you please. This means you no longer need to commit to memory that list of hotspots just to make sure you get online. Imagine connectivity at your fingertips, wherever and whenever……Now you can inject new life into an otherwise mundane bus ride by watching videos on You Tube or continuing your Instant Messaging session with your friend in the United States as 3.5G technology harnesses the tripartite relationship of Computer, Telco and online services to further the frontiers of business and leisure possibilities for a mobile generation.

The crowning glory of all this is that the 3.5G-embedded laptops leaves you with absolutely no need to resort to external drives or accessories to get online (even when you’re surfing the web via existing wireless technology at hotspots or through routers) unless you decide to get connected using the traditional cable-enabled broadband with a DSL cable and modem – the choice is completely yours!

The new suite of Fujitsu 3.5G-embedded laptops is just the first wave of the productisation of HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) or 3.5G technology. Given the present industry trends and the commitment of the Telco, Computer and online services players to creating greater digital media convergence, it is almost a certainty that wireless-enabled services and functions will be on the upswing in the near future, especially as ancillary content and service providers come on board this already burgeoning venture to work collectively towards unsurpassed connectivity.

* Network and firmware upgrade required.