While the two GSM-based firms -- AT&T and T-Mobile -- will compete at least partially over Wi-Fi, Verizon and Sprint have gone off in different directions. Verizon is centering its data future on EV-DO, the 3G infrastructure developed by Qualcomm. Sprint, which is in the process of deploying EV-DO, also is rolling out Wi-Fi and its more advanced wireless solution WiMax. Sprint also offers a handset -- Audiovox ppc6700 -- that has Wi-Fi capability.
The key will be pricing, as mobile phone providers slug it out over data services, Nordgaard said. So far, T-Mobile's $20-a-month fee for users in its Seattle trial -- similar to the charge for its Starbucks service -- is the only public pricing available to date. The Sprint Wi-Fi feature is free and pricing for the iPhone isn't yet available.
Other mobile phone providers have been inching into the Wi-Fi and VoIP market. Mobile VoIP provider WiFiMobile announced Thursday that its Version 751 software for making VoIP calls over Wi-Fi is available for Nokia N95 handsets. The software, WiFiMobile said, also operates over 3G networks.
Verizon is demoing crowd analytics technology that uses 5G along with AI and mobile edge computing to give stadium operators insights into the flow of fans throughout a venue.
As we move closer to fully realizing the potential of Wi-Fi 7, it becomes evident that the RF, signaling, and throughput tests are not merely procedural checkpoints but the pillars of excellence in wireless communication.
With low earth orbit (LEO) satellites fast becoming the norm and 3GPP unifying telecom standards around the globe, the satellite IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) sector ought to be looking at a bright horizon. But is this the case?
