The "W" zone

CALL IT THE "W" zone. That's the point where Web services and wireless technologies converge.

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As the world moves toward a less hard-wired definition of Web services, our view of the workplace is also changing. Perhaps Microsoft describes it best: In the future, services will be "hung" off individual workers, no matter where they go.

Many corporate IT departments have ignored workers that step outside the hard-wired workplace. But they do so at their own peril. In fact, the merger of WLANs (wireless LANs) and Web services promises significant costs savings for enterprises that choose to go with the flow instead of fighting it.

Wi-Fi, the front-runner

Attendees at the most recent Sundance Film Festival, held in Park City, Utah, in January, were treated to a nice surprise: Printed film catalogs and schedules had been replaced with online ones. Festival-goers used Pocket PCs equipped with wireless cards to access the material.

Credit the 802.11b (aka "Wi-Fi") standard for the move forward. Wi-Fi is a wireless extension of Ethernet that allows users to cruise the Web at speeds up to 11Mbps, provided they stay within range of an access point. (Realistically, however, many users insist that speeds of 350Kbps are more typical because the bandwidth is shared among all users connecting through an individual access point.) Wi-Fi, which operates on the 2.4GHz frequency, works within a range of between 100 feet to 150 feet inside buildings, and as far as 1,500 feet outside. As with cordless telephones, it goes through walls.

All very impressive, but it's not until you couple Wi-Fi with emerging trends in Web services that the technology becomes truly transformative. That's because both technologies promise to dramatically reduce IT costs.

For example, instead of wiring buildings for networking, many companies are choosing to implement 802.11b on each floor or in each department, replacing miles of dedicated cable with a handful of access points. Couple that with Web services built using XML and/or Java, and you've got a recipe for the future of IT -- the ability to deploy flexible, interoperable applications on the Web, communicating easily without much of the manual reprogramming required today.

Microsoft's .Net Web services initiative aims to take advantage of a tight linkage to wireless technologies. For starters, Windows XP includes support for Wi-Fi, as does Windows CE .Net, the OS for Microsoft's next generation of Pocket PC devices. This is important because the two OSes are cornerstones of Microsoft's client strategy as it rolls out .Net My Services later this year or early in 2003. In fact, Windows CE already supports 802.11b, but Microsoft is hedging its bets by also supporting the competing Bluetooth technology, as well as cellular technologies, in Pocket PC 2002 (the latest version of Windows CE).

In addition, Windows CE/Pocket PC includes an XML parser, making it both wireless-ready and Web services-ready. As Microsoft unveils more of its .Net initiative, look for the linkage between the two to solidify even further -- especially at the client end. And later this year, expect Microsoft to deliver on Blizzard, its business-oriented services subset of .Net My Services.

In Microsoft's .Net vision, developers will use Visual Studio .Net, the company's multilanguage IDE, to create Web services applications that will run on the .Net Framework running on a .Net server. For the client, the company has also created the .Net Compact Framework.

Not to be left out, high-end Palm devices also support 802.11b. Despite the onslaught from Microsoft, Palm still aims to own the bulk of the market for PDAs.

And there's even more in the works: Coming soon is another, faster version of the standard, dubbed 802.11a or "Wi-Fi5" (because it will operate in the 5GHz frequency range), which will run at 54Mbps. Granted, in the early stages, Wi-Fi5 will be incompatible with the earlier standard and will have a shorter range. But commercial products are already shipping, and the standard is expected to hit critical mass around midyear.

Bluetooth and cellular fight back

Bluetooth, 802.11's archenemy, also operates in the 2.4GHz band, although with a shorter range (between 30 feet and 300 feet) and slower speeds (from 384Kbps to 720Kbps). But the technology's supporters like to point out that, in a Bluetooth-enabled world, workers will be able to carry their wireless devices into a room and instantly be "recognized" by any Bluetooth-enabled devices nearby, such as laser printers. Better yet, the technology also promises lower costs than other wireless options.

Bluetooth stumbled out of the starting blocks and is currently lagging in many important areas, not the least of which is a dearth of products. For example, when Windows XP shipped last fall, it came with built-in 802.11b support, but a notable lack of Bluetooth support.

But things are starting to change. Vendors such as IBM, Sony, and Toshiba are shipping laptops with both Bluetooth and 802.11b built in. And Microsoft claims that it still intends to support Bluetooth in Windows XP, when peripherals that use the technology begin shipping and enough device drivers are available. Ultimately, Bluetooth visionaries foresee a time when the chips to implement the technology are so inexpensive and ubiquitous that they will be embedded in literally everything -- from your microwave to the buttons on your clothes.

Meanwhile, mobile phone manufacturers and cellular phone carriers are working assiduously to ensure they are not left behind. Last November, Nokia and other major cellular wireless players launched their "open mobile architecture initiative," aimed at standardizing protocols and technologies for Web phones.

In December, Sun Microsystems, BEA Systems, Borland, Oracle, and IBM also joined in, so it was no surprise that one of the technologies they adopted is Java. Sun is currently working to incorporate new APIs into J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) to better support wireless technologies on the server. Sun is also banking on its J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition) technology, which runs Java on wireless devices. In response, Nokia is planning to unveil its first Java phone in the United States this spring.

But while cell towers are more ubiquitous than short-range 802.11b base stations, they also have their own limitations. Most plans charge by the minute, which can push the dream of "always-on" connectivity out of reach for many businesses. And although cell towers can be placed much further apart than 802.11b base stations, the data rates available from even 3G (third-generation) mobile networks are substantially slower; in some cases as sluggish as 60Kbps, which is not significantly faster than a dial-up modem connection. Still, cellular technologies have their adherents, who point out that users can guarantee connectivity, which is still an open question with 802.11 networks not built by major carriers.

To some enterprises, the prospect of circumventing the major carriers could result in even more dollars being lopped off the expense sheet. Given that Wi-Fi base stations and wireless modem cards are already relatively inexpensive (generally available for less than $300 and $100, respectively), it's not surprising that enthusiasts have been busily setting up their own WLANs and sharing the bandwidth with anyone who cares to use it. Some wireless advocates even speak of a sort of "ad hoc Internet." Theoretically, they suggest, a person could stay wirelessly connected while driving down Highway 101 from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, the session passing along from one connection point to the next, never crossing a public network.

But killing off the telecommunications giants remains a highly unlikely scenario. Indeed, VoiceStream, Deutsche Telekom's U.S. subsidiary, has already begun investing in Wi-Fi firms. Meanwhile, Sprint PCS has invested in Earthlink founder Sky Dayton's new company, Boingo, which is working to aggregate 802.11b bandwidth nationwide to offer a cohesive Wi-Fi network to users wherever they are.

Where do we go from here?

In the world of wireless, it's never easy to pick winners and losers. But for now, 802.11 looks like a solid choice. Yes, many issues have yet to be addressed, such as billing, peer-to-peer interactions at the edge of the network, radio interference, security, and the consolidation of countless independent WLANs. But Wi-Fi also provides the least-expensive, most flexible environment for companies attempting to distribute wireless Web services.

Of course, over the long term, enterprises should keep a close eye on Bluetooth and cellular technologies, selecting the ones that best suit individual situations. For instance, if users need text-based information delivered in a consistent fashion anywhere in the world, 3G cellular technology may turn out to be the most appropriate solution.

It's also important to remember that Web services and WLAN technologies are not wedded together, and that all the major players are hedging their bets. For example, Microsoft, that great champion of Wi-Fi, recently demonstrated the latest version of its Windows CE platform, dubbed Pocket PC 2002, touting it as being ideally suited for providing Web services over cellular wireless networks. Time will tell.