First, companies must consider the network devices they want users to employ. Users must also consider the applications they need. Nextel and Netscape will create a portal that can cater to horizontal needs. And the enterprise should determine how much bandwidth and access users would want. A wireless portal is more appropriate for users who want limited data at limited speeds, Swasey says.
Continuous links are too expensive - and too slow.
Widening the Pipe Swasey says he thinks many wireless portal ventures are premature. Most wireless carriers offer only a single channel for data. It looks good in the box, but when you get it home, it's frustrating. Vendors such as 3Com Corp. of San Jose have the right idea, he says, by building both the data network and end devices to support wireless portals. Teri Robinson is a freelance writer based in New York.