Wireless dating services are popular in Scandinavia, and the list goes on. These applications may seem trite or faddish, but they are harbingers of the wireless future. The Future is Now, Not Here Integrated voice and data service is the holy grail. Not only can subscribers outside the United States roam at ease, they can do so with a single handset that combines voice and information functions. The subscriber gets fully unified voice and data service and a single bill from one provider for services that can be used across Europe.
None offer a unified voice and data solution as compelling or as seamless as Europe s.
Wireless data in the United States is an alphabet soup of protocols, vendors and alliances using disparate technologies that aren t positioned for mass consumption. Fragmented infrastructure is again the principle snag, requiring major overhaul before it can be leveraged to provide seamless service. More vexing than the lost opportunities, however, U.S. industries seem destined to play second string in developing the next mobile operating system. There is a major battle underway to control the operating system that will enable next-gen voice and data services on new powerful, wireless handsets. Ericsson estimates that such handheld devices will account for up to 15 percent of the Internet access market by the year 2001.