The number of professional and amateur programmers working to create wireless data applications has jumped from 4,000 to 25,000 since August, says Sprint PCS CEO Andrew Sukawaty. And mobile phones are cheaper and easier to use than computers. Sukawaty expects mobile data speed to double in the next six months and continue increasing. But for now, data trickles into most wireless phones at about one-fourth the speed of a 56K modem and is limited to information tailored to the miniature screen. Yet despite its drawbacks, the mobile Internet phone is already a potent consumer tool.
Online banking is in the works.
And cell phones that double as Internet Walkmans, corporate databases and video-conferencing devices are not far behind. He should know. As mobile phones become able to do much of what a standard connection does, MCI and the top long-distance companies are betting billions that they can offer their own package of services using wireless to bypass the phone networks owned by their regional Bell rivals. Teligent and Winstar are using fixed wireless to circumvent the Bells and offer high-speed service to businesses. Installing such systems is often faster and cheaper than tearing up the streets.