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A different year, a different 3GSM
In one hall there was a small "village" with a sign over it saying "WiMEDIA Is Here." More than a year ago, I met with a chip company involved in WiMedia and became a believer in the technology. WiMedia is essentially ultra-wideband wireless, which is short range but capable of video and high-speed data, that has been married with the USB structure we have all come to appreciate, resulting in wireless USB, or WiMedia. I saw some demonstrations and received an update at the show. WiMedia is coming on strong, rules have been changed in a number of countries to permit its use (it is permitted in the United States) and according to the people at Alereon, it is about to make its global debut. It is as easy to use as USB 2.0 and just as fast. For now, you can plug a USB dongle into your notebook and it will run out to a wireless USB hub for USB port expansion. Soon, WiMedia will show up in some wireless handsets, then a little later in notebooks and printers, flat screen TVs and perhaps even in our cars.
Since it can handle both voice and data (data speeds are very fast), I think wireless USB has a real shot at becoming the new standard for personal-area wireless devices, both fixed and mobile. I will be receiving some of the early commercially-available products to try out and will report on their performance. The beauty of the USB concept is that once the device is paired or learned, it can be connected and disconnected easily, and multiple devices can be connected. There is still some work to be done, but I am encouraged by how much has been accomplished in the past year.
I have to hand it to the GSMA. The layout of the Barcelona location for 3GSM is great. There are eight halls divided by types of products with Hall 8 being primarily for the big players and one hall holding seven floors of meeting rooms for companies that exhibit. It was easier to hold meetings without having to worry about booth traffic and noise, and since many of the companies I was scheduled to meet with had rooms in the same place, it was easy to get from meeting to meeting. The GSMA estimated that this year's event would see a record 60,000 attendees and the city was able to accommodate all of us. The GSMA really knows how to take care of the press and analysts. We were each given a five-day pass on the metro system and my hotel was a short walk and three stops from the conference center so I never had to worry about the cab lines.
The content element is being welcomed into the wireless world quickly and almost effortlessly. Robert Redford was on hand to kick off the Sundance short film festival the first day of the show, and it seemed as though there were more content companies on the show floor than technology companies. Wireless is truly becoming an ecosystem all its own, but there is still a lot to learn about how to integrate all of the technology and content. The progress made this past year indicates that the industry has come to grips with the fact that this is no longer about technology alone and is being very open with the content side of the house, which is a good sign for us moving forward.
Andrew M. Seybold
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