CTIA Wireless 2002 Focuses On 2.5G and 802.11

At CTIA Wireless 2002, held here, Sprint PCS is expected to provide additional details about its 2.5G wireless network, slated to be rolled out nationwide this summer. Verizon Wireless, Cingular Wireless, VoiceStream and AT&T Wireless are expected to continue to promote their own versions of the 2.5G networks, which each have rolled out in select cities across the United States.

Verizon Wireless, Cingular and VoiceStream also are expected to say that they will support Microsoft Pocket PC 2002 Phone edition, software which adds telephone capabilities to Pocket PCs, and the Smartphone format.

Hewlett-Packard was showing off its Jornada Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition, first demonstrated by Microsoft at a European trade last month. Handspring is demonstrating its combo voice/PDA Treo, which is expected to ship this week, and Research In Motion once again highlighted the recently announced voice-enabled BlackBerry 5810.

While carriers are expected to try to spotlight the emerging 2.5G networks this week, 802.11 "wifi" networks are likely to get at least as much attention at the show.

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A number of companies plan to unveil initiatives to aggregate the hundreds of hotspots around the country. Go America, for example, plans to announce its intent to aggregate hotspots for its corporate customers. The company, which currently provides aggregation services for other wireless data networks such as CDPD, will provide services for 802.11.

Go America will seek to organize current aggregators to help link hotspots across the nation with its other wireless data options.

"We want to become the aggregator of aggregators," said a Go America spokeswoman.

Also at the show, aggregator Boingo Wireless plans to discuss its attempts to link hotspots in the United States, and MeshNetworks plans to show a mobile broadband solution that offers voice, video and data at speeds of up to 6-Mbps via patented peer-to-peer routing technology.

Meanwhile, WiFi Metro is slated to announce this week a 802.11 hotspot in Palo Alto, Calif., that spans six to seven blocks. The hotspot joins about 50 others managed by Wifi Metro so far.