Essential Guide to Wireless Communications Applications, The

The Internet

The hype surrounding mobile data is ultimately founded on one thing: the Internet. Vendors and operators alike use slogans such as "Internet anywhere" and "Internet in your pocket," promising to cut the Internet free from its PC-based roots. Trouble is, no matter how advanced the systems sending data over the air, the Internet itself may not be up to the job.

The Internet was founded as an experiment, linking together a few computers involved in defense research. It was never intended to become a communications system for the masses, much less the basis of the world economy. Exponential growth in fixed access is already pushing the network to its limits, and connecting every mobile phone and PDA might be just enough to knock it ...