Benefits of wireless communication

Wireless dramatically improves the convenience, reliability and timeliness of communication by allowing people to:

• Remain persistently connected with others regardless of anyone's location and without being plugged into anything
• Save time and money by shaving seconds off of regular tasks such as locating people, scanning items and receiving mission-critical alerts
• Conduct daily chores effortlessly via a conveniently pocket-sized PDA
• Reap the benefits of a rapid pace of innovation in a fast-growing market full of vendors scrambling to make people's lives easier

Challenges

• So many choices—the options are many; the differences can be confusing
• Wireless throughput is generally limited compared to the wired alternatives
• Uncertainty as to which technologies will remain viable long-term. Each camp (CDMA and GSM) has several iterations of high-speed wireless service, with carriers choosing different versions and implementing them at different times. The situation prevents customers from counting on universal access to a given service.
• Wireless security is lagging
• Dropped connections reflect the inherent limitations of wireless signals easily obstructed by physical barriers such as tunnels, mountains and buildings, as well as radio noise and the absence of cellular towers in a given region
• Small screens in PDAs and other wireless devices limit how much a user can view at once
• Short battery lifespans mean that users must be conscientious about charging their batteries