By Jo Best, 20 November 2006 09:00
COMMENT
WiMax is starting to show up in phones - but is this really a good idea? Jo Best weighs in on the mobile plans for this much-hyped wireless technology.
Remember the UMPC - or ultra mobile PC to the uninitiated? Remember when the first lot of the Windows-powered mini-computers came out, how we scoffed that they wouldn't replace any of the dainty gadgets we carry day to day?
I could be wrong here but I think Samsung may have cracked that whole mobile-PC convergence thing. Behold the delightfully sci-fi Samsung SPH-P9000.
The P9000 is not strictly a UMPC, it's a more mobile-centric type of device and far smaller - about half the size of Samsung's first UMPC. I haven't tried it out yet and the device is not perfect but the form factor alone shows that there really is some interesting work going on around the convergence of mobiles and PCs.
The P9000's got phone and PC functionality in one - great. OK, the camera's resolution is a measly 1.3 megapixels but the fact one has been included shows this device sees its competition as the mobile rather than the PC: Samsung is gunning for a more mass-market proposition than the UMPC.
The inclusion of the fold-out Qwerty keyboard on the P9000 is a nice touch. Can we expect a BlackBerry along the same lines soon?
But let's cut the P9000-related applause short for a minute and take a look at the connectivity this device packs. It supports two wireless standards - mobile WiMax and CDMA 1x EVDO, a variant of 3G found in Asia and the US. It will be split just so: WiMax for web browsing, 3G for voice. This is the point where the P9000 seems to come unstuck.
It's an interesting strategy - though it doesn't seem like a great one to me, unless I'm missing something.
Is the plan to stream video and send hulking great email attachments over WiMax but for a teensy-tiny little voice call, go back to 3G? Or is Samsung saying WiMax is less reliable, or more likely to become a niche play compared to 3G? If it's the latter, do I want to rely on WiMax to stream video and send hulking great attachments when I have a wi-fi enabled laptop knocking around somewhere?
The whole idea of WiMax, according to its cheerleaders, is that it will offer a single wireless network for both voice and data - the P9000 seems to undermine that.
So why the dual-mode device? The operators, I'd wager. The traditional mobile operators won't put a device on their roster - and this is clearly a mobile device - if they think it will undermine their revenues, and that's precisely what WiMax threatens to do. By including 3G, Samsung leaves the door open for the operators to keep making money from their existing networks and therefore to keep subsidising devices such as - you've guessed it - the P9000.
But if operator-pleasing is Samsung's strategy, why include WiMax at all? Well, a few mobile operators are looking at WiMax already - Sprint in the US is one and Korea Telecom in Samsung's home market. And most of the big players have at least got it on their radar.
In short, it looks like Samsung is playing to the crowd. 'You want WiMax? We can do you WiMax. You're never giving up 3G? We can help you there too.' Whether it's in the best interests of the user remains up for debate but at least they've picked a cunning crowd-pleasing strategy for the operators.
Like any emerging technology, WiMax is jammed throat-deep in hype. But will it, and devices like the SPH-P9000, take off? I have a sneaking suspicion they might do. Recently I caught up with Adrian Fegan, head of ICT at Leeds City Council, to talk about fixed-mobile convergence. Fegan is already contemplating the age of applications WiMax connectivity will herald. And if the users are already getting interested, there's got to be something in that there long-range wireless broadband.
Comments
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1. Alvin Ernest
Jo, I think you are missing the point... fixed mobile convergence (FMC) is another way of saying that players (fixed and mobile) are refocusing their businesses away from a particular technology and are focusing on connectivity. This was recently alluded to by Vodafone's Sarin; when he hinted that the mobile business is moving away from usage to subscription based services. This refocuses the business towards "connectivity" no matter where it comes from; WiFi, WiMAX, GSM, Satellite, DSL, FTTH etc... managing consumption (end users) is becoming their core business... ARPU has been and will remain the currency of success.
Once you accpet this (and I do) you begin to realise that a divice offering pruralistic connectivity options is advantageous... as it means that there are options to ensure that the user is kept "happy." The user doesn't care how a call (voice, video or data) is routed - they just want service (connectivity); enough to serve the application they are interested in using at that time.... at a good price. Players will do well to focus on improving the quantity and quality of life for their customers at a reasonable price...
The business is changing very quickly; the supply-side of this business is becoming mature... the demand side lags, but only because it is dependent on new business models, not technology...
Samsung or any other vendor will do well to provide as comprehensive a set of connectivity options as possible - their only criteria should be ROI... as it is clear that devices that deliver a better user experience will realise and exceed ROI targets...
2. Bruce
The announced product seems perfect both to cover the time when Wimax is still rolling out, as well as traveling in and out of areas where Wimax coverage exists.
This is the same as dual-mode WiFi/UMTS phones, which are not meant to disparage one or the other, but to make both available for when they're appropriate.
If you believe that Wimax will be rolled out in a few months with no bugs and great coverage, then maybe there's no need for dual-modes, but for those of us who expect some gaps and some time lag until Wimax is available, a dual mode products sounds great.