To the Editor:
In response to your article “Wireless data industry continues evolution,” I was somewhat surprised to see a figure of 132,000 wireless data users. We have at least that many wireless data users ourselves. If they are referring to Cellular Digital Packet Data users, that may be a different story.
We do not agree there is a lack of applications. Our solutions for short messaging, monitoring and e-mail forwarding work on all short message service platforms and work today. The next time the “projector-ware” vendors send a press release, ask for customer references and current installs.
I do agree with David Sutcliffe about using the Internet protocol for the network backbone. Let’s not let proprietary APIs choke the opportunity we have as an industry to make wireless so common every adult of working age will have a handset/receiver.
Phill Golden, InfoRad
Editor’s Note: The Wireless Data Forum is trying to establish a method for measuring wireless data “users.” Its preliminary figure was drawn from a survey of 12 wireless carriers. Its definition of a user is an entity, like a company. However, WDF notes that within that entity, there may be many people using several devices that transmit wireless data. The organization also is attempting to measure the amount of data transmitted. Both of those figures will benchmark the industry’s growth.
