BOSTON-In 2000, the wireless industry saw WAP browsers proliferate, wireless terminals become exciting again and 2.5 and third-generation technologies become more focused, analyst firm The Yankee Group said. But 2001 is expected to bring about even more opportunities for wireless technology, although not as quickly as some would like.
The firm predicts 2.5 and 3G technologies will be delayed until at least the fourth quarter of 2001. Bottlenecks in getting enough commercial wireless terminals to support market deployments are expected to contribute to the delays. The firm also thinks operators will experience significant problems working out kinks as they deploy new wireless network elements.
The Yankee Group believes at least two of the major infrastructure providers will merge and that Cisco Systems Inc. will continue to grow as a major new wireless infrastructure provider. Potential candidates for merger include Lucent Technologies Inc. and Nokia Corp., the firm said.
The handheld market also is expected to heat up. The Pocket PC will see significant growth in market share as wireless capabilities offered by GPRS and Bluetooth-in the second quarter of 2001-serve to justify higher processing power and costs. Related to that, wireless data technologies will continue to evolve as market acceptance accelerates and security technologies improve.
“We also see a focus, in general, on developing technologies that support an improved end-user experience as companies focus on the customer. Overall, it will be an exciting year,” The Yankee Group said.
