I.

INTRODUCTION
The term wireless refers to telecommunication technology,
in which radio waves; infrared waves and microwaves,
instead of cables or wires are used to carry a signal to
connect communication devices. These devices include
pagers, cell phones, portable PCs, computer networks,
location devices, satellite systems and handheld digital
assistants. Wireless technology is rapidly evolving, and is
playing an ever-increasing role in the lives of people
throughout the world.
Wireless technologies can both support the institutional
mission and provide cost-effective solutions. Wireless is
being adopted for many new applications: to connect
computers,

to

allow

remote

monitoring

and

data

acquisition, to provide access control and security, and to

provide a solution for environments where wires may not
be the best implementation.
Benefits of Wireless technology
Wireless technology enables users to physically move while using an
appliance, such as a handheld PC, paging device, or phone. Without
the physical connection of cables or wires, this technology allows
users

to

check

stocks

and

email

from

their

internet-enabled

telephone, conduct m-commerce, which is the online purchasing of

goods while in transit, and even watch television on a portable PC.
Many fields today such as healthcare, law enforcement, field service,
and emergency care require mobility of workers. Wireless networking
makes it possible to place portable computers in their hands. It is very

useful when employees must process information on the spot, directly

in front of customers and patients, or share real-time information.
Wireless networking is rising with the ever-increasing need for
businesses to lower costs and support mobility of workers. Compared
with wired networking, wireless capability offers more timeliness,
affordability, and efficiency. When performing installations, there are
many tangible cost savings with using less wire between the users
appliance and a server. If rivers, freeways, or other obstacles stand in
the way of a connection, a wireless solution may be much more
economical than installing physical cable. Wires and connectors can
easily break through misuse and normal wear and tear. Using less
cable reduces the downtime of the network and the costs associated
with replacing cables, and makes the network available for use much
sooner.

II. OVERVIEW OF EXISTING WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

There are numerous applications for each of the different
wireless

technologies.

For

the

purposes

of

this

paper,

applications of wireless technologies are divided into the

following: Voice and Messaging, Hand-held and other Internetenabled devices, and Data Networking. Although a traditional
classification, this way of categorizing wireless technologies
also includes their differences in cost models, bandwidth,
coverage areas, etc. Finally, a section is included on issues
related to wireless technologies.
1. Voice and Messaging

Cell phones, pagers, and commercial two-way business radios

can provide voice and messaging services. These devices may
be based on analog or digital standards that differ primarily in
the way in which they process signals and encode information.
The analog standard is the Advanced Mobile Phone Service
(AMPS). Digital standards are Global System for Mobile
Communications

(GSM),

Time

Division

Multiple

Access

(TDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). Normally,

devices operate within networks that provide metropolitan,
statewide, or nationwide coverage. These large and costly
networks are operated by carriers such as AT&T, Sprint,
Verizon, local phone companies, etc. and operate in different
frequency bands which are allocated by the FCC.
Throughput depends on the standard being used, but presently
in the U.S., these networks provide throughput rates up to 16
kilobits per second (Kbps). New digital standards, also
referred to as "Third-Generation Services" or 3G, are expected
by 2004, and will provide 30 times faster transfer rates and
enhanced capabilities.
Because of the many standards, there are interoperability
issues between networks, carriers, and devices. Generally,
charges are based on per minute utilization or per number of
messages.
2. Hand-held and Internet-enabled devices
Internet-enabled cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants
(PDAs) have emerged as the newest products that can connect
to the Internet across a digital wireless network. New
protocols, such as Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and

new languages, such as WML (Wireless Markup Language)

have been developed specifically for these devices to connect
to the Internet. However, the majority of current Internet
content is not optimized for these devices; presently, only
email, stock quotes, news, messages, and simple transactionoriented services are available. Other limitations include low
bandwidth (less than 14 Kbps), low quality of service, high
cost, the need for additional equipment, and high utilization of
devices battery power. Nevertheless, this type of wireless
technology

is

growing

rapidly

with

better

and

more

interoperable products.
3. Data Networking
In this paper, we differentiate between pure data applications
in (1) wireless local area networks (WLANs) and data, voice,
and video converged in (2) broadband wireless. We also briefly
discuss (3) Bluetooth, an emerging wireless technology.
3.1 Wireless Local Area Networks
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) are implemented as an
extension to wired LANs within a building and can provide the
final few meters of connectivity between a wired network and
the mobile user.
WLANs are based on the IEEE 802.11 standard. There are
three

physical

layers

for

WLANs:

two

radio

frequency

specifications (RF - direct sequence and frequency hopping

spread spectrum) and one infrared (IR). Most WLANs operate
in

the

2.4

GHz

license-free

frequency

band and

have

throughput rates up to 2 Mbps. The new 802.11b standard is

direct sequence only, and provides throughput rates up to 11

Mbps. Currently the predominant standard, it is widely
supported by vendors such as Cisco, Lucent, Apple, etc. By the
end of 2001, a new standard, 802.11a, will operate in the 5
GHz license-free frequency band and is expected to provide
throughput rates up to 54 Mbps.
WLAN configurations vary from simple, independent, peer-topeer connections between a set of PCs, to more complex, intrabuilding infrastructure networks. There are also point-to-point
and point-to-multipoint wireless solutions. A point-to-point
solution is used to bridge between two local area networks,
and

to

provide

an

alternative

to

cable

between

two

geographically distant locations (up to 30 miles). Point-tomulti-point solutions connect several, separate locations to one
single location or building. Both point-to-point and point-tomultipoint can be based on the 802.11b standard or on more
costly infrared-based solutions that can provide throughput
rates up to 622 Mbps (OC-12 speed).
In a typical WLAN infrastructure configuration, there are two
basic components:

1.

Access Points An access point/base station connects to

a LAN by means of Ethernet cable. Usually installed in the
ceiling, access points receive, buffer, and transmit data
between the WLAN and the wired network infrastructure. A
single access point supports an average twenty users and has
a coverage varying from 20 meters in areas with obstacles
(walls, stairways, elevators) and up to 100 meters in areas

with clear line of sight. A building may require several access

points to provide complete coverage and allow users to roam
seamlessly between access points.
2.

Wireless Client Adapter - A wireless adapter connects

users via an access point to the rest of the LAN. A wireless
adapter can be a PC card in a laptop, an ISA or PCI adapter in
a desktop computer, or can be fully integrated within a
handheld device.

3.

.
Wireless Client Adapter A wireless adapter connects users
via an access point to the rest of the LAN. A wireless adapter
can be a PC card in a laptop, an ISA or PCI adapter in a
desktop computer, or can be fully integrated within a handheld
device.
3.2 Broadband Wireless
Broadband wireless (BW) is an emerging wireless technology
that allows simultaneous wireless delivery of voice, data, and
video. BW is considered a competing technology with Digital
Subscriber

Line

(DSL).

It

is

generally

implemented

in

metropolitan areas and requires clear line of sight between the

transmitter and the receiving end. BW comes in two flavors:
(1) Local multi-point distribution service (LMDS) and (2) Multichannel multi-point distribution service (MMDS). Both operate
in FCC-licensed frequency bands.
1.

1) LMDS is a high bandwidth wireless networking service

in the 28-31 GHz range of the frequency spectrum and has
sufficient bandwidth to broadcast all the channels of direct
broadcast satellite TV, all of the local over-the-air channels,
and high speed full duplex data service. Average distance

between LMDS transmitters is approximately 1.5 kilometers (1

mile) apart.
2.

2) MMDS operates at lower frequencies, in the 2 GHz

licensed frequency bands. MMDS has wider coverage than
LMDS, up to 35 miles, but has lower throughput rates.
Companies such as Sprint and WorldCom own MMDS licenses
in the majority of U.S. metropolitan areas.

3.

Geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) and low earth orbit

(LEO) satellites represent yet a third vehicle for deploying
wide-area braoadband wireless solutions. Several issues exist
here that are not present in other tower-based Broadband
solutions:

a.

The

high

cost

of

deploying

the

satellite

infrastructure means that only a few key vendors will

participate in this arena. Moreover, the pressure to recover
initial capital costs will likely result in "winner take all"
corporate mentality where standards, interoperability, and new
customer features may take a backseat to cost recovery.
b.

Initial

deployments

represent

proprietary

technologies and any interoperability standards are three or

more years away.
c.

Fewer GEO satellites, because of their distance from

earth, are needed to cover a given region and therefore are
less costly to deploy. The greater distance, however, requires a
miniature satellite dish (one meter) for adequate signal
collection

thus

making

their

use

in

mobile

wireless

applications impractical. LEO satellites, because of their lower

earth orbit and stronger signal strength, are necessary for use
in mobile applications where antenna size is a factor.

Whether it is tower-based or satellites, bBroadband wireless

still involves costly equipment and infrastructures. However,
as it is more widely adopted, it is expected that the service
cost will decrease and functionality will improve..
3.3 Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a technical specification for small form factor, lowcost, short-range wireless links between mobile PCs, mobile
phones, and other portable handheld devices, and connectivity
to the Internet. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is driving
development of the technology and bringing it to market. It
includes promoter companies such as 3Com, Ericsson, IBM,
Intel,

Lucent,

Motorola,

Nokia,

and

over

1,800

Adopter/Associate member companies.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a simple type of wireless networking that allows the
formation of a small network with up to eight devices being connected
at once. Such devices would include PDAs, Laptops, Mobile Phones
and Personal Computers. However, Bluetooth may also be found in
keyboards, mice, headsets and mobile phone hands-free kits, amongst
others. It was originally invented by Ericsson in 1994. In 1998 the
Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) was formed by a small number
of major companies Ericsson, Nokia, Intel and Toshiba to help each
other develop and promote the technology. Bluetooth falls under
personal area networking since it is has a very short range 30 to 300
feet. This sort of range adds to the security of such a technology in
that if someone wanted to sniff your connection they would not only
need special equipment but also they would have to be fairly close to
you. The main features of Bluetooth are that unlike Infra Red, the

signal is not affected by walls it uses radio technology, it is not very

expensive, and has little power consumption.
It is important to note that Bluetooth operates at the unlicensed
frequency of 2.4GHz band just like 802.11 WLANs as such there are
interference issues to consider. Bluetooth technology and products
are not expected until the end of 2000. At that time and if Bluetooth
becomes an adopted technology, current WLANs will already be
migrating to the 5 GHz band.
4. Important issues for wireless technologies
As with any relatively new technology, there are many issues
that affect implementation and utilization of wireless networks.
There are both common and specific issues depending on the
type of wireless network. Some of the common factors include
electromagnetic interference and physical obstacles that limit
coverage of wireless networks, while others are more specific,
such as standards, data security, throughput, ease of use, etc.

A major obstacle for deployment of wireless networks is

the existence of multiple standards. There are both analog and
digital standards in wireless telephony. While GSM is the only
widely supported standard in Europe and Asia, multiple
standards are in use in the U.S. As a result, the U.S. has lagged
in wireless network deployment. Just recently, organizations
have

been

formed

to

ensure

network

and

device

interoperability. For example, the adoption of the 802.11b

standard has made wireless data networks one of the hottest
newcomers in the current wireless market.

Another issue is coverage. Coverage mainly depends on

the output power of the transmitter (FCC regulated), its
location and frequency used to transmit data. For example,
lower frequencies are more forgiving when it comes to

physical

obstacles

(walls,

stairways,

etc.),

while

high

frequencies require clear line of sight. For each particular

application,

throughput

decreases

as

distance

from

the

transmitter or access point increases.

Data security is a major issue for wireless due to the

nature

of

the

transmission

mechanism

(electromagnetic

signals passing through the air). It is commonly believed that

voice applications are less secure than data applications. This
is due to limited capabilities of existing technologies to protect
information

that

is

being

transmitted.

For

example,

in

metropolitan areas, users are at risk that simple scanning

devices can highjack cell phone numbers and be maliciously
used. In WLANs, authentication and encryption provide data
security. Current security implementations include:
1.

MAC (Ethernet) address-based access lists on access

points, where only registered and recognized MAC addresses
are accepted and allowed to join the network.

2.

A closed wireless system, where users have to know the

non-advertised network name to be able to join.

3.

RADIUS server based authentication, where users are

authenticated against a centralized RADIUS server based on
their MAC address or their username and password.

4.

Wireless

Equivalency

Privacy

(WEP)

utilizes

data

encryption with 40-bit or 128-bit keys that are hidden from

users. WEP provides three options, depending on the level of
security needed: no encryption of data, combination of
encrypted and non-encrypted data, and forced data encryption.
In WLANs, data is encrypted only between the wireless
adapter and the access point. Data travels through a wired

LAN unencrypted. Therefore, data transmitted by wireless is

not more secure than data transmitted through the wire, but
probably

not

less

secure.

Application

level

encryption

mechanisms, like secure web transactions (SSL), SSH, etc. are

responsible for further protection of data.

Security
The following are three methods of security available when it comes
to wireless:
WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy)
Wired Equivalent Privacy is intended to stop the interception of
radio frequency signals by unauthorized users and is most suitable
for small networks. This is so because there is no key management
protocol and each key must be entered manually into the clients
this proves to be a very time consuming administrative task. WEP is
based on the RC4 encryption algorithm by RSA Data Systems. It
works by having all clients and Access Points configured with the
same key for encryption and decryption.

SSID (Service Set Identifier)

SSID acts a simple password by allowing a WLAN network to be split
up into different networks each having a unique identifier. These
identifiers will be programmed into multiple access points. To access
any of the networks, a client computer must be configured with a

corresponding SSID identifier for that network. If they match then

access will be granted to the client computer.
MAC (Media Access Control) address filtering
A list of MAC addresses belonging to the client computers can
be inputted into an Access Point and thus only those
computers will be allowed access. When a computer makes a
request, its MAC address is compared to that of the MAC
address list on the Access Point and permission granted or
denied.

This

is

good

method

of

security

but

only

recommended for smaller networks as there is a high rate of

work involved in entering each MAC address into every Access
Point.

4 Our recommendations
Today we have the means to provide useful services via Wireless: push
for all and interactivity for advanced users. By making these services
available it will be possible to differentiate one's Web activity from
that of the competition. If the Web architecture is designed clearly
(separation of content, use of stylesheets...), these services will be
relatively simple to develop. In an ever-changing market, solution
scalability and durability can be ensured by following these few
recommendations:
A mobile Internet service must be linked to a Web site
A Web site cannot afford to be without e-mail functionalities
(order confirmation, newsletters ). Users have the possibility
of entering information at their convenience and customizing
the service according to their needs. Relations between parties
can only be enhanced by this.

Separation of content and presentation

The more we multiply distribution channels (Web, WAP, email), the more crucial it becomes to separate content from
presentation, particularly since presentation standards are far
from fixed (today it's WML for WAP - and tomorrow?). XML
enables this content to be stored. Applying XSL stylesheets
gives a content format (HTML, WML, XHTML, WebClipping )
which is compatible with the device used. A change in standard
or the emergence of a new standard then only calls for an
adjustment to the stylesheets.
Content standardization is a must
The distribution of information via different media must be
standardized. We need to be able to offer abridged or
summarized versions as well as full versions with predefined
sizes. In doing so, it is possible to take ergonomic page layout
restrictions into account, as well as network constraints. With
regard to mobile Internet, data transaction rates are set to
increase steadily, moving from GSM to GPRS and UMTS. It will
be a question of adapting to the same data transaction rate as
the target users (remember the issue of browser versions?).
Let users configure their own mobile access
Users can find mobile Internet services very intrusive. Offering
users a real service means letting them have permanent access
to the settings of their handheld device (acceptance of SMS
messages...), via a Web site.
Test, modify, test again

By testing usability and performances in advance, users can be

offered the quality of service that they expect. The objectives of
the service can be measured by user tests, workload tests and
performance monitoring.