Proponents of DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) are convinced that this communication system will have a lively future but also full of satisfactions. In particular it is considered that this standard has to be able to state requirements in the markets and applications where low costs are a key factor of success. This is an opportunity for developing countries, not yet touched by the applications of DECT technology, but also for European countries, an area in which this standard has a good chance of development in the enterprise as well as at the ' households. The great news for the standard is to identify nell'avvento of the Internet: the Net has opened a market of multimedia applications and data with great potential for development. The DECT technology is half particularly suited for transmitting data, although up to now has been little used for that purpose. This is one more reason why at this stage DECT become a true commodity technology ", that is no longer just a telephone terminal for end users but also results in modular wireless technologies, such as inclusion in the control systems and security if must be connected and manageable from Web E 'growth in this area to which the advent of technologies and versatile in terms of reliability and security but also economic, should give a strong boost. Certainly the competition in the field is not lacking, but there is also natural caution, especially after the Italian misadventure with Fido service. Then the DECT technology was glorified, then be "repudiated" later, but for strategic and political, not technological. But that was a voice, while the prospects that are opening up a matrix are different: that of convergence.
A versatile
DECT is a digital wireless technology known and grown in Europe, from where it has been diversifying towards developing countries. Unlike GSM, which is a radio access technology, DECT has a defined architecture as designed to interact with many types of networks: PSTN, ISDN and GSM of course. The markets in which the standard has shone so far are those of most cordless home (it is estimated that more than half of the equipment sold today is in accordance with this standard, with that in Germany are close to 80%).
The other area of success is that of the corporate PBX. Wireless systems have found use in particular types of organizations - such as distribution centers, airports and hospitals - where communication is of particular importance, together with the quality of voice transmitted.
The use of radio coverage made with DECT technology has improved the quality of service provided to customers, reduce downtime on the production lines and optimize the data transmission.
In office environments, the integration of handset between the terminals operated by a switchboard made it possible to improve the mobility of employees.
The scope WLL (Wireless Local Loop) is the third area of use: in this respect, it is estimated that one third of the lines of wireless local loop sold in the last two years have been spent in DECT technology, which therefore has the leadership in the field. Recently, the major efforts of ETSI, the regulatory body that has developed DECT, we have come to use different profiles, according to the matrix of convergence: ISDN and DECT, DECT with GSM (dual mode), DPRS (DECT Packet Radio Service) and DMAP (DECT Multimedia Access Profile), two standard developed for transmitting data.
Growth potential
In Italy were sold in 1999 about 1.8 million lines derived from PABX, almost all type of corded. E 'that is, failure, once again, the uptake of solutions based on wireless terminals. The impact of the wireless handset, in other words, continues to remain below 2% of the total. Probably spread to sustained rates of mobile phones and the lack of knowledge of the possibilities of solutions integrating wireless communications equipment in "fixed" have hindered the development of terminals based on DECT technology, which, however, retain a considerable potential for growth, considering penetration rates achieved in other nations. For products in DECT technology for housing is in place a robust recovery of the market, at least to hear members of the DECT Forum. These are some of the numbers on the situation at the end of 1998: 13.5 million products delivered and installed of which 12.4 million related to residential terminals, 513 thousand relating to handset operated by PBX and 633 thousand lines of wireless local loop installations. In 1999 the total number would be increased to about 20 million. That source also adds that DECT is 53% with the technology of cordless phones for greater weight in Europe (in the German market, the most important, the penetration rate has reached 80%).
In 1999 were sold in Italy more than 1.4 million cordless (excluding parallel imports and without taking account of the equipment installed in companies and supported by wireless PABX). The share of DECT is estimated at around 44%. To dominate the national scene are mainly three companies: Siemens Telematica, Brondi and Philips, which alone controls about 60% of market share that rises more than 70% considering only the DECT segment. A curious thing is that a large slice of the market is reserved for distribution of Telecom Italy, but Wind and Infostrada are moving with dynamism, with products Brondi first and second with Samsung.
The new generation
The development of the network and ISDN products should benefit from integration with the DECT technology. Siemens is convinced: second from the German group of the main advantages of this combination is to identify value added services, providing applications voice / data integrated in the use of ISDN Supplementary Services via DECT without delay, in the simplicity of the plug and surf "and" plug and phone ".
Ascom is among the companies that they too get the "plug, surf & phone" with the products of the line voo: doo that the Swiss company presented the first package wireless voice and data ISDN world. This solution consists of base station, PCMCIA and ISA cards, cordless phones obviously conform to ISDN standards, software and some other accessory, with a range of about 300 meters. Ascom also added to have managed the design so as to simplify the installation of this system operates in a frequency range (1.8 GHz) protected. The solution, which harmonizes well with the evolution of the Internet, in a sense anticipates trend to characterize the future: the mobility and flexibility. The special cordless telephone EURIT 133 ISDN is in line with this innovation: the device offers menu-driven functions, has a display capable of displaying graphics, and a memory that stores the last 30 calls. He also extended feature called 15 hours of talk time or 140 hours of battery life in standby mode.
Ascom is a member of DECT-Mmc (Dect MultiMediaConsortium), a consortium that has taken the effort to promote the products conform to the dictates of the innovative standard DMAP (DECT Multimedia Access Profile) which include telephone systems, wireless printers DECT with Ethernet modules for professional applications (Canon has been active in this area); boards for particular uses and diverse as the FreePad of Dosch & Amand, which integrates voice and multimedia, multimedia televisions equipped with DECT-ISDN connection. Basically the message from this consortium, which involves also the Italian and Ericsson, Italtel and Urmet, is to say that the DMAP modules can be used in almost all products in information technology and telecommunications: printers, personal computers, scanners , modems, cameras, mobile Web, Web TV, set-top boxes, information appliances, as well as in different types of cards.
Developed by German Dosch & Amand, the DMAP is a new generation of DECT standard.
The system enables the wireless ad hoc communication between different electronic devices with a bandwidth of 128 kbps, which is to ISDN, in addition to dynamic bandwidth and compatibility with international telephony DECT.
In particular, its supporters point out, the next-generation DECT offers the possibility of the uniform use of multimedia services in wireless mode.
The effort produced to this technical solution has been significant and very complex. Now, however, must give the DMAP also a future business and the birth dell'Mmc, which is an industry consortium, aims to achieve this goal. Franz Dosch, chairman of the consortium and chairman of the German company that has developed, is convinced that the DMAP has the potential to revolutionize the entire market for the mobile DECT communication, because in the future frequency bands will become more expensive while sharing frequencies, which is one of the innovative aspects of the new standard, is a strong reason to appeal.
The new generation of DECT, in other words, no longer only as an alternative to broadcast radio to the cable, but as a component of the mobile communications in all respects.
Wireless LAN, and strong growth expected in the U.S.
In the U.S. wireless LAN users are currently estimate the Cahners In-Stat Group, more than 2.3 million in 2003 and should tenfold: 23 million seems an exorbitant figure, but from next year analysts expect a sharp acceleration in 'adoption of this technology.
Wireless local area networks are indeed as an ideal solution for SoHo users and small businesses in general: the takeoff is related mainly to the simplicity of installation, which the companies active in this market promise to make it quickly. Meanwhile the costs of the solutions should fall further. At that point, the portability of the network off a demand for wireless and small-small businesses will also extend to branch offices of large organizations, business and non business.
The representatives of Cahners emphasize an important aspect that will be fuel to the demand for wireless LAN. The new supply chain technologies are connecting a growing number of non-administrative employees to corporate resources, for example, are connected many production environments, such as factory or warehouse. In such contexts, wireless solutions are able to meet with this trend, even boosting efficiency and more to the strategy of the supply chain.
The "easy connectivity"
Certainly we need to give practical applications for completion of these statements and dell'Mmc companies are working for them.
The expected development in the wireless LAN (see the box on this page. 56) should be an opportunity for the greedy and DMAP desta interest among the various projects underway, the test that Canon is leading in different parts of Europe in 'field of the "easy connectivity."
The activity is conducted by researchers at Rennes, where you will find the resources for research and development of the Japanese giant, using just the updated version of the DECT standard. The purpose of the program is to promote multimedia applications and interoperability of all devices connected.
In fact, the goal is more ambitious because the range of Canon uses a lot of network technologies (IP, ISDN and Ethernet), the idea is to get to get a wireless capability to adapt to these standards; The DMAP has been identified as the attachment mechanism.
Regarding applications, Canon has identified two areas of operation: the area home and office. In the latter, in particular, the Japanese company provides a strong demand for wireless LAN extensions, to provide a fast and easy access to services such as corporate intranet in meeting room presentations and ad hoc. Among the companies have long been active in the area of DECT are Alcatel, with many achievements to his credit, but the standard is affected Ericsson Business Mobile Networks, in the context of the mobility is extremely broad, the group is doing. Ericsson says it more than ever convinced that DECT technology can play an important role in data transmission services to small and medium volumes of traffic in local areas, provided to solve the problem of interoperability, which considers the critical factor of success more important.
Looking ahead Ericsson sees even matching between DECT and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) for the creation of Internet services to value added, and between DECT and USB (Universal Serial Bus) in a scenario of networking environments for Home / SoHo which is working ETSI.
Lucent Technologies, for its part, sees a link DECT efficient and ultimately also for new access to the Internet. In particular, stresses the company, the main advantage offered by DECT-based data is to expand the communications services offered on the same radio infrastructure at a marginal cost. Lucent also happy to see the commitment of ETSI to ensure continuity of DECT in the context of third generation mobile.