The future of the wireless
industry has so many avenues that can be pursued that an
accurate prediction of what to expect is impossible. However,
there are various types of technology in development even
today.
A wireless collar device for
pets is being tested in Japan. The device will allow people
to talk to their pets while they are at home lounging around
or tearing up your favorite pillow.
Streaming video on cellular
phones is also a possibility. This technology is still in its
infancy but at present allows for still photos only to be
downloaded onto the cellular phone. It is expected that one
day, we will be able to download complete streaming images of
our favorite TV program and watch it directly from our
cellular phone.
The Europeans, not to be
outdone, have begun tests using cellular phones that will
allow for making purchases from a vending machine. They
already have SMS (Short Messaging Service) which isn’t
currently available in the US but might be in the next 5 to
10 years. This service will allow you to type a brief message
in text from your cellular phone and fire it off to another
user with SMS. Whether or not it will catch on in the US is
an entirely different matter.
Then we have what is called
third generation (a.k.a. 3G) services. A world consortium has
been created specifically for this purpose. Countries from
all over the world are bidding on the license for radio
frequencies that will be used for this purpose. It will
probably revolutionize the world of wireless service as we
know it. One thing is for sure. Transmission of data will be
much easier and many other services will evolve that can be
used all over the world.
We have come a long way since
1984 when cellular phones first became available. In the next
20 years, our children will consider many of the phones from
the pre 21st century era to be a curiosity. We
will just have to see how long it will take for a cellular
phone to be no larger than a thin rod held from ear to mouth.
