Chapter -2

Developing a Cost-effective Strategy for Wireless

Communications
 Most organizations have some mobile field activities such as:

 sales representatives, field service technicians, telecommuting employees, traveling managers, mobile
health care providers.
 Which are used for well-synchronized exchange of information between central information systems and
mobile users.
 use tools such as portable computers and software to provide mobile users to accomplish their daily
tasks.
 Enhance communications and streamline information exchange by providing anytime, anywhere access.

 Allows for automating business processes to improved productivity and increased competitive
advantage.

1
 Cont’d …

To achieve the advantage, there are three broad categories of implementation issues
Communications architecture and access methods.
Application appropriateness
Wireless service products

Wireless Network Technologies and Service Providers

There are two prevalent technologies for wireless applications:

Circuit-switched networks.

Packet data networks
Circuit-Switched Networks:
Establishing a dedicated connection between two points and then transmitting data over
the connection
And finally terminate the communication between the two points
E.g. telephone conversation. 2
 Circuit-Switched Networks …
 Analog Circuit-Switched (Cellular) Networks:

 Two-way analog Circuit-Switched Cellular technology has existed since the

introduction of cellular phones.
 To use circuit-switched cellular (CSC) service, the user requires a cellular phone with a
cellular modem.
 Digital Circuit-Switched (Cellular) Networks

 It is more reliable for sending data than is analog technology.

 E.g. digital circuit-switched wireless network implementations in the US are (CDMA)

and (TDMA).
 B/c the availability of both CDMA and TDMA, most US organizations use to take
advantage of digital circuit-switched technologies for wireless data applications.
3
 Circuit-Switched Networks …
 Sending wireless data over a circuit-switched cellular (CSC) connection offers several advantages
 Wide on-street coverage and availability
 Suitability for sending and receiving large data files such as long E-mail messages or reports
 Per-minute (as opposed to per-packet) charges
 Implementation through standard communications software and a modem attached to a cellular
phone.
 The disadvantages of using circuit-switched cellular (CSC) technology
 Increased relative cost of sending short messages, because call setup time may become a large
percentage of cost.
 Security concerns involving unencrypted files.
 Lack of cellular error-correction or enhancement standards.
 questionable reliability and poor throughput
4
 Circuit-Switched Networks …
 The availability of new technology from several vendors, including AT&T, Celeritas
Technologies Ltd., Microcom Corp., Motorola, and ZyXEL, is rapidly changing this
perception.
 The mature technologies allow organizations to use analog cellular modem technology to
build and deploy enterprise wide dial-up based applications
 Packet Data Networks:

 It is designed for effective and reliable transfer of data rather than voice.

 They use a method of comparable to sending a document one page at a time. The document is
first broken into pages, and each page (or packet) is sent in its own envelope.
 The network determines the most appropriate transmission path, and once each page reaches
its destination, the document is reassembled (if appropriate).
 use radio frequency channels to connect the portable computing device to a network
backbone and to the company's host system. 5
 Packet Data Networks …
The two major networks emerging technologies
 packet radio technology( Ardis and RAM Mobile Data)
 Packet cellular technology (Cellular Digital Packet Data)
 Ardis
 It owned by Motorola and IBM and covers(use by) 80% of the US population.
 Transmitters in the 400 largest metropolitan areas are networked through dedicated land-
based lines, and also supported dial-up and radio frequency (RF) connections.
 It supports to on street and in-vehicle coverage and fully automatic roaming.
 It offers more reliable in-building coverage than other two-way wireless networks.
 Pricing depends on the application and is based on both flat-rate and usage charges.

. 6
 Packet Data Networks …
 RAM Mobile Data

 It is the result of a business venture between BellSouth Enterprises and RAM Broadcasting Corp.

 to provide wireless transport for messaging services and products.

 Commercial service is currently available in more than 6,000 cities and towns

 RAM uses the Mobitex architecture for wireless packet data communications originally developed in
Sweden and currently in its fourteenth version.

 RAM's network was designed for message capability with inherent roaming, store-and forward, and
broadcast capabilities.

 Packet Cellular Technology

 CDPD is being developed and implemented by a consortium of 10 major cellular carriers, including
McCaw Cellular and AirTouch.

7
Packet Data Networks (Packet Cellular Technology) …
Cellular digital packet data claims a bandwidth of 19.2K bps, but typical user rates are
closer to 9.6K bps.
As a digital overlay of the existing analog cellular network that utilizes unused bandwidth
in the cellular voice channel
It is a logical extension of cellular data communications.
B/c is based on an open design and supports multiple Connectionless Network Protocol
such as the Internet protocol (IP), existing applications require few
Packet data networks offer several advantages
Reliable transmission of data.
Cost-efficient transmission of short messages.
Transparent roaming in the locations where the networks exist.
8
Packet data networks offer several advantages …
 Fast setup time.

 Disadvantages of packet data technology include:

 High costs in certain situations (resulting from a per-packet charge).

 Slow transmission times for large data files (which is less the case for cellular digital packet data).

 More-limited coverage and availability than that of cellular technology.

 Limited bandwidth (here, again, cellular digital packet data is better than RAM or Ardis).

The suitability of packet data networks for wireless data applications depends largely on the application.

The networks provide a solution for applications requiring instantaneous, delivery of small valuable pieces of
information that can save money or generate revenue.

It is used for single-transaction based applications (remote credit-card authorization or rental car check-in).

Use of packet data is more limited in cases of general sales force automation, data base replication, E-mail with
attachments, electronic software distribution, and multiple application requirements for mobile users.
9
Choosing an Architecture and Access Method
 The many wireless and connectivity access methods available generally fall into three
categories:
 Continuous connection(extensions of desktop or local area network (LAN) systems.

 E-mail-based systems.

 Agent-based messaging systems.

 A solution that fails to address the communications infrastructure of the wireless

environment has both financial and systems implications

 Although communications costs escalate dramatically with heavy system use and support
large numbers of users and increase the costs of resource.

10
Choosing an Architecture and Access Method…
 Continuous-Connection Architectures

 It establishes and maintains a wireless connection, accesses online to central computing

resource( a desktop PC or LAN -based PC), remote access and file synchronization utilities.
 Remote node technology makes mobile users a node on the LAN network and allows to
perform work as if they were locally logged into the LAN, usually more slowly
 Remote control technology allows mobile users to connect and see a virtual copy of the
remote PC's screen or hard drive so that files can be accessed and applications can be run
remotely

 Advantage of Continuous-connection technologies

 Provides mobile users with access to their central LAN -based PCs and servers;

11
Choosing an Architecture and Access Method…
 E-Mail Based Systems

 use as both the messaging application and general communications transport(transactions)

message types
 It is lack integral systems management capabilities such as software distribution

 Do not support applications that require queries into data bases.

 Agent-Based Messaging Systems

 It built on a client/server platform; a server at the central site acts as an agent on behalf of
the mobile users
 Software distribution, posting of forms-based data into central data bases, querying of data
from central data bases, E-mail delivery etc.

12
Choosing an Architecture and Access Method…
 Agent-Based Messaging Systems …

 Advantage
 Minimized connect times, yields significant savings in communications costs.

 Minimized user involvement in communications.

 More-efficient applications performance(information delivery).

 More-efficient management control of system resources and communications.

 High scalability with support for hundreds of remote users per server.

 Capability for more and different types of work (e.g., messaging and transactions) to be accomplished

13
Choosing Wireless Applications
 There are four basic classes of applications

 Wireless E-mail and fax systems

 The ability to send and receive documents using smartphone, laptop, tablet, or desktop through a Wi-Fi
connection to a fax number and email address

 It used to improve customer satisfaction and generate revenue

 Remote access and file synchronization utilities.

 The applications perform either a wireless remote node connection to a central LAN, a remote control
function to a local desktop PC

 wireless remote access and file synchronization systems offer solutions for scale poorly, high support
costs and connection charges

 Provide capabilities for systems management, application management, or connect-time and

communications session management
14
Choosing Wireless Applications …
 There are four basic classes of applications …
 Single-transaction based applications
 use wireless technology to perform one function extremely well over a wireless connection.
 E.g. rental car employee to enter a returning car's ID number as well as other customer information on a
handheld computer that prints a receipt
 These applications are implemented to increase customer satisfaction and generate revenue
 Do not address application management, update, and maintenance issues.
 Mobile enterprise applications

 Provide solutions to a large mobile user community to exchange information with central
systems and users
 transaction-based applications, information distribution applications, and E-mail and
messaging-based applications.
15
Choosing Wireless Applications …
 Mobile enterprise application systems provide wireless solutions for the following reasons:
 Allows to automate within one system many key line-of-business functions to increasing revenue,
improving customer satisfaction, and decreasing costs.

 Provide a client/server framework to implement a mobile client/server system that is highly scalable

 Allow for efficient use of land-line, LAN, and wireless networks, so that users can choose the protocol or
transport most appropriate to the time of the connection or the application type.

 Provide application services such as posting to or querying from central data bases, routing and sharing
of transactional information, and automatic and efficient updating of messaging-based applications.

16
Choosing Wireless Applications …
 Choosing Wireless Products

 wireless service providers requires an application be developed to a nonstandard protocol or

API
 Organizations should develop a communications and applications strategy that provides the
most flexibility of technologies or services gain widespread marketplace acceptance for
two reasons
1. Use middleware APIs or developer kits

 Vendors offer middleware API to organization from how learn, how to connect over RAM,
Ardis, Cellular Digital Packet Data, or analog cellular networks

 Allow organizations to avoid the details of understanding, testing, and debugging

communications

17
Choosing Wireless Products …
2. Use a system for communications management
 Provides an interface based on a high-level Graphical User Interface to set up and
maintain multiple wireless technologies.
 Provide functionality in the area of systems management, software updates, file transfer,
E-mail and messaging, and scheduling of tasks to take place over various wireless
services

End of Beginning of
Chapter 2 Chapter 3
18