WiFi versus 3G: let battle commence!

The use of wireless data networks to support mobile staff is growing, and so are the range of available technologies and the number of service providers.

While established mobile carriers have struggled to introduce faster 3G technology and are promising HSDPA this year, relative newcomers such as The Cloud have been building rival networks that offer high-speed access at thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots in cities across the UK and Europe.

At a roundtable hosted by network access aggregator iPass, experts debated the relative merits of the cellular networks’ near-complete coverage of the UK versus the ability of Wi-Fi operators to offer high-speed connectivity, but only at hotspots such as airports and hotels.

Bobby Sarin, chief operating officer of The Cloud, said that the world is moving towards laptops and devices capable of using both types of network, and the main reason for this is cost.

“Compare the average mobile bill. Field workers will be costing companies about £300 to £400 per month on mobile contracts, while we now offer unlimited access for £11.99 per month,” Sarin said. Many carriers now also offer a Wi-Fi service to cut costs, he added.

However, Toby Wright, head of content technology services for Reuters in Europe, said network speed was a lesser concern, and what his firm wanted was a reliable service. In many cases a 3G/GPRS datacard is a better option than Wi-Fi, as users could be sure of getting a connection even away from city centres. “It should just work, and users should not have to think about which connection to choose,” he said.

Wright added that IT managers need the ability to control which network connections users can access. “I don’t really want my users to have a choice,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the day when I can provision devices over-the-air with a list of preferred networks.”

Another issue debated at the event was whether municipal Wi-Fi networks with free access pose a threat to mobile operators.

Anurag Lal, senior vice-president for business development at iPass, said that such systems are never actually free because they are subsidised by taxes, just as hotel Wi-Fi access is covered by the room charge. He also emphasised the need for reliability and the appeal of a managed service.

“Enterprise customers will not take second best because they have critical applications running [over the air] that they rely on,” Lal said. “That’s why we certify providers as enterprise-ready for our network.”

Looking to the future, Lal said that laptops and devices with multi-mode capability would soon allow users to roam between HSDPA, Wimax, and Wi-Fi networks at will. However, he also warned that companies hoping to reduce their mobile phone bills by using dual-mode handsets may find their plans thwarted. The idea is that such handsets will be able to switch to making calls over a Wi-Fi link when on the company site.

“The operators will configure handsets to always prefer a cellular connection,” Lal said, with the exception of places such as airports where calls can be offloaded to Wi-Fi during periods of high demand. “They will take the choice away from the end-user, and that’s important to keep it simple,” Lal added.