As the MC Link project progressed, Mattisson and Haartsen became aware that there were
other types of applications that could benefit from the technology they were developing.
Ericsson’s cheap, short-range MC Link radios could make wireless communication between
all types of portable devices economically feasible. It wasn’t just about phones, they realized.
Thus enlightened, Ericsson’s engineers began to envision other applications of their new
technology. What if a mobile phone could talk to a printer? What if a portable PC could
connect to the Internet—using any office network? What if a PDA could communicate with a
hotel reservation computer? And what if all these activities could take place without any
manual configuration or initiation?
And thus the full potential of this new wireless technology was identified. What was initially
conceived as a simple cable-replacement technology for cell phones and headsets was now
something much broader, and much more important.
Haartsen confirmed that the broad application of the technology was almost an afterthought to
the original research.
“The original intention,” Haartsen said, “was to make a wireless connection between
something like an earphone or a cordless headset and the wireless phone.”
The fact that Haartsen and Mattisson were able to identify other, potentially more important,
applications for the technology was a happy accident.
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