Four Market Sectors

Four Market Sectors
The market for wireless networks has evolved within four different segments that can
be divided logically into two classes: the voice-oriented market and the data-oriented
market. The voice-oriented market has evolved around wireless connection to the public
switched telephone network. These services evolved further into local and wide area
markets. The local voice-oriented market is based on low-power, low-mobility devices
with a higher quality of voice, including cordless telephone, personal communication
services (PCSs), wireless private branch exchanges, and wireless Telepoint. The voiceoriented
wide-area market evolved around cellular mobile telephone services using
terminals with higher power consumption, comprehensive coverage, and lower quality
of voice. Figure 1.1a compares several features of these two sectors of the voiceoriented
market.
The wireless data-oriented market evolved around the Internet and computercommunication
network infrastructure. Data-oriented services can be divided into local broadband and ad hoc markets on the one hand, and wide-area mobile data markets on
the other. The wide-area wireless data market provides Internet access for mobile users.
Local broadband and ad hoc networks include wireless LANs and wireless personal
area networks (WPANs) that provide high-speed Internet access. The local and ad
hoc networks will also support evolving ad hoc wireless consumer product markets.
Figure 1.1b illustrates several differences among the local- and wide-area wireless
data networks.