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Wi-Fi's End Is Near, Ericsson Marketer Predicts By Barry Levine March 11, 2008 8:33AM Mobile broadband will ease out Wi-Fi sooner rather than later, according to Johan Bergendahl, Ericsson's chief marketing officer. The Ericsson executive said Wi-Fi hot spots like those at Starbucks will become outdated sooner than many people think, although some observers contend that Bergendahl is misreading Wi-Fi's role.   Related Topics Ericsson Wi-Fi Broadband Latest News Endeavour Inspected for Damage Autism Risk for Kids of Older Mothers Go Online and You Can Save the Planet In Haiti, Relief Gaps Are Spreading U.S. To Form Climate-Change Agency Enjoy Wi-Fi while you can, because the end is near. That prediction was made Monday by Ericsson's chief marketing officer, Johan Bergendahl. The comment came in his keynote speech to the European Computer Audit, Control and Security Conference in Stockholm. According to news reports, he said Wi-Fi hot spots -- in places like Starbucks -- will become as outdated as telephone booths faster than many people think. He added that mobile broadband is growing faster than mobile or fixed telephony did. Eclipsing Fixed Broadband in Austria Bergendahl said that in Austria, mobile broadband is expected to eclipse fixed broadband this year, and the most popular phone in Sweden is a USB modem. He also pointed out that countries such as Austria, Denmark and Sweden offer mobile-broadband subscriptions for the equivalent of about $30 a month. Bill Ho, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said price is the key from the consumer's point of view. "The throughput of Wi-Fi is better" than mobile broadband, he said, but it's often less secure. Mobile broadband is more widespread, but most consumers will make a choice based on advantages versus price. Ericsson, of course, has a vested interest in this near-term scenario, since it is a key manufacturer of sections of the mobile-broadband infrastructure . For instance, the company has an agreement to put HSPA 3G technology into several Lenovo computers, a trend that is increasing. In his speech, Bergendahl predicted that HSPA will be as common within a few years as Wi-Fi is today. International Roaming, Coverage But even Bergendahl acknowledges that hurdles remain. He mentioned the problem of international roaming, which will involve cooperation between carriers. Coverage, of course, is also a key area for improvement. One example was the room where Bergendahl gave his speech. It had no 3G coverage. Some observers contend that Bergendahl is misreading Wi-Fi's role in the realm of connectivity . They note that fixed Wi-Fi serves a purpose by providing a stable, high-quality connection at places where people are likely to sit and, perhaps, watch a video. As a comparison, in a world full of cell phones there still are phone booths and hard-wired phones. Others note that Wi-Fi helps to offset bandwidth load on mobile-broadband networks. Ho agrees that Wi-Fi still has a purpose. "Wi-Fi will probably continue to be around for a while," he said, pointing out that some carriers, such as T-Mobile, are relying on Wi-Fi until their own mobile-broadband networks are fully implemented.   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  Computing 1.   MS: Windows 7 Doesn't Hurt Battery 2.   Tips for More Windows 7 Productivity 3.   The Pros and Cons of Apple's iPad 4.   IBM Power7 Server Takes on Big Load 5.   China Cyberattacks: Pervasive Threat EPIC Objects To Google-NSA Ties Cyberattack meant to rattle Google? Average Rating: Symbian 3 Is Now Fully Open Source But mobile OS remains linked to Nokia. Average Rating: Google Attack Highlights Black Market Paying for bug info is hotly debated. Average Rating:

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