Collaboration Drives Multi-Access Mobility

Strategic Insights -

At the 3GSM World Congress 2004, a major project was announced to demonstrate the potential of multi-access mobile devices. Cisco Systems, T-Mobile, and Intel partnered to show that "availability everywhere" through combined GPRS, UMTS, and WLAN access is becoming a reality. The three-month pilot aimed to demonstrate seamless access across different applications and device platforms, giving users true, easy-to-use mobility. The pilot involved 30 users per country in Germany, the UK, and the US, testing multi-access mobility across various devices and access technologies.

Key Takeaways:

  • The pilot aimed to demonstrate the potential of multi-access mobile devices, showcasing combined GPRS, UMTS, and WLAN access.
  • The three-month pilot covered three countries: Germany, the UK, and the US, with 30 users per country participating.
  • Each territory focused on a different aspect of multi-access mobility, such as WLAN access in the US, WLAN and GPRS access in the UK, and multi-access across various devices in Germany.
  • The pilot tested mobility-related technologies, including Cisco's Mobile Exchange (CMX) and the Cisco Aironet 1200 Series Access Points.
  • The mobile devices used in the pilot were based on Intel's Centrino Mobile technology and Intel Xscale technology.
  • The project aims to create viable propositions for enterprise customers to tap into the full potential of mobility.

Statistics:

  • Three countries participated in the pilot: Germany, the UK, and the US.
  • 30 users per country were involved in the pilot, for a total of 90 users.
  • The pilot tested multi-access across various devices, including laptops, MDA2 PDAs, and mobile phones.
  • The pilot demonstrated the potential of multi-access mobile devices, showcasing combined GPRS, UMTS, and WLAN access.
  • The project aims to accelerate the convergence of computing and communications, making different technologies and standards cross-compatible.

Sources:

  • "Cisco, T-Mobile, and Intel Collaborate on Multi-Access Mobility Pilot" (Business Wire, Feb 23, 2004)
  • "About Cisco Systems" (Cisco Systems, http://www.cisco.com)
  • "About Intel" (Intel, www.intel.com/pressroom)
  • "About T-Mobile" (T-Mobile International, http://www.t-mobile.com)