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Current Trends and Likely Futures in Wireless Systems
Pages 53-62

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From page 53...
... have exploded onto the world scene. Although there were just 600,000 units in service at the end of 1985, some 33 million units were in service worldwide at the end of 1993, and the prediction is for well over 100 million cellular and PCS units by the year 2000.
From page 54...
... This not only makes possible truly competitive cellular service, with the attendant benefits of decreasing costs and increasing features, but it also offers the prospect of enhanced voice quality for a wireless last-mile alternative that would provide competition in the local loop. The FCC has allocated another 20 MHz of spectrum for unlicensed PCS to be used for building networks and wireless local area networks (LANs)
From page 55...
... The NII/GII initiative holds the potential to change dramatically all of this and in so doing to empower all citizens through the opportunities that result from making communication services personally accessible. In the NII/GII vision, the separate worlds of individual voice and public images will be unified.
From page 56...
... In the future, that will no longer be true unless broadband wireless services are brought in line with broadband wired services. Some people say this cannot be done.
From page 57...
... Similar vision and courage are necessary to develop broadband wireless networks. This picture of broadband wireless communication of the future prompts two questions: Does having wireless matter?
From page 58...
... These include: Law Enforcement • Mobile transmission of fingerprints, mug shots, warrants, and other images to and from law enforcement field personnel • Mobile transmission of maps, floor layouts, and architectural drawings for crime-in-progress operations • Tactical use of live mobile video for hostage, arrest, and surveillance operations • High-resolution graphics and electronic transfer of maps and other graphic information to police vehicles • Vehicle- and personnel-tracking systems • Wireless "dog tag" locator services to help assure personnel security • On-board information and security systems for mass transit vehicles Energy Conservation and Management • Advanced distribution automation, such as remote monitoring, coordination, and operation of distribution and transmission components from centralized locations, for load management, advanced metering, and system-control functions • Demand-side management (DSM) systems; for example, managing the consumption of electric power and natural gas • Transmissions to monitor and record pipeline flow and pipeline pressure indicators • Real-time monitoring, alerting, and control in situations involving handling of hazardous materials Health Care and Fire/Emergency Medical Systems • Remote monitoring of patients' vital signs in health-care facilities to allow immediate response in the event of a patient medical crisis • Mobile transmission of maps, floor layouts, and architectural drawings to assist fire fighters and other response personnel in the rescue of individuals in emergencies
From page 59...
... WIRELESS SYSTEMS 59 • Transmission of visual signals and physician instructions in support of rescue operations • High-speed transmission of high-resolution medical imagery and data from paramedics to hospitals • Automated inventory control Pollution Control • High-resolution graphics and electronic transfer of maps and other graphics information to mobile users • Management and remediation operations following spills or other crises • Real-time monitoring, alerting, and control in situations involving handling of hazardous materials • Visual inspection of pipes and cables exposed during excavation projects Industrial Productivity • Automatic transmission of messages advising of impending shortages of parts in a manufacturing environment • Vehicle and personnel tracking systems • Locator service based on wireless transmitters to address personnel security • Remote safety and security inspection of inaccessible locations • Automation of process- and quality-control functions • Transmission of scheduling and cost updates, job site inspection results, and performance assessments relating to construction projects • Wireless "face-to-face" conferences between in-house production and sales personnel Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) • Traffic management systems that adjust to actual traffic conditions rather than rely on historical patterns • Systems that can electronically weigh and inspect commercial vehicles in motion, issue and monitor permits, or track a container throughout a multimodal shipment
From page 60...
... The regulatory scheme adopted for PCS makes it impractical, if not impossible, for private users to obtain and use their own PCS licenses for the new telecommunications technologies they need. Private users, including those in public-safety fields, need to use continuously the spectrum allocated to them so that they can design systems to meet specific needs.
From page 61...
... Third-generation systems for private or public use allow paging, or image data, or voice transmission with similar functionality but with flexible broadband capability, increased capacity, satellite system interconnectivity, and global roaming. These systems not only support data, but they support it at LAN rates.
From page 62...
... Satellite services that deliver global, portable service will emerge, allowing true global roaming. Beyond these initial trends, greater allocation of spectrum will allow services for satellite system expansion, IVHS, and industrial and public safety use.


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