"But with Intel backing WiMAX, Qualcomm spending big on Flash-OFDM and UMTS TDD flexing its global muscles, experts are loath to pick winners. 'I think there will be multiple technologies because there are just so many players in the industry,' said Gilbert.
As a result, wireless devices may become increasingly network agnostic. Motorola's new CN620 model, for example, can switch seamlessly between Wi-Fi and cellular networks...
Whatever the technology, one likely component (in addition to higher data rates) of 4G will be 100-percent reliance on internet protocol, which would allow seamless integration of voice, data and multimedia on a grand scale never seen before.
But the larger question is how the wireless players intend to market it to the masses. 'The challenge for the carrier is the business model,' said Weise. 'What's the model for the carrier? Are they going to be able to control all of these applications or will it be more software-driven?'
Indeed, a wireless user liberated by an IP-based network could conceivably get their broadband fixes from anywhere. Don't like the prices your carrier charges for ringtones or video content? Just download them from a third-party website.
'Once it's a broadband pipe, you start to lose control,' said Roland Van der Meek, a senior partner at Palo Alto, California-based venture-capital firm ComVentures. 'As they go all-IP, they don't want to lose the separate revenue streams.'...
One thing is certain: Wireless carriers will need to work through such issues as they roll out 4G. 'Technology has a great tendency to be disruptive,' said Weise. 'We're seeing a bit of an arms race to upgrade networks.'"
