MSNBC - Wi-Fi phones lack carrier support
On Monday, Nokia said its Communicator 9500, due at year's end, will be able to use Cisco Aironet access points usually found in corporations and hotels, as well as in executive lounges in airports and train stations. The world's largest handset maker joins Motorola, which is building a cell phone that uses Wi-Fi chips from Texas Instruments.
Wi-Fi phone proponents say the phones combine two complementary wireless technologies. Wi-Fi is fast, but has only a 300-foot range and can be used for downloading large amounts of information. Meanwhile, cellular networks stretch for hundreds of miles but can usually only manage download speeds of about 50kbps (kilobits per second) to 500kbps.
But Wi-Fi phones are missing crucial supporters: the wireless carriers that sell the phones.
On Monday, Nokia said its Communicator 9500, due at year's end, will be able to use Cisco Aironet access points usually found in corporations and hotels, as well as in executive lounges in airports and train stations. The world's largest handset maker joins Motorola, which is building a cell phone that uses Wi-Fi chips from Texas Instruments.
Wi-Fi phone proponents say the phones combine two complementary wireless technologies. Wi-Fi is fast, but has only a 300-foot range and can be used for downloading large amounts of information. Meanwhile, cellular networks stretch for hundreds of miles but can usually only manage download speeds of about 50kbps (kilobits per second) to 500kbps.
But Wi-Fi phones are missing crucial supporters: the wireless carriers that sell the phones.
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