What's New @ IEEE in Wireless

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 4 APRIL 2001

CONTENTS:
1. Consortium Sets Sights on a New Wireless Internet
2. 3G Wireless Test a Success for Sprint, Lucent
3. Cell Phone Becomes Man's Best Friend
4. U.S. Wireless Industry Studies Japan's Success
5. Conference Calendar: ICC 2001 Comes to Helsinki in June
6. Wireless Communications Pioneer Al Gross - A Life Remembered
7. IEEE 802.16 Wireless Standards Group Achieves Key Milestones
8. Wiley and IEEE Press Announce Co-Branding Agreement
9. Guide to Creating Java Applications for WAP Browsers
10. Hybrid Vehicles: Are They Worth It?
11. IEEE Offers Retirement Savings Option

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1. CONSORTIUM SETS SIGHTS ON A NEW WIRELESS INTERNET
The Irvine and San Diego campuses of the University of California, together with private-sector partners, have formed the California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology, or Cal(IT)2, to construct a new, wireless Internet named "the Grid." The effort, which has already raised $300 million, hopes to capitalize on the growing number of users who access the Internet through cell phones, handheld devices, and forthcoming technologies. Cal(IT)2 director Larry envisions "the Grid" as a complex but seamless network of high-speed wireless nodes that are cheap, prolific, always on and accessed through a variety of technologies. These new devices will include not only palm-size computers and telephones but sensors, processors embedded in physical objects, and perhaps even microprocessors inside human beings. For more information, visit http://www.latimes.com/business/columns/dnation/20010405/t000029089.html

2. 3G WIRELESS TEST IS A SUCCESS FOR SPRINT, LUCENT
Third-generation (3G) wireless telephone calling has finally made it to the United States - albeit for only one phone call. Sprint and Lucent Technologies announced that they have successfully made a telephone call at a speed of 2.4mbps (megabits per second)over a CDMA-based network. The speed of this test call is about 165 times faster than any other wireless network in the United States. According to analysts, the speed at which Lucent and Sprint were testing the call is considered not just third generation, but also bordering on the fourth generation of telephone service that is 10 years to come. Some analysts think the testing is the latest sign of a remarkable stretch U.S. carriers have made in recent months in the race to be the first to launch a third-generation network. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5080961,00.html

MORE ON NEXT GENERATION WIRELESS: "Mobile and Personal Communication Services and Systems," a new book from Wiley-IEEE Press, guides you through the past, present, and future of mobile and personal communication systems. Telecommunications professionals and students will find a comprehensive discussion of mobile telephone, data, and multimedia services, and how the evolution toward next-generation systems will shape tomorrow’s mobile communications industry. For more information, visit http://catalog.wiley.com/remtitle.cgi?isbn=0780347080

MORE ON WIRELESS NETWORKS: "Circuits and Devices for RF Wireless Networks," an IEEE self-study course, provides an overall perspective of competing Si-based RFIC devices and a detailed description of possible circuit designs of key RF wireless transceiver building blocks. For more information, visit http://shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=EC125 ***What's New Special - Use Code TII for 20% Off - order instructions below***

3. CELL PHONE BECOMES MAN'S BEST FRIEND
Finnish mobile content companies Small Planet and Lumo Media are now peddling a virtual pet named "Kiepo" that lives in a cellular phone. Not only does a user need to feed it regularly, but Kiepo can be made smarter by taking virtual trips to the library or to a disco to learn how to groove on the dance floor. Users can even test Kiepo's dancing skills against other Kiepos throughout the world in multiple player competitions over the Internet. For more information, visit http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-5531538.html?tag=cd_mh

4. U.S. WIRELESS INDUSTRY STUDIES JAPAN'S SUCCESS
Amid concerns about the lack of consumer demand for wireless Web services in the United States, many industry leaders are examining what made NTT DoCoMo's i-mode service so successful in Japan. NTT DoCoMo reports 21 million Japanese subscribers routinely use i-mode, each paying an average of $20 per month. AT&T Wireless CTO Rod Nelson says the coverage area offered by i-mode has been the key to its success. He adds that coverage gaps found in United States are almost non-existent in Japan.

NTT DoCoMo and AT&T Wireless have formed an alliance to bring streaming media content to U.S. users of mobile devices. That system will require much faster connections than are now available. AT&T and NTT DoCoMo officials claim that rich sound, color graphics and even streaming video will eventually be critical to workers in large U.S. businesses. For example, salespeople on the road could use streaming media to offer new pitches to clients or prospective customers during important sales calls.For more information, visit http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/story/0,1199,NAV47_STO59145,00.html.

MORE ON THE INTERNATIONAL WIRELESS WEB: For more on the technical, geographic and cultural differences between countries and the impact on wireless Web usage, visit http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-201-4508408-0.html?tag=st.ne.1004.thed.sf

5. CONFERENCE CALENDAR: ICC 2001 COMES TO HELSINKI IN JUNE
The IEEE Conference on Communications (ICC 2001) comes to Helsinki, Finland on 11-14 June 2001. The conference will feature full programs of technical and professional activities spanning the entire range of hot topics in voice, data, image, Internet, multimedia and mobile communications. The Business Application Session, which provides a broader, more strategic, system-wide view of technology than the technical sessions, will feature keynote speaker Mr. Jorma Ollila, Chairman and CEO of Nokia. Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is a modern, vigorous city and the centre of Finland's administrative, cultural and economic life. To register or for more information, visit http://www.icc2001.com/main/index.html

MORE ON ICC: Did you miss ICC 2000? Not to worry - the "Proceedings of the 2000 IEEE International Conference on Communications" are now available from the IEEE Online Catalog & Store. Topics covered in these conference papers include Communications Quality & Reliability; Network Operations & Management; Communications Software; Personal Communications; Communications Switching; Radio Communications; Wireless ATM Networks; and much more. For more information, visit http://shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=CH37097
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MORE ON WIRELESS CONFERENCES: "The Proceedings of the 2000 IEEE International Symposium Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC)" are now available from the IEEE Online Catalog & Store. Topics covered in these conference papers include Introduction & Market Conditions, Technical Requirements on Third Generation Mobile, International Frequency Allocation & Spectrum Vision, International Standardization Activities, 3GPP and more. For more information, visit http://shop.ieee.org/store/product.asp?prodno=TH8525
***What's New Special - Use Code TII for 20% Off - order instructions below***

6. WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS PIONEER AL GROSS - A LIFE REMEMBERED
"If you've ever used a cell phone, pager or garage-door opener, thank Al Gross," wrote columnist John Stanley in a recent article that appeared in the "Arizona Republic." Al Gross, a pioneer of personal wireless communications and inventor of the citizens' band radio, died on 21 December 2000 at age 82. As an active engineer throughout his lifetime, Mr. Gross made remarkable achievements in wireless communications and often inspired young engineers to have enthusiasm for invention. The IEEE Communications Society Web site has reprinted the "Arizona Republic" article about Mr. Gross' life. In an excerpt from the article, Mr. Gross' widow Ethel talks about his studies under Albert Einstein: "Al told me that when Einstein came to his desk and looked over his paper, [Einstein] smiled broadly, patted him on the back and said in his heavily accented English: 'Das is goot!' That was one of the proudest moments of his life." For the complete article, visit http://www.comsoc.org/socstr/algrossmem.html

7. IEEE 802.16 WIRELESS STANDARDS GROUP ACHIEVES KEY MILESTONES
The IEEE 802.16 Working Group on Broadband Wireless Access announced it reached several key milestones during its March session. During the session, the Working Group:
- Finalized a decision to create a unified Working Group air interface document, with a common, flexible medium access control (MAC) platform supporting multiple physical layers (PHYs)
- Approved, pending comment resolution, a draft 10-66 GHz air interface standard (802.16) with the expectation of publication in the fourth quarter of 2001 - Agreed to base a 2-11 GHz air interface standard (802.16a) on both single carrier and OFDM PHY layers Work also progressed on the 802.16b WirelessHUMAN(TM) air interface for use at license-exempt frequencies. For more information, visit http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/80216miles.html

8. WILEY AND IEEE PRESS ANNOUNCE CO-BRANDING AGREEMENT
IEEE, the premier society for electrical, electronics, and computer engineers and global publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc. announced http://www.ieee.org/newsinfo/wileypresscobrand.html on 27 February an agreement to develop and publish a co-branded imprint of books in the fields of electrical, electronics, and computer engineering.

View a complete list of Wiley-IEEE Press titles online http://shop.ieee.org/store/HelpDesk/pwtitle.asp
View a complete list of Wiley-IEEE Press titles by technical category http://shop.ieee.org/store/HelpDesk/pwcategory.asp

Note that IEEE standards, conference proceedings, Computer Society titles, education and training products and some books will continue to be sold directly by the IEEE. All order processing, fulfillment, and title information for IEEE Press books will be handled by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. To purchase Wiley-IEEE Press books, go to http://shop.ieee.org/store/HelpDesk/bookpurchase.asp#purchase

9. GUIDE TO CREATING JAVA APPLICATIONS FOR WAP BROWSERS “
Wap Servlets: Developing Dynamic Web Content with Java and WML,” a new book and CD-Rom package from IEEE Fatbrain, provides you with the tools to create Java applications for handheld WAP browsers. The package covers WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) software architecture, WML Script, WAP push technology, and implementing servlet engines on HTTP servers. IEEE and Fatbrain.com have teamed up to bring you IEEE Fatbrain, a members-only site offering discounts on the most popular technology titles from the leading publishers in the field. For more information on this book, go to http://www.ieee.org/ieeefatbrain

10. HYBRID VEHICLES: ARE THEY WORTH IT?
In an effort to lower emissions of pollutants and to improve the fuel economy of cars, automakers have been working on improving three electric vehicle (EV) technologies: battery-powered "pure" electric vehicles, vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells, and hybrid electric vehicles. A recent article in "IEEE Spectrum" takes a detailed look at these three electric vehicle alternatives.

Pure electric battery-powered cars have three inherent limitations - limited range, cost and a questionable environmental improvement. The environmental impact depends on the source of the electricity generation (e.g. a coal fire plant versus a hydroelectric dam). Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles also have obstacles to overcome including sufficient hydrogen storage space aboard the vehicle, and the problem of extracting the hydrogen itself. Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs), such as the Toyota Prius, are a marvel of new technology that offer improvements in fuel economy and emissions. Some transportation experts predict that this technology will claim a key share of U.S. light-duty vehicle sales. "IEEE Spectrum" evaluates the Toyota Prius in terms of lifetime private and social costs, comparing it with an almost identically sized conventional Toyota Corolla. For the complete article, visit http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/mar01/hev.html

11. IEEE OFFERS RETIREMENT SAVINGS OPTION
With the average engineer changing jobs several times in a career, it is important to save for retirement. The IEEE Financial Advantage Program offers a portable mutual fund program to help you plan for your future. From conservative to aggressive investments, JP Morgan offers over 30 stock, bond and money market funds to help you work toward your goals. With mutual funds like these, you get the benefit of investing while leaving the day-to-day decisions to the experts.

Members in the US and Canada can read more at: http://www.ieee.org/services/financial/fap/programs/financial_services/mutualfunds.html
Non-US Members can invest in the Non-US Investment Fund. Find out more at: http://www.ieee.org/services/financial/fap/programs/financial_services/investment.html

***WHAT'S NEW SPECIAL - 20% OFF SELECT IEEE PRODUCTS LISTED IN THIS ISSUE!***
As a thank you to our WHAT'S NEW @ IEEE subscribers, the IEEE is offering a 20% discount on your purchase of any of the specially noted IEEE books, conference proceedings, videos, self-study courses, and CD-ROM tutorials listed in this newsletter. If ordering from the IEEE Online Catalog & Store http://shop.ieee.org, include the code TII in the special instructions field at "final checkout." If ordering by phone, provide the code to the customer service representative. Offer expires on 31 Dec. 2001.

Terms & Conditions: Discount applicable only to items noted in this newsletter and only to orders placed directly with the IEEE; orders placed through resellers and IEEE Fatbrain are not eligible for the discount. Coupons cannot be applied to orders already placed. Coupons cannot be combined with any other offer.

What's New @ IEEE in Wireless is a monthly, opt-in email update designed to provide you with the latest news regarding IEEE activities, industry trends, career development tips, and new IEEE product releases. We welcome your feedback on this service.

Managing Editor: Michael m.spada@ieee.org

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