Enhanced 911, usually called 'E911,' is technology that offers an abundance of solutions for safety and security problems. Prompted by federal law, cellphone companies must provide accurate technology to their handsets so that callers' locations can be identified in emergencies - whether through use of global positioning satellite (GPS) or other methodologies.

Wireless technology has changed the very bedrock of effective production and supply management. Managers and staff can now easily monitor where a product is, where it came from, when it left the warehouse, and when it will get to the supplier, not to mention how much it cost to make it!

Apparently for Siemens Mobile Acceleration, the time to jumpstart the U.S. market for innovative mobile solutions is now. Contrary to the regressive trends in Silicon Valley, Siemens sees an opportunity to stimulate the environment for innovative new products serving network operators, enterprises, and individuals.

Centrino's already on its way to China, and each major Chinese city can shortly expect to see its laptop-owning citizens surfing the Internet in public places such as hotels, bars, and restaurants. And this is only the tip of the iceberg in the world's fastest-growing wireless market.

With high-speed Internet access being one of the most sought after amenities by travelers, many hotel operators are in the process of determining the best strategy for broadband deployment. Having the ultimate goal of improved profitability, operators must balance increasing guest satisfaction with maximizing the ROI on their broadband investment. Dual use of Wi-Fi for both guests and staff is key.

Most executives already understand the benefits of going wireless. What they want to learn are the potential pitfalls surrounding a wireless implementation and how to avoid them.

Instant messaging (IM) has quickly evolved from a consumer phenomenon to a vital form of business communication. Organizations from banks to the U.S. Navy are recognizing IM's potential for person-to-person collaboration and communication. Now IM is showing promise as a means for person-to-application communication as well.

There's no doubt that the WAP developer is going to have to work with a variety of emulators, and that it's not necessarily going to be a pleasant experience. But while an emulator is not going to negate testing on devices themselves, it can smooth the way both in technical and customer-facing terms.

With the availability of 'unlicensed' bands these days, why bother to operate in a licensed band? In a word...interference. If you are planning on installing radio telecommunication links, or concerned with quality of service and equipment life cycle, this is one of the most important decisions you'll make.

In a continuing report on the space shuttle and the critical role that wireless technology plays in its launch, orbit, and re-entry, WBT's David Geer takes a closer look this month at the program's S-band and Ku-band systems.

Here's our monthly roundup of 'news in brief' snippets chosen to demonstrate how the pace of wireless infrastructure and application development in the Middle Kingdom is hotting up, SARS or no SARS.