Wireless Communications: Future Directions

The past several years have been exciting for wireless communications. The public appetite for new services and equipment continues to grow. The Second Generation systems that have absorbed our attention during recent years will soon be commercial realities. In addition to these standard systems, we see an explosion of technical alternatives for meeting the demand for wireless communications. The debates about competing solutions to the same problem are a sign of the scientific and technical immaturity of our field. Here we have an application in search of technology rather than the reverse. This is a rare event in the information business. Happily, there is a growing awareness that we can act now to prevent the technology shortage from becoming more acute at the end of this decade. By then, market size and user expectations will surpass the capabilities of today's emerging systems. Third Generation Wireless Information Networks will place even greater burdens on technology than their ancestors. To discuss these issues, Rutgers University WINLAB plays host to a series of Workshops on Third Generation Wireless Information Networks. The first one, in 1989, had the flavor of a gathering of committed enthusiasts of an interesting niche of telephony. Presentations and discussions centered on the problems of existing cellular systems and technical alternatives to alleviating them. Although the more distant future was the announced theme of the Workshop, it drew only a fraction of our attention.