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Shopping with your mobile phone is going to be the next big thing in Singapore with trials on a wide-scale being rolled out in just a few months for cash to be sent wirelessly for payments for almost anything, from movie tickets to meals.
Imagine, when the mobile phone became part of everyone's lifestyle it was simply a convenient accessory. Few dreamt that someday people would be relying on their mobile phones for everything from storing money to studying maps.
A decade ago, sending a written message over the phone was non-existant and it was an even greater stretch of the mind to think email, which was in the realm of the PC and Internet, could be sent through the telephone.
Yet, today it is only natural to expect the mobile phone to offer more than telephony and few hesitate to think twice about sending all forms of written messages over the phone through the use of communication technology that runs a gamut of platforms and names, GPRS, EDGE, 3G. HSDPA, WiFi…
The most convenient and cost-efficient option so far is the wireless experience of WiFi. With a mobile phone that’s WiFi enabled, it takes at most, two clicks to open up a browser to start sending emails or internet messages.
But the experience may not always on and always available in an open environment. You may, for instance, find a wireless connection but it could be secured for the use of only an authorised group, or you may find yourself outside of a hotspot where the signal is weak or blocked.
That’s because WiFi works best within a defined area such as within a building or office.
To enjoy connectivity in a wider area, users may need to rely on the next level of communication technology which is WiMAX. That’s what Singapore could offer in the future as the local tech landscape grows and evolves.
WiMAX, the ‘big brother’ to WiFi will offer more consistent service and faster connections that could be enjoyed over a wider area seamlessly as the wireless signals are relayed from base stations in much the way telephone signals are now transmitted.
Some countries have chosen to use WiMAX over WiFi just because of the sheer geographical size that needs to be covered.
While some may like to think that it has to be one option over the other, with one being better than the other, the fact is WiMAX and WiFi can be complementary. A city such as Singapore that has a firm WiFi network in place, can build up another level of connectivity with WiMAX so users get to enjoy an even better wireless experience.
Until WiMAX technology is in place, there is little that cannot be done with WiFi. The wireless technology in place allows organisations to tap into WiFi to keep trains running on schedule or in the face of terrorism, to keep an extra watch on security.
On a personal scale, mobile warriors will get to enjoy even easier connectivity with all the WiFi hotspots and hotzones in Singapore linked up for an island-wide WiFi network that is scheduled to be complete by this month.
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