Written by: Eric Peterson

Last year at this time I predicted that instead of just reading about the Mobile Internet, in 2001/2002 a lot of ordinary folks would actually begin experiencing it first-hand. Since then I have read about the launch of GPRS in Europe, WDCMA in Japan, and how many of the heavy players in the Americas are transitioning to GSM/GPRS. At the same time, however, the economy has stalled after the IT bubble burst and due to the 9-11 terrorist attacks. And consequently many operators have slowed their pace of investment in new networks and are instead concentrating on improving capacity in existing networks.

With this in mind, I began to wonder to what extent had my prediction held true? Have I actually seen anyone using the Mobile Internet outside of work? If I were to hit the streets of Stockholm for one day, would I see anyone using the Mobile Internet? Hmm. Good question. And so I determined that I would spend one day riding Stockholm’s commuter trains, subways and buses during peak morning and evening rush hours, visiting Arlanda International Airport, Stockholm Central Station, speaking with day managers at hotels, and talking to salespeople at shops that sell mobile phones and accessories.

While riding the commuter trains, subways and buses I saw a lot of mobile phones, but very few people were conversing on them. Of course, this comes as no surprise—who wants to talk on the phone when surrounded at close quarters by total strangers? On the other hand, I saw several people playing games on their phones or reading and sending SMS. They might also have been reading news, etc. (WAP)—I couldn’t always get close enough to tell. I also observed a good number of commuters passing the time listening to music via portable CD, MD or MP3 players. On one occasion, while I was riding the bus, a fellow sat down next to me and proceeded to surf the Web (on a Compaq iPAQ).

On entering the terminal for international departures at Arlanda International Airport a huge banner advertising wireless LAN immediately grabbed my attention. I inquired about this at a shop that sells mobile phones and was told that the service is quite popular. Those persons who want to use the wireless LAN but who lack a subscription can purchase a start packet that includes a PC card, software, and four 24-hour vouchers (with one-time password). Repeat users can purchase individual 24-hour vouchers. Although I did not see anyone using the wireless LAN while I toured the airport, I did observe numerous travelers running laptop computers. One fellow appeared to have a connection for mobile data via the IrDA ports on his mobile phone and laptop. While at the airport I also observed a very high percentage of people talking on their phones—in fact, I don’t believe I have ever seen so many people using their phones in one place at the same time.

Back in Stockholm, I watched the crowd as it pulsed through Central Station. There is a lot of fast-moving activity there, so I did not expect to see anyone using mobile data services. But I did have my first sighting (apart from demos) of a Bluetooth headset. I also saw several people using their phones for traditional voice services. At the business lounge, however, I was shown a wireless LAN base station and told that the service is very popular with traveling businesspeople.

After leaving Central Station, I visited six hotels: three of Stockholm’s most prominent hotels, two recently opened business hotels, and one very small business hotel. I spoke with the day manager on duty at each hotel. To my dismay, none of the “big-name” hotels offer or have plans to offer wireless LAN services. But the two newly opened business hotels have already installed wireless LAN—in one of them, on every floor!

At shops that sell mobile phones and accessories I chatted with the personnel about GPRS, Bluetooth, the Mobile Internet, wireless LAN, and different kinds of subscription plans. I learned that many people are buying GPRS phones, but few of them are subscribing to GPRS service. That’s odd, I thought. I wonder why? And so they told me: “GPRS is currently a supplementary service that cannot be combined with prepaid subscriptions.” Ah yes, prepaid. Fortunately, this situation might soon change. AT CeBIT, for example, Ericsson demonstrated a prepaid system that allows operators to charge for MMS in real time.

I must concede that my prediction was overly optimistic. The early adopters are experiencing the Mobile Internet, but not the majority of subscribers. On the other hand, a lot of people now own GPRS phones, so I am left wondering why they do not use the Mobile Internet—might this be due to a lack of subscription options? After all, a lot of ordinary folks prefer prepaid subscriptions. Another factor might be the availability of Mobile Internet services, but given that players like Sony and RealNetworks have announced that they will be providing content this will hardly remain an issue for very long.

For what it is worth, this exercise—while neither exhaustive nor scientific—has been entertaining, and based on my personal observations, I feel more confident than ever about the Mobile Internet—the fun is about to begin. Truly!

[First published in Ericsson Review no. 01, 2002]