experienced

Wireless: Great Technology, Cost Prohibitive

The cost estimates provided in Ms. Mermigas' article are questionable, especially regarding the $200 billion estimate for converting to a completely wireless environment. Here are a few reasons why:

1. As wireless technology improves, the bandwidth required for high speed data and the speed at which data can be transmitted reduces the cost considerably when compared with present day costs.

2. An "all or nothing" approach to wireless fails to recognize certain legitimate applications for wired technology. A large corporation issuing payroll checks, for example, would be better off relying on wired technology. But smaller files that can be transmitted in a few minutes, or less, including high definition video, are likely to be most appropriate for wireless.

3. At the receiving end, as wireless devices incorporate more memory for storage of large documents, the probability increases that wireless will be the technology of choice for all but the largest files.