3G Mobile Internet access for your practice

by David Orenstein freelance writer

More than a decade ago when beepers were new, a photojournalist friend would joke that when her beeper went off at a restaurant, she would jump up and yell, “Thank God! They found a heart!” Doctors—well, heart surgeons anyway—were the archetypical users of wireless communications technology at the time.

Of all the changes in wireless, the biggest in a long while is about to come: “3G,” which stands for Third Generation. It means a lot of things, but most important is high-speed data transfers. In a cab, at the supermarket, or at a Cowboys game, you’ll be able to check your office e-mail or view any Web page on a “smart phone” that is a cross between a cell phone and a Palm or Windows-based hand-held computer. You’ve probably heard hype-ridden promises like this before because the “Wireless Web” ostensibly is available with the “2G” service available now. But with the advent of 3G and “smart phones” later this year, the option of being mobile with data, not just voice, finally will be realistic. Depending on the pace of your practice and your need to leave the office, it also might be useful.

The first 3G service in the United States, which Verizon rolled out in the Northeast, Silicon Valley, and Salt Lake City in late January, offers speeds up to 10 times faster than 2G. What took 3 minutes before could take as little as 18 seconds now. Also, the service will let users surf the entire Internet, so if you’re lost on the way to a conference, you’ll be able to pull over and look up directions on the Web. This would be a worthless feature on a present-day phone, but smart phones with bigger, color screens, and decent interfaces are on the way. In fact, 2G-compatible smart phones from Samsung, Kyocera, and Handspring are on the market and Windows-based ones aren’t far behind. New 3G-compatible versions of these devices will make it bearable to use the Internet while out of the office.

But the price might not be bearable. Companies such as Verizon and Sprint PCS (which promises a nationwide rollout of 3G in the second half of this year) are losing tons of money building up 3G networks and are relying on you to restore their profits. Verizon is charging its 3G customers an additional $30 a month for the service. Despite the extra charge, they won’t get additional minutes for data downloads. Time spent on the Web or e-mail at 2 pm on a Wednesday afternoon will come out of their plan’s allotted minutes. Smart phones are not cheap, either—the 2G versions on the market cost about $400.

Meanwhile, for about the same money ($30 a month), one could subscribe to much faster wireless Internet service from Richardson-based MobileStar. That service offers data transfer speeds 10 times faster than 3G using 802.11, the wireless networking technology I wrote about in the September 2001 DMJ. Although this service is fast, it has three main drawbacks: The service is available only at an “access point,” such as a Starbucks or a hotel; it doesn’t provide voice calling; and MobileStar is mired in bankruptcy reorganization (as of late February, anyway). Still, it is not clear when 3G will debut in Dallas, and MobileStar’s service is available right now.

Some physicians have no real need for mobile Internet access, or even a mobile phone. But the practice of medicine often continues to be a practice even when the physician is not in the office. If your practice is becoming Internet-dependent, then having access to it pretty much anywhere might be worth looking into later this year.

David Orenstein is a technology and business writer in Silicon Valley. To learn more about a technology topic in Computing Care, e-mail him at davealli@attbi.com.