Useful applications behind demand for 3G

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta, zatni@cbn.net.id

Let's face it, for most of us, SMS and mobile voice communication is enough but some companies face the demands of adopting new technology, especially the expense, in their quest to be the forerunners of new expertise.

The Third Generation (3G) technology for mobile communications, represents different things to different people. Technology can not be maximized if the usefulness of its applications is not fully comprehended.

Japan has been the breeding ground of 3G technologies. The Japanese are among the heaviest users of mobile communication devices worldwide and have a very good communications infrastructure. Many Japanese spend hours in the train every day but their favorite en route pastime has begun to cause concern among observers. The passengers have stopped reading books and started texting -- a new term for sending and receiving SMS messages -- and playing games on their cell phones.

While in Tokyo two weeks ago, I had the chance to visit the headquarters of two companies with services that rely on 3G technologies. One was a safety and security company, and the other was a company that offered location-based services (LBSs)

Mom, I'm here

What do you do when a family member wanders distressed around the Tokyo streets and you don't know how to find her? What do you do if it is getting dark and your child is not home from school yet? How do you locate the whereabouts of your missing pet?

Since 2001, a Japanese company called SECOM Co. Ltd. has offered a range of services within Japan involving a small tracking device, no larger than a cell phone. If a child has the terminal attached to their belt and happens to catch the wrong train after school, their parents can call the company or go to the company's Web site and submit a "query." Within moments the company can notify them of the exact location of their child. Incidentally, in Japanese "Coco" means "I'm here", and the company has called the service "CoCo SECOM".

The service utilizes Qualcomm's MSM3000 integrated circuit and software system, incorporating the company's gpsOne position location solution with sophisticated SnapTrack technology. MSM in stands for Mobile Station Modem.

The terminal can also be planted inside a car and if it gets stolen can be easily located. Even when the car is being driven, the company can decipher the speed and general direction of the vehicle and where it is heading. The company may also be able to contact the police so that the car can be recovered before it is stripped down.

SECOM officials tell the story of how a bag containing valuables was stolen on the train. Luckily the owner had attached a terminal to the bag. The bag was recovered along with its contents.

Of course, these models of justice rely on the assumption that the child does not leave the terminal in his locker, or the thief isn't smart enough to find it hidden in the car. Clearly, the device is not 100 percent guaranteed protection but it is much better than nothing.

One of the major strength of the gpsOne, as this column mentioned last year, is that the system relies on information gathered from base stations in addition to data from GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites. This enables SECOM, for example, to find the target of its search within very narrow margins.

* Do you know where you're going to?

Another sought after application is the navigation service offered by a company called Navitime Japan Co., Ltd. Users of the service can receive directions (how to get from Point A to Point B) from their cell phones. Doesn't sound so special?

Consider that, in order to enable a quick download of maps, the maps must be vector-based rather than bitmap-based. This can be compared to the difference between creating a drawing using Photoshop and using Illustrator, or between using CorelPHOTOPaint and CorelDRAW applications.

A bitmap image is much larger in size and cannot be displayed quickly. A 64 KB file in the JPG format would transfer the same amount of information as a file of less than 2 KB in the vector- based format (V-format) and the vector-based image can be modified much faster.

In Jakarta, where drivers toot their horns faster than a Shinkansen bullet train, there is no time to wait for map images to download.

Navitime uses vector-based images whereas other services use bitmap images. Another benefit of a vector-based image is that the image can be zoomed in on without losing clarity, it can also be rotated. Navitime uses BREW, the programming platform that Qualcomm has developed for mobile applications.

There are more user-friendly applications on the horizon: Imagine a cell phone that tells you how to get to the nearest train station -- turn left to find the ticket vending machine, turn right to enter the gate, go down three levels, step into the train on the left -- When you are about to arrive at the right stop, the phone tells you to -- get ready, step out of the train, go upstairs, take the right exit, turn left and continue until you get to the Italian restaurant (where you have agreed to meet your friends). You will certainly say, "Haik, arigato gozaimas" (thank you).

The 3G technologies, especially the CDMA2000 1X EV-DO, have a high-speed data capability. However, Wireless LAN (WLAN) also offers high speed internet access and the technology is cheaper.

The market is ready for innovative, highly useful services based on 3G technology. CoCo SECOM and Navitime are just the start, new services will quickly be available that we, the creative and innovative people of Indonesia, should not miss.