Cable is on the retreat. In almost every data application, one form of wireless networking or another is supplanting copper and fibre, whether in the last few metres with personal area networks or in the ?last mile? with WiMax.

The key technology areas ? mobile phone networks, wireless LAN and short range, low bandwidth methods of transmission such as Zigbee ? are becoming pervasive. So, what levels of adoption are they achieving and what are their chief uses in industry?

Mobile ?phone based remote monitoring and control benefits from wide areas of coverage and bandwidth ranging from a few kbit/s on GSM networks to a few Mbit/s with 3G. In many applications, sheer bandwidth is not necessary and effective monitoring and control networks have been built which capitalize on mobile networks? ability to cover wide areas of the countryside.

British Waterways, for example, has used Vodafone?s GPRS network to monitor flow rates, pumps and water levels on 2000 miles of rivers and canals. There previously staff had to manually check often remote locations, data is now polled in seconds using sensors connected to modems which transmit to the organization?s SCADA centres where key details are shown on a geographical information system.

Elsewhere, industrial and medical gases supplier Cryoservice has connected 30 of its delivery and engineering staff to back end applications using O2?s GPRS network and XDA II PDAs supplied by Handheld PCs. This allows real time tracking of deliveries and work assignments, proof of delivery and stock control via flyingSpark field services software which is also linked to satnav on the PDA.

Neil Grimshaw, CryoService?s financial controller, says: ?By automating many of the tasks the engineers previously had to do manually, such as time sheet recording and reporting back to head office, the solution has created a 20% to 30% time saving.?

Wireless lan technologies come into their own when the requirement is for less range, but more bandwidth. And the technology has seen high rates of adoption in warehouse applications. Angelo Lamme, EMEA wireless product manager for Symbol, points out the benefits of WiFi to industrial users. Wireless networking can be, and is being, used in any industry where mobility is essential to the business,? he says. ?Specific industries are suited to the use of wireless. For example, it is much easier to realize the benefits of wireless networking if you operate in the transportation and logistics, manufacturing, or retail sectors, where WiFi can be used to trace goods and maintain control over inventory with a very clear return on investment. These sectors have seen the largest increase in uptake of wireless lan technology.?

Continue to part 2.