InformationWeek

AlterEgo Networks Inc. launched a service that converts companies' Web-site HTML content into the appropriate markup language and screen display for wireless devices. Bid.com International Inc., an online auction application service provider, is rolling out a hosted service for wireless access to auction sites. And AT&T revealed plans to test technology that will significantly increase bandwidth on wireless networks.

"A growing number of companies see promise in mobile commerce, but they need affordable services that tackle the complicated and resource-intensive technical challenges," says Daniel Briere, founder of consulting firm TeleChoice. "Without them and more robust networks, user deployment of wireless services will be slow and their functionality limited."

ConsumerReviews.com, an 18-Web-site complex that stores 200,000 consumer-generated reviews on an array of products and services, says AlterEgo's service will let shoppers access content via wireless devices when they're close to buying an item from a store. "Being a typical dot-com, we're strapped for resources, short on time, and not willing to handle getting content in the correct format to each device," says Konrad App, director of wireless business for the company. "We wanted to be aggressive in embracing wireless but needed a partner to get us into the mobile commerce marketplace quickly." Content is stored on AlterEgo's cache network and delivered to wireless devices for $10 per every 1,000 pages viewed.

Truck maker Paccar Inc., which auctions off surplus items, sees promise in Bid.com's wireless auction service as an alternative to traditional online auctioning, says CIO Patrick Flynn. "The support for mobile devices and wired phones to let more people participate in auctions is an important differentiator. And by using the ASP model, you can get in the market quickly. We want to invest as little as possible in infrastructure," he says. Bid.com, which already runs an auction network for landline users, would not release its software licensing and per-transaction fees.

The longest-standing obstacle to greater mobile commerce use is the slow speed, typically 14.4 Kbps. Low speeds limit response times and the amount of data that can be carried. AT&T Wireless Services and Nortel Networks Corp. soon will start trials of wireless technology that supports speeds up to 384 Kbps. AT&T hopes to increase that speed to 2 Mbps within a few years. "This is the beginning of an important trend: wireless operators boosting network speeds," says Lisa Pierce, a director at Giga Information Group. "But it's not going to happen overnight. These are preliminary tests."