Embedded 3G, which has the 3G module embedded in a PC, is a trend that started a few years ago and has been evolving. A report from the research firm, Senza Fili Consulting, says that by 2014, vertical market applications will use more than 154 million connections on 3G,WiMAX or LTE networks, generating more than $43 billion in service revenues, and that vertical services will reach 24 percent of WiMAX subscriptions and 14 percent of LTE subscriptions.
A few years ago, enterprises were wise to not take advantage of the technology because it was evolving so rapidly, both in CDMA and GSM markets. But recently, things have stabilized this should continue for a few years until WiMAX and LTE, 4G technologies, come forward. Now, the innovation of the Gobi chip set from Qualcomm, which supports both CDMA and GSM standards in a single chip, makes it possible for you standardise. Gobi allows users to switch seamlessly between 3G networks around the world, including GSM, EDGE, HSPA, and EV-DO.
Advantages:
Companies were first buying PC cards and then USB sticks that supported 3G. When a company moves to Embedded 3G, the biggest advantage is that the cost of equipment is lower, whether built into the laptop or not. The electronics to provide embedded 3G is less than an external solution, which should show up as a lower price overall.
Also the reliability should be greater as there aren't pieces sticking out which can be broken off or lost or stolen. So you should save money over using USB adapters.
Disadvantages:
Although the technology is stabilised, it will change. As much as vendors can predict whether hardware and firmware will be forward compatible with future standards, they can't guarantee it. It's possible new standards will emerge that the hardware can't support and then you will be back to an external solution in order to support that laptop in the field.
In addition, while the hardware should be more reliable, the 3G module is in the hardware and will be a more expensive to fix. It might make more sense to ship out an external 3G component, rather than try to send in the laptop from the field.
A third disadvantage, which only happens on a case-by-case basis (cover this with your vendor), is whether you will be able to change service providers during the life of the laptop. There have been cases where the laptop provider was locked to a cellular provider NOT for the term of the contract, but for the life of the laptop (much longer). You need to be careful that you can switch providers, if you choose to, on that 3G embedded adaptor when your contract is up with that service provider.
Overall, this is a positive trend for the market. What seems to be happening in the long term, because the cost of electronics is going down, is a model where you can roll out 3G to all of your users, but only pay for it based on usage. We should see no more two-year-commits with flat-rate fees per month whether the end user engages in connectivity or not. The 3G hardware comes with the laptop with a small upfront price, and then your users only pay as they go. This will allow you to more broadly roll out 3G without having to worry about a huge up-front cost every month for subscriptions.
3G is a great component of an overall enterprise mobility solution, along with the Wi-Fi that you find at home, in the office and on-the-go. Now you have options to put together a solution that supports all of these technologies in a single, easy-to-use, unified package.
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