"A few years ago, proponents of third-generation (3G) mobile networks told us that networkers would have abandoned copper and fiber by now. They imagined a world without wires, in which cell phones displaced land lines, and people surfed the Web or accessed their company networks from a cafe, airport, or park.

They were right about the applications, but wrong about the technology. Though cell phones are more popular than ever and surfers are connecting to the Internet wirelessly, there's little connection between the two. Instead of accessing 3G networks through futuristic converged devices, most wireless workers reserve their cell phones for voice and use laptops with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) cards for data. With Wi-Fi already both faster and cheaper than 3G, many networkers see the latter as irrelevant."

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