Two-Way Pagers (2)

In plain English, this means that the network provides slow data communication with good coverage. This type of communication is used for trucks and all sorts of equipment that is reliant upon good coverage. Mobitex has existed in both Europe and the United States for more than 10 years, but its breakthrough for personal use was primarily due to the pager. In the late 1990s, the BlackBerry made it even more widespread with its ease of use and growing network coverage. Two-way pagers are not meant for Web browsing; they are more appropriate for services such as maintaining calendars, keeping lists of contacts, and exchanging e-mail via the device. Because the functionality of viewing attachments is rather limited and the connection speed is slow, there are clear restrictions on the size of e-mails.

One of the biggest differences between two-way pagers, Palms, and Pocket PCs is the keyboard. Even though the keys are small, pagers actually have a real keyboard. This makes for a considerable advantage when composing long e-mails.

Today, RIM, Motorola, and other two-way pager manufacturers face the challenge of adapting their devices to the new networks. BlackBerry and Timeport have already introduced devices that use GPRS communication, which is the data communication format used in GSM networks. This will open a new market where the interest for these kinds of devices is high. They now have to compete with smartphones and PDAs. The biggest need for adapting to new networks emerges from the speed that becomes available;
Mobitex is simply too slow.

Taken From : Enterprise Guide to Gaining Business Value from Mobile Technologies