Fujitsu unwires U.S. workers

Fujitsu is now selling gear for a mobile work force in North America after a successful European run, the high-tech device maker said Monday.



Fujitsu's "Enterprise Mobility" products include devices for workers, hardware for corporate networks and consulting services, according to a Fujitsu statement.



Corporate use of wireless devices is expected to help generate a large percent of the overall revenue created whenever someone uses a mobile phone, according to most analysts. Mobile services offered by about a dozen major North American wireless carriers generated $85 billion in revenue in 2002, a figure that is expected to climb to about $150 billion by 2006, according to Gartner Dataquest.

IBM, which sells the most computer network equipment for a mobile work force to North American businesses, is fighting challenges from most major makers of telecommunications gear. The market has become even more crowded as Research In Motion's Blackberry, Handspring's Treo, and devices using Microsoft's wireless operating system battle for corporate dollars.

Fujitsu believes it's got an edge because of its previous successes in Europe and Asia, where a handful of companies already use its equipment. Also, Fujitsu said that unlike most of its competitors, it features "one of North America's only complete set of wireless solutions for the enterprise," a Fujitsu statement said.

Fujitsu said its initial targets will include three particular markets: government workers, public safety and security concerns, hospitals and medical workers, and financial institutions.