PERSONAL COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION TO EXPLORE 
URGENT WIRELESS DATA-TO-VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK ISSUES AT 
SPECIAL MEETING IN NEW ORLEANS, MARCH 1; MEETING COINCIDES 
WITH CTIA'S WIRELESS 2000 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

	BOULDER CREEK, California, January 11 --  When the Personal Computer 
and Communications Association convenes in New Orleans on March 1, the 
final day of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association's (CTIA) 
Wireless 2000 event, the dominant issue on the PCCA agenda will be the 
issues and barriers to integration of virtual private networks (VPNs) with 
the wireless data world.  

And according to Peter Rysavy, executive director of the technology and 
standards oriented trade group, participation from all related sectors of 
the technology field is being sought in order to achieve near-term 
solutions to the conflicts between the two technologies.

VPNs are widely used as "secure tunnels" for private, secure 
communications over the conventional public voice and data networks and 
increasingly, for Internet traffic,  Rysavy said, but businesses are 
hesitant to extend their VPNs to wireless because most often, they have 
been developed without regard for the constraints and limits of wireless 
data communications.

"At this meeting, we will identify the key issues, and develop 
recommendations for implementation and deployment approaches that will 
allow the two technologies to work together effectively and securely," 
Rysavy said.  "There is mounting pressure to deal with these problems.  
With the wireless data-enabled mobile workforce growing rapidly and the 
implementation of VPNs burgeoning, it is apparent that for wireless 
networks' continued successful growth, VPN connectivity will be a critical 
component."

Andrew Seybold, PCCA cofounder and chairman and an authoritative 
analyst/journalist covering the wireless data field, concurs:  "Accessing 
corporate resources via the Internet is one of the most important 
applications for wireless networks, and VPNs will  play a key role," he 
said.  "But there is enormous confusion in how VPNs operate and how they 
can be used with wireless networks.  This special meeting will be 
extremely valuable in clarifying the issues."

Among the items on the agenda:

- the status of VPN technology and associated standards;
- the importance of VPNs for wireless remote access, and the remote 
  access models that are involved;
- how VPNs will interoperate with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP);
- how well current VPN technologies accommodate wireless requirements; e.g.,
  overhead, intermittent connections, etc.;
- pros and cons of end-to-end VPNs vs. carrier-to-customer VPNs;
- the effects of carriers using public vs. private addresses;
- the differences between general purpose VPNs and VPN technologies designed
  specifically for wireless;
- the effects of network address translation on VPNs;
- VPN provisions being designed into 2.5G and 3G networks.

"We welcome attendance by concerned individuals who are attending CTIA's 
Wireless 2000, whether they are PCCA members or not," Rysavy said.  "PCCA 
has representation from most of the leaders in the wireless data industry 
because the organization offers a rare opportunity for competitors in the 
market to collaborate on the serious technical issues facing the 
industry.  We have been extremely successful in identifying and solving 
specialized issues like standardized interoperability, and now we are 
turning attention to broader architectural issues.  The VPN focus is an 
example of this direction.  Nobody else is doing it, and it places us in a 
unique position to provide value to our industry."

Founded in 1992, the Portable Computer and Communications Association is a 
non-profit trade association which focuses on the convergence of the two 
industries as well as the Internet.  Its charter is to enable, develop and 
promote the adoption of standards for interoperable mobile computing and 
communications. Membership is open to all companies and individuals with 
an interest in these disciplines.

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