Moore's Law and potential changes in Federal Communications Commission policy likely mean that companies will see the day - sooner rather than later - when a single, multifunction wireless device replaces the sundry gadgets now carried by mobile workers.

Earlier this month, the FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force recommended rule changes to include time - in addition to frequency and power - when deciding how radio bandwidth is used. Software-defined radios on the drawing boards today could use these rule changes, and ever-increasing processor capability, to combine the functions of pagers and mobile and cordless phones into a single device. These devices can operate around the world by adapting to each country's regulatory idiosyncrasies.

Software-defined radios can be re-configured on the fly to work cooperatively. This means applications similar to grid computing can be implemented. For example, cell phone handsets could leapfrog one another back to a base station, boosting coverage areas. In the same scenario, the phones' close proximity might mean less power is needed to transmit, thereby extending battery life.

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