As we have already seen, the performance features of the latest-generation notebooks are practical identical to those of traditional PCs. Above all in the United States, many users prefer portables over traditional PCs even for their permanent workstations.

When portables are used in this manner, connectivity concerns are identical to those discussed in relation to a permanent teleworkstation, since the latest notebooks can make use of the same technologies available to traditional PCs.
Connectivity concerns change when the teleworker uses the notebook as a true portable, in different places (mobile teleworking). The primary need, in this case, will be to ensure maximum versatility so as to be able to transfer data using the various connection modes available in one place and another..

Today's notebooks guarantee just this flexibility . It is relatively simple (thanks above all to the PCMCIA peripherals) to equip the portable computer with all those "extensions" that permit interfacing with all types of connections currently available.
One type of connection that we have not yet discussed, and which is specific to the world of the portables, is connection over the cellular network. It is in fact possible to access the Internet by cell phone by connecting a cell phone with modem to the notebook, using a special cable or an infrared port, or using the specific PCMCIA-standard card designed for this purpose.

This type of connection is still evolving and is not yet been codified. In theory, the possible standards are three in number: GSM (speeds not exceeding 9.6 Kbps), GPRS (speeds not exceeding 171.2 Kbps), and UMTS, which should offer much higher speeds but which, due to technical and legal problems, is not yet fully operable.

From the above it is clear that despite the indisputable advantage of being able to connect to the Internet from any location, real use of this type of connection is fatally limited by the bandwidth, which is still much narrower than any other type of connection. Therefore, while it is absolutely impossible, for the moment, to even imagine a videoconference session via cellular network, it is possible (cost concerns aside) to send and receive all kinds of data, albeit (for now) relatively slowly.

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