Paced by the infectious use of the World Wide Web, the Internet has grown exponentially.

More than 600 million people sampled the Web in 2002, spending more than $1.5 trillion for goods and services. By 2007, U.S. News and World Report predicts more than 1 billion people will be regular Internet users.

It’s no surprise, then, that newspapers have developed sophisticated Web-based products to seize a portion of this market.

Until recently, these products have been engineered to reach an audience that is physically connected — via phone line or coaxial cable — to the Web.

That’s changing, and quickly. The advent of high-speed wireless connectivity means a growing number of users will have the opportunity to download news and information free from their electronic tethers.

Dynamic change

This adoption is sure to change the dynamic of the Internet and its content.

If the acceptance of home computers, video games, or MP3 players is any indication, the world of consumers will one day wholeheartedly adopt wireless broadband networks and applications such as Wi-Fi, 3G and SPOT, Microsoft Corp.’s recently unveiled small personal objects technology initiative.

In recent years, communication companies and chip manufactures have invested great amounts of time and money developing and refining the chipsets and networks that will comprise this future backbone of the mobile Internet.

In March, for example, Intel Corp. unveiled Centrino, a group of chips built around the low-power Pentium-M microprocessor that’s specifically geared to wireless connectivity.

Wi-Fi growth

Wi-Fi growth, meanwhile, is blossoming. Worldwide shipments of Wi-Fi system components have grown from 1 million to 5 million in the last two years, according to Phoenix, Ariz.-based Synergy Research Group.

At the same time, Wi-Fi transmission speeds have also accelerated. Current standards support data transmission rates of up to 54 megabits per second, more than four times faster than the prevailing 11 Mbps benchmark.

To capitalize on the projected growth of wireless technologies, corporate America has jumped in with both feet. Airports, hotels and even some restaurant chains have installed the wireless access points needed to let shoppers cruise the Web while they’re waiting for a plane or chowing down a hamburger.

Compensating technology

Mobile Internet connectivity is designed to compensate for time lost during the commute to work, at a coffee shop or in line at a grocery store.

Yet such access doesn’t come without a cost. The current “global village” in which we all reside has inundated us with a plethora of information, often superfluous to our requirements.

Future wireless users will seek a single Web portal where they can customize the news, information and associated materials they elect to receive.

This is where newspapers’ access to the community’s general pulse presents an enormous opportunity. Newspapers can take advantage of the void in quality Internet products. Internet-savvy users (the adopters of mobile technologies) are a growing audience and revenue base that are seeking superior, easily accessible Internet destinations that provide trustworthy and relevant content.

Where better to connect with local and national news, traffic, weather and movie listings than a newspaper Web site? Remember, however, that wireless users will covet the ability to access a myriad of Internet applications while on the move. Thus, domination of this market requires a firm grasp on the entire Internet experience.

Newspapers must offer synchronous applications that allow real-time communications among various entities. To be successful, next-generation newspaper Web sites must make available chat, Internet relay-chat, or IRC and tools that enable users to perform a variety of tasks — from reserving a table at a local restaurant to purchasing movie or theater tickets.

Asynchronous operations alone, where data is stored and shared statically, will not be sufficient.

Finally, one question remains: How much time does the newspaper industry have to develop what is needed to win the mobile Internet market share? The market will accelerate only when device capability and quality and quantity of content come into balance. Early adopters are just waiting in the wings. Time is of the essence.

Paul Ziek is project manager for Savant Services Corp., a New York-based project management firm. He can be reached at pziek@savantservices.com.