The value of coupling mobility with Internet access is significant. Any solution that provides mobile connectivity to the Internet is likely to be in high demand and heavily used. From this perspective, the opportunity for widespread deployment of both CDPD and Mobile IP technologies is immense. However, in some ways these technologies are in competition with one other. Unless CDPD services are widely deployed soon and unless the subnetwork-independent characteristic of CDPD mobility is further developed and adopted by users of other than cellular-based media, it is unlikely that CDPD mobility will become the mainstream solution to Internet mobility. The Mobile IP standardization process has been quite slow and the base specification for Mobile IP has not yet reached RFC status as of this writing. However, Mobile IP enjoys certain characteristics which seem to ensure its survival until it becomes widely adopted. These characteristics include complete openness, subnetwork independence, user orientation, and proven correct specifications. Another key factor in the widespread deployment of any network is the fitness of the network operators and equipment manufacturers for the job at hand. CDPD network operators are cellular service providers and CDPD equipment manufacturers are typically tele-communication equipment suppliers. Mobile IP network operators are likely to be Internet Service Providers and Mobile IP equipment manufacturers are typically data-communication equipment suppliers. We note that the entire Internet phenomenon was essentially independent of the public telecommunications providers. It is important to recognize that even though CDPD mobility has the potential to become a generalized mobility solution and compete with Mobile IP, it was not designed as such. Since CDPD's mobility management scheme is similar to that of Mobile IP, either could be adapted to interoperate with the other. Depending on the degree of integration gration desired, this could be a relatively easy or a significant job. Finally, CDPD devices are native IP hosts which can communicate with Mobile IP hosts without any modifications. The whole point of the Internet is that the local subnetwork connection is largely irrelevant to communications with the rest of the IP-based world. This is the foundation tion and the benefit of layered communications protocols. It is the communication itself and not the protocol used that is important.