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April 11, 2008

Internet Revolution Extending Beyond the Wired World

Not very long ago, I remember spending about $100 per month on my phone bill and an additional $20 for dial-up Internet access. Today, I spend about $50 on my broadband Internet connection and an additional $20 for VoIP phone service – with added benefits of ubiquitous access to social networking, rich communications, multimedia, and e-commerce applications. This economic dynamic, facilitated by the Internet revolution, has not only changed the economics in the land-line telecommunications industry, but it has fundamentally changed how we communicate, recreate, educate, and conduct business.

As 40,000 professionals from 125 countries converged at in Las Vegas for CTIA Wireless 2008, it was clear that the benefits of the Internet revolution are being extended well beyond the wired world. More than 1,100 technology vendors at the show demonstrated how they are pushing its boundaries with new business models and technical innovation to drive this revolution into the wireless world.

Wireless equipment providers focused on how ubiquitous bandwidth, delivered by high performance wireless networks laid the foundation for the mobile Internet superhighway. With the rollout of next-generation mobility services, carriers were hard at work giving existing and new subscribers every reason to remain connected on their networks, while providing them with convenient hopping points between precious licensed wireless and unlicensed wireless or wired networks.

Mobile application providers responded to the challenge by demonstrating rich broadband Internet like mobile multimedia, mobile advertising, m-commerce, mobile social networking and mobile communications applications -- but with added benefit of un-tethered everywhere and every time mobility experience. As more and more is demanded from the mobile device by these applications, innovations in mobile device and operating systems took center stage for many vendors in the mobile end-point business.

With the Internet revolution extending into the wireless world and as we become more accustomed to the Mobile Internet in our personal lives, we will soon expect similar experience in our work lives. One way that businesses can prepare for this is by mobilizing current investments in business communications and applications available in the office to where every business takes their employees. By mobilizing these applications, businesses can harness the productivity benefits of the Internet well beyond the office.

by Priten Gandecha, Cisco Unified Communications solutions marketing manager

Posted by Cisco PR on April 11, 2008 10:36 AM