Telecommunications Technology for the First Decade of the 21^st Century

Abstract

Today I will focus on telecommunications technology for the first decade of the 21st century. Few things incite speculation about the future more than a year ending in the numeral “zero.” With the approaching millennium and its near-mystical three zeroes, everyone everywhere hungers for a glimpse into the future. My vision of the telecommunications future shows a collective of universal capabilities made possible by limitless digital networks with ubiquitous access and functionality. Mobile communications, the Internet, video, telephony and a broad array of end-user services will be the major drivers moving network providers to fuse capability with transparency. Integration of the full spectrum of communication possibilities will be the trend of the 21st century.