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| The convergence of two highly disruptive technologies, VoIP and WLAN, is
set to drastically alter the way we communicate, do business, and play.
VoWLAN represents both an opportunity and a threat to traditional
business and communications. |
VoIP: A Disruptive Technology
The
definition of a disruptive technology is one that has the apparent potential to
permanently alter the technical and economic dynamics of the market. Voice over Internet Protocol is just such a
technology.
The disruptive potential
of VoIP stems from two facts:
Voice communications is and always has been the
“Killer App”, the application that generates the most usage and revenue.
Internet Protocol is a packet switched technology, not
circuit switched. The significance being
that in a packet switched network the available bandwidth is shared among all
active users and not dedicated in any portion to any specific user. This produces a bandwidth utilization
efficiency that is not possible in circuit switched networks.
VoWLAN Global Market Power
The
delivery of multimedia, content-rich services not previously available in an
economically affordable service offering for the mass market.
Bandwidth-efficient
systems will realize broader acceptance, further reducing production costs.
Bandwidth
efficiency enables the development of new services and applications that may
function in a constrained environment.
VoWLAN will
deliver services when and where the customer wants
them fulfilling the consumer desire for flexibility and mobility. In other
words, affordable, ubiquitous connectivity.
WLAN standards will further lower the cost of deployment while providing
a foundation for the development of security, Quality of Service and operational
support mechanisms previously deficient in wireless networks.
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