CHANGING THE ROLE OF WIRELESS OPERATORS

Wireless technology is still in its infancy and as technology
changes so does the business model of the service providers.
Rarely have major changes to the infrastructure failed to
change the possible business models.
As technologies such as WLAN and Bluetooth improve,
they will serve a portion of consumers need for connectivity.
Wireless operators have traditionally offered services only on
licensed spectrum as it protected them from undue competition.
The future will see operators offering services over both
licensed and unlicensed spectrum reflecting a shift towards the
need for seamless management of wireless access across various
networks.

Operators of the future will need to compete not only against
the few that have purchased licensed spectrum but also those
that offer services in the unlicensed band. We believe that most
enterprise and consumer users will lean towards solutions that
integrate the authentication, customer care, and billing of as
many network access technologies as needed for their particular
use. Operators with licensed spectrum will still have an edge over
those without licenses, as many users will resist the hassle of separate
subscriptions for access needed on different overlapping
networks that will often service the same laptop or mobile device. 215

CHANGING THE ROLE OF WIRELESS OPERATORS

Wireless technology is still in its infancy and as technology
changes so does the business model of the service providers.
Rarely have major changes to the infrastructure failed to
change the possible business models.
As technologies such as WLAN and Bluetooth improve,
they will serve a portion of consumers need for connectivity.
Wireless operators have traditionally offered services only on
licensed spectrum as it protected them from undue competition.
The future will see operators offering services over both
licensed and unlicensed spectrum reflecting a shift towards the
need for seamless management of wireless access across various
networks.

Operators of the future will need to compete not only against
the few that have purchased licensed spectrum but also those
that offer services in the unlicensed band. We believe that most
enterprise and consumer users will lean towards solutions that
integrate the authentication, customer care, and billing of as
many network access technologies as needed for their particular
use. Operators with licensed spectrum will still have an edge over
those without licenses, as many users will resist the hassle of separate
subscriptions for access needed on different overlapping
networks that will often service the same laptop or mobile device.