Future of mobile and wireless communications

Wireless technologies and their future uses are very much at the forefront of telecommunications. Yet understanding which wireless technology should be deployed is becoming increasingly difficult given the wide choice. To determine which technology should win in its market-place depends on much more than having a deep technical understanding of its capabilities. This also requires an understanding of its present uses, and how this might evolve, as well as the total cost of ownership. This paper describes collaboration between BT Exact and Motorola to help understand the future of wireless technologies from both a network operator and telecommunications infrastructure supplier points of view. It uses scenario modelling and technoeconomic analysis to position various wireless technologies such as 3G and WLANs.