THIRD WAVE :
LARGE SCALE INTERGRATION TO OTHER SERVICES, INTEGRATION ACROSS CARRIERS.

Real contextualisation happens when you can carry your profiles across geopolitical boundaries and across carriers. Here I see the exponential usefulness of context driven applications in whichever city and country you happen to be. Your needs and likes will be matched against offerings in country and location and pushed to your attention.

A true “STAR Alliance” type sharing of services and privilege can be delivered across the board for a plethora of vertical services. Collaborative commerce type applications can be developed. I can envision a portable “World Citizen” type privilege which can be carried with the consumer wherever he or she is. This dovetails into the needs of a greater portion of the global population traveling more often and more professionals with discretionary money to spend and les time to spend it with.

Further integration of GPS with LBS systems will spawn ever more concise ways of delivering targeted services to the end user. This service integration will promote an outgrowth of sophisticated applications where logistics, ERP and CRM opportunities will flourish.

WHAT ABOUT DEVICES?

For the longest time, wireless developers were looking for suitable devices to deploy their applications on. The dearth of devices led to the “chicken and egg” quandary for wireless developers - I have the applications and services but what will the deployment platform be?

Mobile phone manufacturers have a whole new line up of handsets offering both Java and MMS functionality. Brand names like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Panasonic, etc. will have models commercially available by Q3 this year. They have committed to Java, and in particular J2METM , to be their platform of choice. And given their continued commitment to drive handsets as the de facto personal communications device, what we are seeing is only the tip of what is to come.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO THE DEVELOPERS OUT THERE?

The time is right and the time is now to catch the new wave of computing. In short all the planets are aligned. Business drivers like the carriers are hungry, devices are available, the technology is mature, and the developers have the innovation to make things happen.

CAN THIS VISION SPELL A GOLDEN AGE FOR CARRIERS?

I think so. We, as consumers, are conditioned from the beginning to pay for mobile services. Now what we need as consumers is the content.