Virtual Telecommunications

We all acknowledge that the world as it stands today would not be the same had it not been for Mr. Alexander Graham Bell.

"Telecommunication is transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, drums, semaphore, flags or heliograph. In modern times, telecommunication typically involves the use of electronic devices such as the telephone, television, radio or computer. Early inventors in the field of telecommunication include Alexander Graham Bell, Guglielmo Marconi and John Logie Baird. Telecommunication is an important part of the world economy and the telecommunication industry's revenue was estimated to be $1.2 trillion in 2006."

Now, you must be wondering what is an IBMer (me) doing writing about telecommunications (because IBM does not manufacture or integrate telecommunications devices). Well, IBM does provide systems integration business capabilities for many well-known telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Verizon, etc.

What comes to your mind when you first think of Virtual Telecommunications?

• Marketing buzzword
• Probably some new technology that introduces low cost telecommunications..lower than Vonage
• Being on or simulated on a computer or computer network
• Telecommunications system in 2nd life? 
• IBM's Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM)
• AT&T's Virtual Telecommunications Network Service
  

If you guessed something else, then, perhaps you may have made the right guess.


If you have been closely following the evolution with telecommunications devices: Blackberry Curve -> iPhone -> iPhone 2.0 -> iPhone 2.0 S ->Motorola Droid => the logical next step is virtual telecommunications devices.

Yes, I deliberately left out Blackberry devices because those have become obsolete (lacking continuous innovation) and RIM has failed to keep up with changing times. 


My Hypothesis:
I believe Virtual Telecommunications will be a logical evolution at the end of 2010 and will materialize in 2011 - encapsulating macroeconomics around the globe. It will revolutionize telecommunications to an extent, but without disrupting the existing framework. Imagine a world where an electronic device could morph itself and gain adaptive logical functions to be able to communicate with other devices. This will require advancements in device firmware technology, device interconnect wireless protocol, device stabilization management software, and device interconnect security management. The key innovation will be around peer-to-peer device networking. In 2011, you will walk into a Shopping Mall and your telecommunications device will contextually provision itself to tell you what you need to know. It's going to be the ultra-smart phone. How? It is the only device closest to everything you own and use at your home, your office, in your car and other places. As devices interconnect in this new fashion and exchange basic information about each other your telecommunications device will have an internal database of what you use, frequency of use and miscellaneous usage characteristics. As the telecommunications device owner one would control the specific inter-device communications specifications via personalized definitions, which will retain security administration by the individual. And, it's not going to be Apple that will be at the fore front of this next wave. So, who will it be? You will just have to wait until 2011 to find out when it becomes public news.


References:

1. Wikipedia::Telecommunications
2. Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM)
3.  AT&T's Virtual Telecommunications Network Service 

Virtual Telecommunications is one of my pet projects.

I hope the readers got a taste of the nature of changes to expect in 2011.