As traditional phone service slowly dies, said AT&T’s Randall Stephenson in his keynote address to NXTcomm, mobility will drive telecom companies to expand by including TV and broadband services. He outlined the recent history of a telecom industry transformation that goes beyond simple telephony to TV, high-speed Internet and wireless services. His view of the future lies in mobilizing these new services.
As a principle, he said that when devices and services are mobilized, all service uses rise. He offered examples new and old: watching the U.S. Open on his mobile handset through MediaFlo when he couldn’t get it on regular TV and the evolution of mobile music starting with the Sony Walkman, evolving through the iPod and now to the iPhone.
He also addressed how the global spread of the Internet, with about 80 percent of the world’s population within reach of a cell phone network, will change and create growth and economic opportunities. Currently, 2 billion people connect to the Internet. We should reach another billion by 2011, mostly from the developing world, and they will be accessing video and broadband from mobile devices.
"These are exciting times to be in this business and the industry. The opportunity is fleeting. Markets are moving fast. And not one of us has the time for misfires or missed deadlines," Stephenson said.
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