Business Week looks at emerging technologies like 802.11n, Wi-Max, UWB and ZigBee. "A dizzying array of new wireless technologies now promise to make today's Wi-Fi networks seem like poky dial-up connections by comparison. Some of these new wireless technologies are out, while others will hit the market later this year and in 2006. Together they'll extend the reach of wireless networks, not just geographically but into new uses in the home and office."

Ramesh Jain writes:

IPTV does require advances in infrastructure. Even today distribution, or communication, mechanisms used in TV and Internet are significantly different. They have been slowly moving towards each other, but are far from convergence. The TV structure, whether broadcast, cable, or satellite, is primarily based on the broadcast metaphor or the push metaphor. All the programs are pushed to the user. The only choice a user has is to change the channel or to turn off the TV. On the other hand the Internet infrastructure is based on lot more personal choice in access. On Internet people combine push and pull depending on their need and interest. Once video is available on Internet, people will expect to use all the tools and functionalities that they commonly use with text.

IPTV is a real transformation in the society. IPTV brings TV media to masses not as a consumer but as a producer. Common people start using TV medium to share their experiences and producing contents of interest to other people, not necessarily only with commercial interest in mind. People will use it to share family birthdays with other family members who could not be there to share the moment in person. And thos could be done live or time displaced. If the last major revolution brought WWW and information revolution, this will be the next revolution and a major step in bringing experiences to people. IPTV is really FolkTV.

The Feature writes:

With the continued focus on always growing ARPU, though, many operators are starting to take SMS for granted, and have moved onto newer sources of revenue such as the bubble-like ringtone market and the highly speculative mobile video market. SMS is acting as something of a "cash cow" for mobile data -- the old reliable source of revenue -- while operators go out and look for the next big thing. However, if they're not careful that SMS revenue could start to go away as well. New research is predicting that SMS revenue may have reached a plateau and could start trending downwards, as various instant messaging platforms make more serious moves into the mobile space -- at much cheaper prices.

Of course, there seems to be little to back up this prediction, other than the fact that the various IM platforms have been making more efforts to enter the mobile market. That's not new -- nor are the difficulties they've faced with incompatible systems and uncooperative operators. SMS is still quite entrenched, and it certainly seems unlikely to disappear anytime soon. However, operators still need to be aware that there are competitors and there are eventual risks that those offerings could be quite compelling.

One way to avoid this threat is to move further towards offering flat-rate pricing that includes messaging. In doing so, the messaging part is looked up on as being "free," and there's less incentive to look for messaging alternatives. Another, is to focus more on developing SMS as a platform for additional applications and services. This is already starting with various premium SMS offerings, but it needs to go further to differentiate SMS as a platform from basic text messaging. Either way, though, operators who think their SMS revenue is secure probably need to start thinking again.

WSJ writes:

IBM is stepping up its efforts to help software makers make a transition into the business of "software as a service."

IBM launched a program offering tools and support to help software makers roll out the new business strategy, a move away from the industry's traditional licensing model. With software as a service, one company hosts the software application, such as for payroll management or accounting, and provides those capabilities remotely for client companies.

Big Blue is hoping to expand its network of 70 software-as-a-service applications partners in a bid to provide a more flexible alternative to offerings from competitors such as SAP AG, Oracle Corp. and Microsoft Corp.'s Great Plains unit.

IBM's move is part of a trend in the software industry as it diversifies away from the traditional model of selling software as a product. The service model allows customers to pay for usage and is seen as reducing the risk and costs of owning and maintaining software for information-technology buyers.

The software-services model is taking hold after originally falling short in the late 1990s. Research firm IDC estimates that the software-as-a-service market will grow to a $10 billion industry by 2009, from $4.2 billion last year. "It's a market that's finally coming into its prime," said Laurie McCabe, vice president with market-research firm AMI-Partners.

[via Smart Mobs] Technology Review writes:

Collaborative citizen journalism (CCJ) [is] where ordinary citizens band together on the Web to write original stories and critique mainstream media stories, using the Internet to connect with each other and to make sure their thoughts reach the public.

This new form of journalism differs from its more popular blogging cousin in that, unlike blogging, which eschews (in many cases) the more rigorous elements of journalism, collaborative media efforts tap into a particular community to make sure a story is as complete as possible.

In some cases, such as the Korean site OhMyNews, CCJ stories are reported by a team of volunteer journalists; in others, such as Wiki News, a group does serial fact-checking and vetting on an existing piece, calling attention to errors or omissions.

"Collaborative citizen journalism is a very, very nuanced thing, and it's different than just one citizen blogging," says Jason Calacanis, founder of Weblogs, Inc., a large blog publisher, in an email. "But CCJ is the best method for getting to the truth since you have many people and their perspectives involved in the process. Of course, CCJ it is harder to produce (at least right now since it is so new)."

Dear Abhishek,

5. Fragmentation of Media

The big (almost untold) story of the recent years has been the fragmentation of media. I was telling a friend recently about my own dramatic change in reading habits. Most of my reading comes not from the handful of papers and TV channels but from a collection of 300+ bloggers and websites, including a few from mainstream media. (In fact, my own blog completed three years recently.)

Jeff Jarvis captured the essence of what is happening: “The audience is moving to lots of new places now that they have the choice, now that they have control. The single, shared national experience we keep sighing about existed for only a few decades as we lived with three networks and fewer and fewer newspapers. The natural state of media is fragmentation: consumers gain choice, media loses control, citizens gain control. Fragmentation is good…It used to be, we waited for the news -- when the paper was plopped on our doorstep, when the show came on the TV. Now the news waits for us -- we get what we want when and where we want it…More news is good. Choice is good. Citizens controlling their media is good. Fragmentation is good.”

Television too is changing – Internet TV (or IP-TV) is becoming a reality. More importantly, technology is putting power in the hands of individuals. The cameraphone that I have can record an hour of video! There are websites emerging that allow me to post captured videos online for others to see. In a sense, I can also start my own TV channel – serving a readership of friends and family.

Chris Anderson calls it the “long tail.” Whatever it is, what is very clear that the choices you will have are growing exponentially.

6. The Real World Around Us

One thing I never want you to forget is that you have been a dealt a great hand by the luck of the draw. But for every one person like you, there are many others who still have little or no access to the basics of life – food, water, shelter, energy, education and healthcare. It is a world you cannot turn away from. Poverty continues to be a bane in our country. I hope we in India take positive steps to lift hundreds of millions out of poverty in the coming years.

In this real world around us, there are many challenges. Most of urban India today suffers from a few hours of power cuts every day. Water is getting increasingly scarce. Oil is becoming more expensive. As India develops, our energy needs are rising. We need alternative sources of energy. I don’t know where they will come from. Maybe we will find more oil, maybe we will make solar power more cost-effective. Or perhaps, turn to wind or nuclear energy or biofuels. The energy conundrum will be the key to how rapidly we progress.

Tomorrow: 10 Big Ideas (continued)