Brave New Unwired World: The Digital Big Bang

Accolades for Brave New Unwired World

"This book shines a laser-like brilliance on the near future of communication. Lightman's vision of mobile, broadband everyday life will certainly appeal to a market saturated with small-step changes. Lightman takes giant strides, based on known technical capabilities that have been under-used. The world will turn out his way, and sooner than most think."

-- Gregory Benford, professor of physics, University of California., Irvine, and author, Timescape

"Finally, a picture of the future of wireless with emphasis on the needs of people and on the benefits to users, in contrast with the hype, jargon, and acronyms so prevalent in our industry. Lightman's chapter on wearable computers and predictions of the 4G communicator are, alone, more than worth the price of the book."

-- Martin Cooper, Chairman and CEO, ArrayComm. Inc., inventor of the first cellular phone

"More riveting than any book about techno-innovation deserves to be. It makes the rivets of wireless communication fascinating."

-- David Brin, author, The Transparent Society

"Go directly to 4G, do not stop at 3G, is Alex Lightman's message. Why bother with 3G mobile phones that can only deliver a dial-up modem's worth of data? He shows how broadband communications could go mobile, delivering a torrent of bits to computer systems that we wear. It's the sort of visionary idea that telecommunications needs."

-- Jeff Hecht, author, Understanding Fiber Optics and City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics

"The future landscape (near term and far) for wireless infrastructure, computers, and gadgetry is rendered with authority and predictive accuracy in Lightman's Brave New Unwired World."

-- David Geer, journalist/technician

"Alex Lightman is both a philosopher and practical visionary who presents us with a good prediction of what we'll be. His focus on wireless communications and wearable computing is very timely."

-- Steve Mann, Professor, University of Toronto, and pioneer in wearable computing

"This book is as exciting as the emerging technologies the two authors write about. A must-read. Period."

-- Dr. Balz Wyss, Director of Business Development, RealNetworks Inc.

"Alex Lightman has a mind like a lamp, searching, questing for an understanding of the mutating world around us. His vision of a future convergence of technologies in a single device, a personal communicator that will be both elegant and easy to use, is especially enticing. Brave New Unwired World is a book that may very well be our compass into our possible futures."

-- George Zebrowski, award-winning author

"Lightman uses his extensive knowledge of the expanding telecommunications, technology, and global political environment to carefully sketch a portrait of high technology in the past, present, and not so distant future. Reads like a novel, yet absolutely vital."

-- Kelly Carter, President, The Kingston Group

Lightman offers insights and predictions about the next generation of connectivity, devices and services in the wireless world. Coverage includes major technology trends to follow, a brief history of the cellular industry, radio spectrum, digital signal processors, 2.5G systems, the wireless Internet market, third generation (3G: "always- on, faster data rate") systems, microprocessors, the power of networking, molecular-scale electronics and quantum computing, the digital "big bang", wearable computers, fourth generation (4G) solutions, and case studies suggesting some important challenges the U.S. and Europe will face from Japanese and Chinese companies. For IT professionals, executives, managers, and investors. Lightman is cofounder and CEO of Charmed Technology, an MIT Media Lab spin-off.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A whirlwind tour through the exciting landscape opening up around digital wireless communication

In The Brave New Unwired World, the CEO of one of today's hottest wireless businesses explores the latest thinking and trends in the exciting world of digital wireless communication and boldly predicts the future of this hot new field. He acquaints readers with the amazing technologies involved and the no less amazing profit opportunities opening up around them. Drawing upon his unique access to top management at Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, Verizon, IBM, Cisco, Psion, Microsoft, and other key players, he profiles those who are vying to be among the first to cash in on the wireless revolution while holding their own against brilliant upstarts, government regulation, and the threat of extinction by competitors who appear from virtually nowhere, at any moment.

This is a "big-think" book about the future of wireless technology, showing the impact of this emerging technology on businesses and society in a global context. It serves as a definitive guide to the people, products, companies, technologies, and social impacts that are already changing the world.

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.

ALEX LIGHTMAN is cofounder and CEO of Charmed Technology (www.charmed.com), an MIT Media Lab spin-off. He is also a producer of the company's Brave New Unwired World wireless technology fashion show taking place at Internet World trade shows across the globe. A pioneer in Internet entertainment, Lightman has produced more than fifty Internet-related projects for a variety of clients, including Paramount Pictures, CNN, CNET, CKS, and Silicon Graphics. In addition to overseeing operations at Charmed Technology, Lightman has been a contributing editor to Red Herring magazine and IntellectualCapital.com. In 1999, Lightman was named "Up-and-Comer" by Forbes magazine and was recognized by Chief Executive magazine as one of ten "CEOs of the Future." In addition, Animation magazine has crowned him a "cyberguru." Lightman is a 1983 graduate of MIT.

WILLIAM ROJAS is a director and founder of William Benton & Associates, Ltd., a Hong Kong-based business development and industry research consulting firm assisting companies in constructing business strategies in the IT/telecoms/Internet sectors. Over the last five years, Rojas has provided strategic, business development, market research, and systems engineering consulting services for a number of world-class firms, including Ascend/Lucent, Cisco, British Telecom, Hong Kong Land, NEC, Omron, Mitsubishi Corporation, the Japan Import Export Bank, and the National Bank of Ukraine. He is also a contributing senior telecoms analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit, specializing in the Japanese telecommunications industry. Rojas has worked for a number of large firms, including General Electric, IBM, Reuters, and Nomura Research Institute.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

PART I: INTRODUCTION.

The Path to 4G: Major Technology Trends to Watch.

PART II: THE WIRELESS MARKET.

A Brief History of the Cellular Industry--1975 to 2001.

Radio Spectrum -

Managing a Scarce Resource.

Digital Signal Processors.

2.5 G Systems: An Interim Solution.

The Wireless Internet Services.

Third Generation Systems.

PART III: PERVASIVE COMPUTING.

The Incredible Shrinking Computer.

The Power of Network.

Molecular Scale Electronics and Quantum Computing.

The Digital Big Bang, Quantum MEchanics, and the Cosmos.

Wearable Computers and Wireless Ubiquitous Computers.

The Planetary Computer.

PART IV: A RECIPE FOR SOLUTIONS.

4G Network.

Choosing Computer Technologies for 4G.

Solution of the Air-Interface for 4G.

The 4G Personal Communicator: Star Trek Technology 400 Years Early.

4G Portals: Wireless AOLs.

PART V: CASE STUDIES: FIXED WIRELESS, JAPAN, AND CHINA.

Broadband Fixed Wireless Access.

NTT DoCoMo--Crouching 4G Tiger;

Sony--Hidden Dragon.

Why China will Adopt 4G.

Conclusion.

Index.