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Published ArticlesEmerging Internet Trends: What do they mean for your business?
by Jeannine Taylor
Other Articles You may have heard terms that describe various emerging trends on the internet such as "broadband," "convergence" and "wireless." If you are an average business owner being inundated with the new jargon, they may seem vague and meaningless. If you are conducting business on the internet, take note. These technologies will impact the way we live and work in the near future.
Broadband
"Broadband" is a technical term meaning the ability to transfer data at high speeds -- defined as 1.5 megabits per second or greater. What does this number mean? Currently, many people are connected to the internet through dial-up connections at a maximum of 56 kilobits per second. Imagine that you wanted to download the Encyclopedia Britannica DVD -- which is 4.5 gigabytes of data -- over the internet. On your 56K modem, it would take you eight days to download this amount of data. With broadband, it would take only 14 minutes.
The next generation of broadband will come with the next generation of the internet, known as the "Internet2". The Internet2 -- currently being tested at sites in the U.S. -- will operate through fibre-optic networks at 2.4 gigabits per second. That's 100 to 1,000 times faster than the current fastest internet connection. On the Internet2, you could download the 4.5 gigabyte Encyclopedia Britannica DVD in a mere 15 seconds. People will use the Internet2 for more than just research and entertainment -- they will use it to do their core work through remotely hosted applications.
What does today's broadband mean for your business online?
First, it means knowing your customers and designing your on-line presence accordingly. If most of your customers have broadband access, you can provide increased interactivity on your site or develop commerce applications. It means being able to provide streaming video to your customers, virtual tours, and similar high- bandwidth features. With Internet2 broadband, all the rules will change -- the internet may become the only gateway for your business's products and services.
Convergence
The term "convergence" is used to describe the integration and/or interconnectivity of different electronic devices that deliver information -- for example, your computer, television, radio, and telephone. Some gurus even see a future where common household appliances are connected to the internet (e.g., a refrigerator with a bar code scanner that automatically connects to a grocery home delivery service when you run low on a certain item).
Convergence of devices with the internet has been predicted since the mid 1990s, when the internet began to be widely used to deliver video and audio. It has been slow to happen in North America, primarily because of continuing issues of bandwidth and the lack of standard protocols, but also because of a lack of consumer demand to do such things as use the microwave to download recipes from the internet.
What does convergence mean for your business online?
When issues of bandwidth and standards are addressed, it means that smaller mobile devices, such as PDAs or cell phones, will be used increasingly to obtain information from your web site. Again, you need to know your customers. You need to ensure that your web site can be viewed by these devices and can deliver content that mobile users need. Rather than just research or order a product or service through your web site, customers may expect to actually receive the product or service -- for example, through video conferencing or real-time 3D modelling.
Wireless
Closely connected to broadband and convergence is the concept of wireless internet access. This is the ability to connect to the net through handheld devices such as PDAs, cell phones or a new device that serves both functions. It refers to mobile users who are not sitting in front of their desktop computer to get information from the internet.
Wireless internet access is slowly evolving, largely due to a lack of agreement on standard protocol for application development and content delivery. As with the computer industry, there are an increasing number of cell phone and PDA manufacturers coming out with different hardware and software for wireless devices. Automobile manufacturers are now enabling vehicles with internet and global positioning technology. Predictions are that, within years, most of us may get our information from mobile devices rather than from our desktop PC.
What does wireless mean for your business online?
As with the previous trends, it means that you have to ensure that your web site is capable of delivering content to wireless devices. In practical terms, this may mean incorporating newer technologies into your web site.
With just a basic understanding of these new developments in internet technology, your business will be in a better position to anticipate your customers' needs and to remain on the leading edge of change.
For more information, contact:
Jeannine Taylor, CEO
(705) 742-6404
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