Network of Excellence in Wireless Applications and Technology

The Network of Excellence in Wireless Applications and Technology (NEXWAY) is a thematic network in wireless communications. The main purpose of NEXWAY is to build a strong and open team, based upon a pool of academic and independent R&D organizations with international reputation in the field of wireless communications in order to serve the European Society and Industry. As a participant in this network of excellence, CTI have contributed within the areas of social and economic implications of future wireless services and technologies.

The report on social implications describes the relationship between user needs and technology solutions offered by different wireless technologies. Technology solutions are discussed in relation to the development of user-oriented mobile services and applications in a heterogeneous network environment. Based on Scandinavian research in social sciences concerning mobility and the scope and range of wireless technologies, a preliminary framework is proposed for analyzing the implications that mobility may have for the use and development of mobile services and applications. The framework centers on four main parameters: geography, time, context and organization, and the technological implications that each parameter may have for the development of more user-oriented mobile services and applications.

The report on economic implications analyses the evolution of wireless services, in particular the potential economic setup and implications of wireless services. The report analyses economic models for delivery of '3G and beyond' wireless Internet services, and assesses the types of services that will drive the market and the business models to be applied. The analysis will focus on vanguard markets with respect to 3G services. Following factors affecting applicability of various economic models for delivery of mobile services are addressed:

Technology (circuit versus packet switched networks and transition towards new technical platforms for provision of wireless services such as W-CDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA and 802.11 WLAN standards).
Economy (including the economic down-turn, especially the financial crises of the ICT sector).
Market development (strategies of equipment manufactures, infrastructure providers and service providers, analysis of business models, research and development activities and current market trends).
Socio-cultural factors (such as those analyzed in the social implications report).

All of these factors can be used to explain some of the development paths taken within the wireless area. However some might be more significant than others, in particular the technological leapfrogging that characterizes technological developments paths, the choice of 3G technology, the way in which network operators and equipment manufactures differ in strength and strategies, the amount of research carried out by the different entities, as well as the different marketing strategies that can be observed such as the technology-push strategy or the market demand and service approach.