Question :

Telecommunications, wireless networks and internet in MIS

We are in the midst of a networking and communications revolution driven by new Internet-
based technologies and new business models and processes that leverage the new
technologies. This networking revolution shows no sign of abating. Until about 1990, all
business communication was accomplished primarily through the postal system or
telephone system as voice or fax traffic. Today a great deal of this communication takes
place using computers and email, the Internet, cellular telephones, and mobile computers
connected to wireless networks.

In 2004 there were an estimated 1 billion instant messages sent every day in the
United States, 4 billion e-mails, and millions of spreadsheets and database files. On average,
people in the United States transmitted about 4 billion digital photos to each other over the
Internet and downloaded about 65 million music files (Madden and Rainie, 2004;
Telecommunications Industry Association, 2004).

In 2004, businesses in the United States invested $149 billion in telecommunications

and networking equipment and spent an additional $620 billion on telecommunications
services, for a combined $769 billion spent on telecommunications of (Figure 8-1). This is
nearly as much as U.S. business spent on computing hardware, software, and services
(about $1 trillion in 2004). Worldwide, telecommunications equipment and services
spending hit $2.2 trillion in 2004 and will expand to over $3 trillion by 2007.

Using the Internet on a daily basis, for me, didn’t become popular until I was in middle
school and at the time I just used it for e-mail or instant messenger to chat with friends.
However, I didn’t fully understand the concept of the Internet. What is it really? It’s simply a
public communication system that has connected billions of people around the world. We
use Internet service providers (ISP) such as AT&T, Time Warner, and Cox to provide us with
Internet at home, on our iPads, or through a wireless 4G networks on our smart phones.
Every computer is assigned an Internet protocol (IP) address that is used to decode
messages sent to and from the computer.

How would one company manage the Internet and be the governing body across all of the
countries and nations of the world? There isn’t one company but instead there are different
professional organizations and government bodies such as the Internet Architecture Board
(IAB), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The nation in which the Internet is being operated is
responsible for making laws and the Internet and its users in that county must adhere to
those laws.

Wireless communication has become the most popular form of network use and has
revolutionized our ability to do business 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Smart phones
have basically provided us mini-personal computers. Wireless carriers offer 3G and now 4G
speed networks that allow us to stream high quality HD videos and have lightening fast
Internet on our phones anywhere in the world. Networks like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and
Hotspots allow users to have cheap or free Internet access away from their traditional home
Internet provider. All of these types of networks, servers, and the Internet help us to do
business faster and more efficiently which has increased the popularity and changed our
culture.