The Future Network: More Of The Same Or Intelligent Risk?

ORLANDO — Kicking off today’s Genband Perspectives13 gathering, Chairman David Walsh shared some of his vision of the future network. Genband has been focusing on all the screens in everyone’s lives. “We wake up in the morning, and we go right to our screens. The digital life is all around us,” he noted. “The ecosystem is moving fast, and companies have a decision to make: lead, follow or get run over.” The Internet as the now and future communications medium along with the almost limitless capabilities of fiber vs. spectrum has fueled a lot of thinking regarding the kinds of networks that should be built down the road. Maybe there needs to be only one or two really good ones, built in partnership, Walsh posits, adding, “Countries could become carriers over time; so could cities. Build one network and make it work. New York City wants to turn its phone booths into hot spots to create revenue.” What does this all mean? “It will take intelligent risk taking to become a market leader,” Walsh concluded. “If it works, it becomes a game changer.”