Press Release

NEW PUBLICATION: „THE THIRD WAVE OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION“

• Brand new book by ONE CEO Jørgen Bang-Jensen and Jakob Steuerer
• Critical description of status quo and visions of the world interlinked by networks
• The third wave of mobile communication – the successful advance of mobile data transmission in our interlinked world – takes much longer in becoming established than anticipated.

Removed from the busy world of advertising and the media hype, a recently published book by Jørgen Bang-Jensen and Jakob Steuerer presents the „great vision“ of mobile communication anew in a matter-of-fact manner: a critical reflection combining the omnipresent infrastructure of the future, the „Evernet“, the fixed line and mobile telephony as well as data communication.

Jørgen Bang-Jensen has been the Chief Executive Officer of ONE for five years and previously was the managing director of TDC Mobile for four years, viz. he is one of the most experienced top managers of the European mobile communication industry. His comprehensive knowledge and assessment of future mobile communication have now been laid down in the form of a book. Together with Jakob Steurer, writer for the daily „Presse“ and new media expert, the successful manager has created a book focusing on realistic scenarios and offering interesting aspects for readers who are not part of the mobile communication community. „What is the point of an unrealistic hype of mobile communication if it fails to meet the needs of users and market conditions?“, Bang-Jensen asks. The book in hand focuses on people and their needs: „An intensive mobile online life makes sense only if it permits a relaxed offline life at the same time. If our entire life is online, we have to face the question: How do we deal with freedom? When will we react fast in future, and when do we take our time?“

The „Third Wave“

One of the major theses of this book: the next wave of mobile communication will probably still take until the end of this decade to reach the first level of maturity of a flourishing business. In the „First Wave“ at the beginning of the 90s mobile phones were still considered an elitist luxury, whereas they turned into an indispensable instrument of everyday voice communication in the „Second Wave“. With the „Third Wave“ a revolutionary transformation of the mobile phone commences: It sends, receives and processes digital data as a matter of course just like voice communication. The evolving interaction of the fixed line and mobile telephony, broadband Internet and mobile data communication will lead to the omnipresent infrastructure, the so-called „Evernet“ in the decades to come.

„Always on“ in the Evernet

In future everyone may be interlinked with one „network of all networks“ any time, any place according to the authors. Consequently, we can so to speak lead our life online - and constantly communicate worldwide with all other people in the network both in our private and professional life. Realising the „Evernet“ is one of the most exciting tasks of the coming years. The speed of this development will depend primarily on the extent to which providers will succeed in making users’ experience of the daily use of this future „Personal Mobile Network“ fun. Moreover, an integration of the currently mostly separated networks Internet and mobile communication, consequently completely different business models and user habits, form the prerequisite.

The mobile phone as „digital Swiss pocket knife“

The authors emphasise the development of mobile phones to a multi-medium as well as new business models as an important factor into the future. The mobile phone becomes a personal assistant offering the right information at the right time at the right place. As „digital Swiss pocket knife“ so to speak, the device combines e.g. ID card, key, wallet and calendar. For functioning business models on the mobile telephony market in future, co-operation will be more important rather than hostile competition.

All scenarios described by the authors, make one thing clear: In developing the third wave of mobile communication, the focus is placed on the customer and his needs. The human factor will play a major role in a mobile network society. Being constantly interlinked, increasingly requires possibilities for switching off.

The authors

Jørgen Bang-Jensen

Born in 1956 in Denmark. Copenhagen Business School. MBA at Ashridge Management College / England. Founder of AD&D IT Consultants Ltd.
1990 – 1997 at Tele Danmark, finally as managing director for Tele Danmark Mobil.

Since October 1997 Bang-Jensen has been Chief Executive Officer at ONE (Connect Austria), since 2001 president of the „Verband Alternativer Telekom-Betreiber“ (VAT; Association of Alternative Communication Operators).

Jakob Steuerer

Born in 1953 in Austria. University Degree with particular emphasis on German and philosophy. Various teaching assignments and intensive focus on the significance of technical media in our time. Co-organiser of the Ars Electronica Center in Linz. Co-organiser of the first Internet Congress in German-speaking countries. Since 1990 permanent freelancer of the daily „Die Presse“ / Spectrum.

The book

Jakob Steuerer, Jørgen Bang-Jensen
The Third Wave of Mobile Communication
Business visions and realities of life
2002. VII, 115 pages.
Hardcover edition EUR 19.90
ISBN 3-211-83804-X
Publishing house: Springer-Verlag Vienna New York

Available in all bookshops and online.
For review copies contact:
Eva-Maria Oberhauser
Springer Verlag
Sachsenplatz 4-6,
1201 Vienna
Tel. 330 24 15-511
E-Mail: eva.oberhauser@springer.at.