It goes without saying the need/desire for wireless broadband is growing - partially fueled by social networking applications but perhaps just as importantly the need to be connected regardless of location. Instantaneous access to information is an addiction which I have found very difficult to break. Personally I feel withdrawal symptoms when my devices run low on battery and I don't have access to power. Likewise on Valentine 's Day when I forgot both phones at home I had this naked feeling until I consciously told myself I won't need these gadgets to help me through my meal.
TMC's Erik Linask wrote an article about how wireless broadband can boost global economies and it may sound improbably at first but it makes sense to me. The demand for these services will only grow and as increased frequencies are released in developing parts of the world, more people will come online and Metcalfe's Law takes effect.
You remember -- the law which states the power of the network increases in proportion to the square of the number of nodes connected to it.
As you can see here the power of the telephone network increases as more people are connected to it.
![Network_effect[1].png](http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/rich-tehrani/uploads/Network_effect%5B1%5D.png)
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
For those of us in the communications space -- our opportunity is now. We need to continue to innovate with better products which save our customers money and/or make them more productive. We have a great industry and with an increased focus on how important we are to the global economy, we should have even more opportunities available to us.
Yes, I know the stock market is struggling to make new lows and consumer confidence is bouncing against the bottom as well... But still, we can't deny the importance of IP communications to help consumers save money in these difficult times. Bryan Martin CEO of 8x8/Packet8 is dead right when he says many of the people laid off will go out and start new companies meaning they will need the latest in IP communications solutions to compete effectively.
I know doom and gloom is the mood but we need to keep pushing, producing and innovating. We still have a great deal to offer global society and our future -- especially on a relative basis (compared to banking, oil services, real estate, retail, etc) has never been brighter.
See Also:
Four Signs IP Communications is Thriving
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I think there are valid doubts about whether the stimulus package will help. Of course, you can argue what will happen if there is no stimulus. But with this stimulus the federal deficit is likely to go even higher. I saw an interesting article, I think, on
http://www.recessioninfocenter.com