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A couple of decades ago, an oft-repeated slogan for an American hamburger chain crept into the political landscape, and eventually into the cultural lexicon to be batted around for years. That one little question became an encapsulation of the frustration of anyone who had, time and time again, encountered form over substance. It became the rallying cry for those sick of posture and craving action. Where's the beef?

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It would seem to a disinterested observer that the future of the telecom industry will be decided by the victory of one armed camp or another: Edge vs. Core – but what if we could find the right symbiotic way to make money together?

"They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea."
[Sir Francis Bacon]

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In exploring emerging access technologies for this month's issue, we thought we'd take some time to speak to one industry forum on the cutting edge of emerging access technologies, worldwide: The WiMAX Forum. Pipeline had a chance to speak to Dr. Mohammad Shakouri, corporate VP of Strategy at Alvarion and VP of Marketing for the WiMAX Forum.

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It’s only the second month of the year, but there is plenty of news to report that’s already happened in 2008. Customers seem to be showing more initiative by demanding services be brought to their areas or by taking the bull by the horns and doing it themselves, no matter how daunting a task. Download speeds are going up and privacy is going down on the Internet, while the struggling POTS tries to come up with some new features to attract business. And, as in 2007, the mobile phone arena is filled with surprise moves by unlikely contenders...

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In the world of telecommunications trade shows, there are a few giants. These are must-attends for individuals operating in the telcom space, even though they can be a bit daunting, particularly for smaller service providers (and any other purveyors of less-than-MTV-ready technology). Still, these shows are a place to learn about where the entire industry is headed, and who is making moves to get us there.

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The phasing out of analog television signals in favor of high-definition television will be leaving a big hole in a certain now sought-after 700 MHz frequency band in the near future. Sound familiar? If you’re already in the telecom industry, it should, because the FCC is allowing more than two-hundred pre-qualified bidders to try and gain bandwidth and licenses in various parts of the frequency band during the 700 MHZ wireless spectrum auction that commenced on January 24, 2008, titled Auction 73 by the FCC.

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The market for outsourcing Remote Product Services (RPS) is escalating rapidly with some industry experts estimating that it will hit $290 billion by 2011. RPS is ideal for OEMs, VARs, and service providers tasked with tracking, repairing, and maintaining remote devices and equipment. The rapid increase in the remote services market can be attributed to a number of factors including escalating customer demand for higher availability and reliability of network services in conjunction with reduced in-house IT resources.

With their annual TMW (TM Forum Management World), TM Forum is responsible for what is arguably one of the finest and most focused shows for the OSS/BSS market. The TMW-Americas show, formerly in Dallas but moving to Orlando for 2008, is also a quality event for CSPs and OSS/BSS vendors. However, many may not be aware of regional events put forward by the TM Forum to take advantage of growing markets in other geographic areas, as well.

Let me begin by sharing a strong allegory that was once imparted to me by a Presbyterian minister in Jamaica. He talked about the Swiss watchmakers who made the finest timepieces in the world. They had no rivals, and their timepieces, marvels of springs and cogs, were industry leaders. Along came something called quartz movement. Cheaper, more durable, and often more reliable than traditional clockwork, it was the key to a whole new market share. In fact, the first ever quartz analog wristwatch was developed in Switzerland.

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear as it is: Infinite.”

Blake asserts that everything is infinite if we allow ourselves to perceive them as such. Some two centuries after Blake's time, we are in a situation in which we have so much more information readily available to us. Perhaps that won't allow us to “cleanse the doors of perception,” but it does allow us unprecedented access to bits that can carry knowledge, communication, and, who knows, maybe even enlightenment.