We can send the information to where the user is, but where will the user
be?
Traditionally users have been at "work" - which often was though of as a single physical place.
But this is becoming less and less common. Why?
- technology allows more work to be geographically distributed (such as it
was in the "cottage" industry) - this technology involves both transport
and information technologies
- even within an "office" environment - more than 50% of the time people are away from their desks
Mobile (cordless, cellular, or dual mode)
phones will become a standard feature in offices.
- Already many sites utilize cordless phones within their premises (increasingly these will be DECT phones - which also facilitate data transfer).
- Some sites will have private GSM or PCS cells - thus allowing the
same phone to be used both on site and away from the corporate site(s).
- Dual mode (system) phones will appear {thus allowing the users to carry one
terminal which can be a GSM/NMT/PCS1800/PCS1900/... device - perhaps it will
even allow use of a LEO satellite link}
- the "telephone" will be dynamically personalized, based on the links available
- Japanese Personal Handiphone System (PHS) - builds a local and national communication infrastructure based on cordless telephone technology (i.e., taking the best features of DECT and cordless phones and expanding this to a national infrastructure supporting wide area mobility). This radically changes the wired line market.
