The field of telecommunications is becoming ever more complex. In order to manage the new Telecom industry it is necessary not only to understand its 3 main components, namely the end users, the technology and networks, and the business aspects, but also their vital inter-relationships.
Complexity leads to uncertainty, and one effect of uncertainty is for people to underestimate the complexity of the business and the technology. This book takes a holistic approach to the subject and can be used as a tool for decreasing this uncertainty. 

During 2000 many operators paid extremely high sums of money for 3G licenses in a number of European countries, supposing a potential corresponding and balancing revenue from mobile services in the new frequency band. Obviously today the licenses are questionable. Consequently, suppliers and operators were forced to reduce their international work force. 
What are the underlying reasons? Since the true rate and level of development was hardly foreseen by anyone, the picture is complex, including factors such as psychology and belief in a new economy. It is immediately clear that the end user impact has been severely under-estimated. It is also clear that the expected development has and is happening, with more speed than expected, and continues to be complemented with solutions such as wireless LANs.
This book treats the paradigm shift from a number of angles: user needs and demands, deregulation of telecom and the convergence between telecommunications, data communications and the media industry, the service plan, service implementation, QoS, and Security.

Understanding Changing Telecommunications focuses on the overall principles and context of the new telecommunications world rather than on high-level technical descriptions in order to aid the understanding and development of the next generation of telecom networks. e.g. multimedia over IP and 3G.

• Discusses the development of telecommunications up until 2005
• Provides a holistic view of the world of telecommunications
• Covers three main areas: End-users, Technologies and Networks, and Telecom Business, and their vital inter-relationships
• Offers support and advice for those needing to implement business plans

Essential reading for staff with operators and providers involved in the telecom networks, especially management, planning and design, development, integration and training, as well as Business analysts and investors keen to understand the current state of the Telecom industry.

After a decade of unparalleled growth, hundreds of thousands of employees suddenly lost their jobs in the global Telecoms sector during the first years of the new millennium. Such a dramatic downturn was unexpected, so what were the main contributing factors?

1. The technology constantly changes and technological innovations are constantly turned into attractive services for the end user. The present convergence between technologies is sometimes called a 'paradigm shift`.

2. Users (private people and enterprises) have got unparalleled power as a result of de-regulation: how does the industry predict and determine what users want and what they are willing to spend on Telecom services?

3. The Telecom business has exposed sharply fluctuating expectations and investment levels, which seems to be a key explanation factor.

So how can this book help you to understand changing telecommunications? Written with a top-down approach it appreciates the demands from investors and shareholders regarding return and recognizes that the business plan becomes a key tool. Disregarding temporary investment volatility and ultimately providing a holistic 'telecom map' including techno-economics and user perception, it contains the following key features:

• Presents an integrated approach to business and technology with the network serving as a tool to implement a service and business plan
• Stresses the importance and the understanding of the end user and the offered services in order to successfully align expectations and real demand
• Favors an end-to-end (e2e) technical approach and acknowledges that this is what the user perceives and pays for
• Features chapter objectives, several reference models, comprehensive glossary and a top-down portal type structure to enhance learning

This volume will be an invaluable tool for all those needing a broad and complete view of the telecommunications industry, ranging from managers and planning staff with operators, service providers, network and terminal vendors, business analysts and investors to engineers and students.