The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi: The Road To Global Success

The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi: The Road To Global Success

by JohnGroenewegen (Author), WolterLemstra (Author), VicHayes (Author)

Synopsis

Wi-Fi has become the preferred means for connecting to the internet - at home, in the office, in hotels and at airports. Increasingly, Wi-Fi also provides internet access for remote communities where it is deployed by volunteers in community-based networks, by operators in 'hotspots' and by municipalities in 'hotzones'. This book traces the global success of Wi-Fi to the landmark change in radio spectrum policy by the US FCC in 1985, the initiative by NCR Corporation to start development of Wireless-LANs and the drive for an open standard IEEE 802.11, released in 1997. It also singles out and explains the significance of the initiative by Steve Jobs at Apple to include Wireless-LAN in the iBook, which moved the product from the early adopters to the mass market. The book explains these developments through first-hand accounts by industry practitioners and concludes with reflections and implications for government policy and firm strategy.

$101.63

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 432
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 18 Nov 2010

ISBN 10: 0521199719
ISBN 13: 9780521199711
Book Overview: An explanation of the development of Wi-Fi through first-hand accounts by industry practitioners.

Media Reviews
'The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi: The Road to Global Success involves almost a score of contributors, including many influential voices in the Wi-Fi world ... Virtually every chapter combines anecdotes, analysis, and lessons. This is the book's biggest strength. Many of these stories had never before been put into print, and many of the lessons are novel ... It collects and preserves several great ideas, stitching them together in one place. That makes the gems accessible, turning them into something very useful for many readers. It should become a focal point for all subsequent developments.' Shane Greenstein, Computing Now
'... a thoughtful, theoretically informed account that ranges from technological roadblocks to critical government policy decisions, the vital role of standards-setting committees, and numerous success stories of grassroots Wi-Fi networks in Europe. Unusual in an edited volume, the style is consistently clear throughout ... there is enough in this work to please technologists, historians, business and economics specialists, and the general reader who wants to know where Wi-Fi came from. Summing up: highly recommended.' Choice
The Innovation Journey of Wi-Fi: The Road to Global Success involves almost a score of contributors, including many influential voices in the Wi-Fi world ... It collects and preserves several great ideas, stitching them together in one place. That makes the gems accessible, turning them into something very useful for many readers. It should become a focal point for all subsequent developments. Shane Greenstein, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Computing Now
Participants in a historical watershed such as the development of Wi-Fi wireless systems rarely write a concise, readable account of what happened. But Lemstra, Hayes, Groenewegen (all, Delft Univ. of Technology, Netherlands), and other contributors to this carefully edited volume have done exactly that ... Unusual in an edited volume, the style is consistently clear throughout. While not every reader will benefit from every chapter, there is enough in this work to please technologists, historians, business and economics specialists, and the general reader who wants to know where Wi-Fi came from. Summing up: highly recommended. K. D. Stephan, Texas State University-San Marcos, Choice
Author Bio
Wolter Lemstra is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Technology, Policy and Management at the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft) and Senior Lecturer at the Strategy Academy, The Netherlands. He has twenty-five years of experience in the telecom sector, at Philips, AT&T and Lucent Technologies. Vic Hayes is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Technology, Policy and Management at the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft), The Netherlands. He is the recipient of eight awards, including The Economist Innovation Award 2004, the Dutch Vosko Trophy, the IEEE Hans Karlsson Award, and the IEEE Steinmetz Award. John Groenewegen is Professor of the Economics of Infrastructures at the Delft University of Technology (TUDelft), The Netherlands. He is also a research fellow at the Tinbergen Institute (TI) in the Rotterdam School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam.