The red Lincoln Town Car idled in the rain near 51st Street and Lexington Avenue in New York City. N.J. The customer was already half an hour late. So Asatrian picked up a stylus and dashed off an e-mail on the keyboard of a tiny computer protruding from the dashboard. The device, connected to the Internet with a wireless modem, zapped the message to a dispatcher at Citicar Transportation in Queens. The installation of this system reflects the force that swept through the telecom market in 2000.
Drivers say they prefer it because it is quieter and actually faster than the old radio.
In a pinch, headquarters can even e-mail a map to a driver. Demand for new services based on wireless technology and the Internet is growing. But the transition is wreaking havoc throughout the market. Competition is rising as the lines between telecom, computing, and data-networking blur. The number and variety of threats facing telecom players exploded in 2000.