And there are many other satellite and terrestrial digital wireless consortia. The telecommunications innovators, with Qwest ready to lead, accept that IP telephony is here. Its quality is more than good enough for most people. Put IP voice onto a reliable IP network, and there's no difference between voice and data anymore and diminishing need for separate network bases. The Valley sees wireless devices as its next gold mine, especially in the home and small office.
Wireless laptops are today's Silicon Valley tool and tomorrow's commonplace tool for road warriors.
IP address devices will drive out complex technologies. The software and hardware innovators in the Valley are already racing to market products inside IP address devices that displace complex elements in traditional networks. Some say it will take time for IP-based devices to move from niche to mainstream. Within the past six months, more and more of them have said they see wireless as the base for the network of their future. By adopting IP, they have a practical evolutionary path from the world of complex, expensive IS infrastructures to a simpler and more manageable future.