Infocom Ecosystem
FWD seeks to participate in a communication ecosystem entirely distinct from the one associated with traditional vertically integrated telecom. Infocom ecosystem companies specialize at a particular layer of the value chain (e.g. horizontal integration.) Communication solutions arise from a value chain that includes chip mfrs, device mfrs, software platform providers, application providers, and service providers. The chip and device mfrs determine the media types available for communication. Platform and application providers determine the particular form of communication. Service providers provide enabling services (things end users cannot do for themselves.) Service providers dominate the traditional telecom landscape, but service providers in infocom offer enabling services around the edges (e.g. SIP registration). End users contribute the content in both cases, but the options available to end users in infocom go well beyond those in telecom. The telecom ecosystem offers one pricing model, one level of reliability, one level of voice quality, etc etc. The offers of one telephone company are indistinguishable from the offers of others and do not change over time. The underlying elements associated with infocom communications improve in a manner analogous to Moore's Law in infotech. The net result should allow the infocom ecosystem to develop in an entirely different direction than telecom.
posted by Daniel @ Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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