Telecommunication Competitors and Wireless Networks

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

• VoIP digitizes and breaks up voice messages into data packets that may travel along different routes before being reassembled at the final destination.
• A processor nearest the call's destination, called a gateway, arranges the packets in the proper order and directs them to the telephone number of the receiver or the IP address of the receiving computer.

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

• A VPN is a private network of computers linked using a secure "tunnel" connection over the Internet.
• It protects data transmitted over the public Internet by encoding the data and "wrapping" them within the Internet Protocol (IP).
• In a process called tunneling, packets of data are encrypted and wrapped inside IP packets.

Internet Services

• Internet services include e-mail, chatting and instant messaging, newsgroups, telnet, file transfer protocol (FTP), world wide web, and VoIP.

Client/Server Computing

• Client computers running Web browser and other software can access an array of services on servers over the Internet.
• Services may all run on a single server or on multiple specialized servers.

Internet Backbone

• Network access points (NAPs) and metropolitan area exchanges (MAEs) are hubs where the backbone intersects regional and local networks and where backbone owners connect with one another.
• MAEs are hubs where the backbone intersects regional and local networks and where backbone networks connect with one another.

Cable Networks

• Cable networks are major competitors of telephone company Internet providers.
• They do not have a mobile option, although Optimum Cable (Comcast) and several other firms are developing a Wi-Max capability.

Networking Technologies

• Client/server computing is a distributed computing model where clients are linked through a network controlled by a network server computer.
• Packet switching is a method of slicing digital messages into parcels (packets), sending packets along different communication paths as they become available, and then reassembling packets at the destination.

Business-to-Business E-Commerce

• Exchanges are independently owned third-party Net marketplaces that connect thousands of suppliers and buyers for spot purchasing.
• Exchanges typically provide vertical markets for direct goods for a single industry.

Mobile Digital Platform and Mobile E-Commerce

• M-commerce is especially well-suited for location-based applications and services.
• Mobile e-commerce is the fastest-growing type of B2C e-commerce, although it represents only a small part of all e-commerce.

Project Management

• The first step in managing project risk involves identifying the nature and level of risk of a project.
• Each project can then be managed with tools and risk-management approaches geared to the level of risk.
• Managing technical complexity can be done by using internal integration tools, project leaders with technical and administrative experience, highly experienced team members, frequent team meetings, and securing of technical experience outside the firm if necessary.