Foreword: A World Without Wires

Contributed by Steve Andrews, BT Group's Chief of Mobility and Convergence

Wireless working is mainstream. Whether on the go, at home at work or in the local coffee shop, it is increasingly possible to get the information we require, whenever we want it on the device we want it on. It is clear then that this is no longer a technology of the future. Wireless technology is radically changing the way local authorities, individuals and businesses work, talk and play. And it is doing so right now.

Simply put, there is a huge benefit for councils who understand the evolution to a wireless world, helping them to fulfil their vision of creating an e-enabled town or city. We have already seen it start happening in the U.S. and other parts of the world and the UK is now well underway. From Philadelphia to Westminster, municipal wireless networks are springing up in cities across the globe; ambitious but realistic projects which help council workers, communities and local businesses alike to mobilise and reap the benefits that wireless broadband networks can bring.

According to Gartner, Wi-Fi is accessible on 80% of professional PCs, as well as being in homes across the country, where people are increasingly getting comfortable with the wireless world. Wireless communications have taken a foothold throughout Europe and IDC research shows that two thirds of the European working population is equipped with mobile devices and predicts that during 2007 there will be 99.3 million mobile-enabled workers in Europe.