Emerging next generation communication technology: Unveiling the Ubiquitous Society

This paper present the results of the research study carried out on the emerging next generation Information and Communication Technology looking at global recent developments and trend, explicitly Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communication Systems and evaluating its impact on the global business performance and the society in general. The findings are that M2M Systems are totally bringing a new wave of change and a digital revolution to the fourth phase that is the Pervasive Computing, which in turn will create a Ubiquitous Society in the coming few years. This will create great business potential and wide areas of applications including in transportation, utilities, security, retails services and healthcare. The probability of this change is evidenced by high involvement and investment it is receiving from leading global firms including; Nokia, Wavecom, Siemens, Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile, British Telecom, Korea Telecom, NTTDoCoMo, Verizon and MTN. With today's globalised competitive and dynamic marketplace, all organisations are continuously seeking new strategic ways for value identification, creation and delivery in the most cost effective, productive and efficient way possible while minimising environmental impact. Emerging M2M systems seems to offer the required solutions to these challenges. It involves the integration of old and new communication devices such as the Wireless Systems, Wired Systems, Internet, Telecommunication Systems and Satellites to integrate business operations for improved business performance. The rationale behind is that, when a device is connected to the communication network, its value will increase. It will provide access to real-time data for quick and effective decision making, hence, eliminating deviation from the prescribed standards. The rationale of this research is to provide edification and strategic future guidance to various stakeholders that may not be aware of M2M advent and the underlying benefits for its adoption. It reveals how various stakeholders can get the leverage from adopting the M2M systems as a business competitive strategy. The research methods adopted in this study included; interviews with leading players, literature content review, probing case studies and author's personal reflection and analysis.