3G
The Harsh reality of 3G

We all know that mobile operators were forced into paying far too much for their European 3G licenses. But are they actually worth anything at all - or would the best business move be to hand them back and walk away? Datamonitor's John Band and Nick Greenway take a look at the 3G house of shareholder horrors... Telefonica and Sonera axed their German joint venture, Quam, writing off over E8 billion in the process. Sweden is lobbying the government to ease off on license requirements. And several first- and second- tier operators look increasingly likely to delay 3G service launches.

The Economist
Instant messaging joins the firm

With the immediacy of the telephone and the written record of e-mail, instant messaging is no longer just a handy way of chatting online. It is fast becoming a secure and flexible tool for business.

Red Herring
Talk to me

The real boom in voice-activated services will be in the wireless industry. Telecom companies are sobering up to market realities and getting back to the basics. They're balancing the books and selling traditional voice and data services. They're also more grounded, less deluded with the belief that a killer application will rescue them any time soon.

Business 2.0
The Cyborg Known as You

Chips under the skin. Wireless sensors in the brain. It's not science fiction. It's your destiny. Recently, a Florida family agreed to have tiny, scannable ID chips implanted under their skin. Containing a radio frequency identification tag, each implant stores a number that can be cross-referenced with a database containing a person's name and medical history. The unveiling of the "first cyborg family" was staged as a publicity stunt by a struggling tech startup called Applied Digital Solutions (ADSXE), which touted the chips' ability to make monitoring patients as easy as tracking cans of soup.

Strategy + Business
The Internet as Integrator � Fast Brand Building in Slow-Growth Markets

Today, as most industries confront overcapacity and weakening demand in the face of an uncertain economic environment, the need for cost-effective brand building has never been greater. There are two ways to improve the ROI of brand marketing: Create more brand-building programs that are so differentiated and efficient that they boost awareness, purchase intent, and ultimately sales and market share; or increase the synergies and impact among the firm�s individual brand-building programs so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Business 2.0
The Sorcerer of Sony

The hottest properties in cyberspace are virtual worlds. Meet the man who's making magic -- and millions of dollars each month -- by developing the Net's newest boomtowns.