Classroom Companion: Business

3.4 · Toward Next-Generation Network

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(Godwin, 
2002
). Bill Gates was one of the 
founders of the company. Even though 
the system was never built, it is interesting 
because the idea behind the project lived 
on and may now be realized as OneWeb 
and Starlink commence operation.
OneWeb is a UK-based company 
that launched the first satellites in 
February 27, 2019. The constellation 
will eventually consist of 650 LEO satel-
lites offering Internet services globally.
Starlink is a satellite system estab-
lished by SpaceX, a company founded 
by Elon Musk. The system will consist 
of thousands of small LEO satellites 
offering global broadband Internet 
access for everyone. By the end of 2020, 
more than 1000 satellites have been 
placed in orbit.
There are several other planned 
projects, for example, by Facebook and 
Amazon.
3.5 
 Conclusions
Since the early 1970s, the telecommunications industry has been striving to specify 
techniques by which the telephone services and the data services can be supported 
by a single network. This led first to the development of the ISDN and thereafter 
to ATM. Both attempts failed: ISDN since, except for the subscriber line, it did not 
really integrate the PSTN and the data network and ATM because the technology 
was too late and was replaced by the much cheaper and more flexible Internet just 
when it was ready for implementation.
All types of services can be adapted to the Internet technology. In this respect, 
the Internet is a true integrated network. However, it took several years before the 
Internet became an important carrier of voice services so that the service integra-
tion process could really commence. This had to wait until the 4G mobile network 
was put into operation in 2010.
GSM was put into operation in 1991 offering mobile telephone services. The 
foremost advantage of mobile communication is flexibility: mobile networks allow 
people to make and receive telephone calls and other services anytime and any-
where. During the next two decades, the mobile networks were developed into a 
mobile Internet supporting all services—voice, data, and broadcast—by a single 
technology (4G). This evolution finally resulted in a fully integrated network, and 
the convergence of all services could eventually commence. In 2020, there is techni-
cally no need for a separate telephone network. In Norway, the telephone network 
was terminated in 2020.
However, there may still be a need for dedicated networks because the Internet 
may not be reliable enough to support critical infrastructures such as distress ser-
vices, energy production, and finance.