Software is the key to enabling a new generation of telecommunication, said Bill Gates in a keynote address at ITU Telecom World 2003. Voicing optimism about the future of telecommunications, Gates previewed software-based services that he said would empower customers to connect to information and services, when and where they want. Gates elaborated on the need for industry standards and industry ecosystems. Microsoft and Vodafone jointly announced an initiative to develop enabling technology specifications for mobile Web services. The two companies also shared an outline of their vision to help create mobile Web services standards that would utilize existing standard Extensible Markup Language (XML)-based Web services architectures to expose mobile network services, such as location, billing, mobile messaging and authentication, to the broadest audience of developers. Other Microsoft activities at ITU Telecom World 2003 include:
- the Microsoft TV team announced plans for the development of a new IPTV delivery systems for broadband operators
the Microsoft Mobile Devices Division and Orange unveiled a Windows Mobile-based Smartphone with integrated camera and Bluetooth
unveiled Microsoft wireless provisioning services (WPS) technology, which is a standards-based and integrated platform that enables wireless ISPs to more easily provision and manage their Wi-Fi hot spots. WPS also allows users of Windows XP to detect and connect to Wi-Fi hot spots via a seamless signup process, and it enables more secure Wi-Fi hot spot access without the need for browser-based deployment.
announced a partnership with Swisscom AG to market enterprise mobile data solutions based on .Net
announce the availability of the Microsoft Solution for Hosted Exchange, a multiservice platform that allows service providers to build, deploy, deliver and manage rich e-mail communication services
