During my almost 15 years covering the telecom industry, I have seen various implementations of new technologies come, go, and even reemerge in different forms. However, the one common theme I see whenever compile such lists is what we think of as "hot" or "new" often builds on top of something that came before.
FierceTelecom's Top Wireline Technologies in 2013 report certainly illustrates that theme this year.
Carrier Ethernet 2.0 and VDSL2, for example, are newer versions of two technologies that got their start in the halls of the PARC Research Center and Bell Labs. CE 2.0 takes into consideration the need for service providers while VDSL2 can extend its roots back to Bell Labs as a way for telcos to deliver video over their copper lines.
While John Cioffi and Bob Metcalfe are credited with devising the initial concepts behind DSL and Ethernet, respectively, the technologies have evolved from their initial roots into larger industry segments. This is because a number of other individuals and companies made contributions to extend these technologies into the mainstream telecom industry.
Mike Noll, a FierceTelecom columnist and a former Bell Labs staffer, said in response to our Top Innovators feature published last year that "some of the technology innovations in telecom involved a huge team of people, so it's impossible to single out just one person."
Of course, there are always going to be one or two vendors that have a financial mission to ensure that their technology implementation gets adopted. However, the ones that win are often due to the fact that most telecom innovations emerge as the result of contributions from various sources.
In our Top Wireline Technologies in 2013 we examine the technologies we think will make an impact this year. Since these entries will drive conversation, I encourage you to weigh in on our choices and make suggestions for what we should be looking at for our 2014 list.--Sean
P.S. Also, please take a look at what my colleagues Steve Donohue at FierceCable and Phil Goldstein of FierceWireless cited as their hottest wireless technologies for 2013.