3G, 4G and Beyond: Bringing Networks, Devices and the Web Together, 2nd Edition

Chapter 6

Mobile Web 2.0, Apps, and Owners

6.1 Overview

In addition to telephony services and mobile devices discussed in the previous chapters, Internet applications are another important driver for the evolution of wireless communication. After all, it is the use of applications and their demand for connectivity and bandwidth that drives network operators to roll out more capable fixed and wireless IP-based networks. This chapter looks at the application domain from a number of different angles.

In the first part of this chapter the evolution of the Web is discussed, to show the changes that the shift from “few-to-many communication” to “many-to-many” brought about for the user. This shift is often described as the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. However, as will be shown, Web 2.0 is much more than just many-to-many Web-based communication.

As this book is about wireless networks, this chapter then shows how the thoughts behind Web 2.0 apply to the mobile domain, that is, to mobile Web 2.0. Mobility and small-form factors can be as much an opportunity as a restriction. Therefore, the questions of how Web 2.0 has to be adapted for mobile devices and how Web 2.0 can benefit from mobility are addressed. During these considerations it is also important to keep an eye on how the constantly evolving Web 2.0 and mobile Web 2.0 impacts networks and mobile devices.

Native applications on mobile devices have also undergone a tremendous evolution in recent years and have become at least ...