René Obermann, Executive Board Chairman Deutsche Telekom
From e-mail or text messaging to IPTV or social networks on the Internet, we cannot imagine life today without these digital media and services. In the future, they will make it even easier to stay in touch with friends, to use personalized services, and to access and distribute our own content – regardless of time or place. In this digital world, Deutsche Telekom wants to act as a partner to its customers, with broadband networks, services that can be used intuitively and first-class support. We are seeking to develop further and to position ourselves as a global market leader for “connected life and work”.
Even looking back just ten years, it is clear to see how radically our sector has changed. And it will continue to undergo rapid change. This makes it all the more important for us to identify future trends and people’s needs so that we can continue to offer services that are relevant to them. The “Life” study series will follow the rapid changes in the industry.
This initial “Digital Living” study describes the most important trends toward the digital world. Which services do people require in which areas of their lives? What are the requirements for successful services? What trends do the experts anticipate? This study, by Professor Thomas Hess, will provide answers to these questions. I wish you a stimulating and enlightening read.
Bonn, February 2009
René Obermann
Professor Dr. Thomas Hess
Prof. Dr. Thomas Hess is the director of the Institute for Information Systems and New Media at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University. This study was designed and produced in cooperation with the strategic consultancy Zehnvier. Three questions to Prof. Dr. Thomas Hess:
Professor Hess, what information does the “LIFE – Digital Living” study provide?
PROFESSOR THOMAS HESS: The areas of life approach used in this study is highly innovative. The objective was to establish in which areas of life and for what purposes consumers use and intend to use digitization and networking. The study also shows just how far societies are networked and which areas have the greatest growth potential.
10,545 respondents surveyed in six countries and a Delphi survey of experts – what perspective does the study give of networked living?
PROFESSOR THOMAS HESS: By combining different perspectives we are able to reach a more valid assessment of future trends. The large number of consumers provides well-founded insight into the reality of networking. Looking at the behavior of the “digital avant-garde” allows us to extrapolate a sound indication of the behavior of all Internet users in the near future, as does the international comparison. The experts’ perspective gives us a glimpse of what things could look like a few years later.
What most interests you personally about the increase in networks?
PROFESSOR THOMAS HESS: The fact that this development will continue; we have by no means come to the end of this wave of IT and communication technology-driven innovation. Today’s mobile phones have faster network access than the average Internet speed of landlines ten years ago. Also, we’re seeing areas of life being networked that nobody would have dreamed of a few years back. Just think of all the social networks!
