A question not asked enough is, what is the long-term future of standardised technologies?  If you were to look into a magical crystal ball, what would you see? Would it be a globally connected world of advanced technologies accessible to everyone without a big credit card? 

Or would it be a world of territorial limitations or choice, but where that choice is between alternative closed and non-interoperable technologies controlled by a few (or just one) which only the wealthy might be able to afford? In other words, which would you rather see? A global 6G cellular standard or a collection of regional or costly proprietary bolt-ons to 5G?

In an article entitled “The Lords of the Ringtones: will one king rule the technology standards of the future?”, published in the International In-house Counsel Journal, Adrian Howes explores the current threats to open standardisation. Follow this link to read the article.