Networking in the New Millennium begins by tracing the growth of telecommunications in the last 100 years. Written by an expert who is a keen observer, participant and a driver of change, Niraj K. Gupta does a wonderful job of describing the industry, technology, policy framework and examples of excellence. The book describes the markets for growth, in particular the Asian markets, competition and value-added services. It gives an overview of the telecom infrastructure, institutions and key industry players. A case in point is the story of AirTel, a premier cellular service operator in India. The author analyses the various marketing strategies, company vision, business philosophy and its beliefs towards customer service and quality. In short, it describes the strategy for others to emulate the AirTel’s success story.

The book also takes the readers through India’s telecom journey by giving examples of success stories in the private as well as public sectors. Gupta has done a commendable job in demystifying the Indian telecom myth by using language that is common to us all, thereby making this book useful to both technology experts and those willing to learn about India’s explosive growth in this sector. He has also dwelt at length on how technology has interfaced closely with business growth and societal changes in the area of cellular/mobile and Internet markets. Essentially, the book details various telecom service licences, marketing strategies (including brand building, pricing, pre-paid and channel management), wireless technologies, that is, wireless in local loop, multiple access technologies (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA), network planning and much more. From the market specifics, the book does well by dwelling on the Asia-Pacific region’s progress in terms of growth. The Asia-Pacific experience, like others, shows that once competition enters into business, then licensing, numbering, price control and universal service obligation become the key issues. This is extensively covered in one of the chapters. The book also provides a peep into the future by touching upon technology issues such as3G, which will accelerate convergence not only between fixed and mobile telephony but also computers; high-speed data transfer, which will enable fast Internet access, multimedia and E-commerce; access technologies like DSL, cable modems, fibre, satellite and broadband wireless like LMDS and MMDS. It covers integrated corporte networks and their need for reengineering, role of telecom in LANS, WANS and VSATs and various aspects of the Net and E-commerce. A useful reference for telecom professionals and students of electronics and communications.