XML Web Services – between hype and hope

Web Services is currently one of the hottest issues in the software industry. There are good reasons for predicting a success of Web Services. However, there are still a number of open issues. Is Web Services just another technology hype or the beginning of a new era in the evolution of information and communication technology? What will be the role for telcos in the emerging Web Service scenarios?

The new issue of ‘Eurescom mess@ge’, the quarterly magazine for R&D in telecoms, presents answers by experts. Jens Meinköhn from T-Systems Nova writes about the business models which an ongoing Eurescom project on XML Web Services identified as promising. He concludes that “Web Services extend the available technology for B2B eBusiness”. In his article about Web Service Orchestration Dr. Do van Thanh from Telenor comes to the conclusion that “Web Services are at the crossroads”. The basic standards have been agreed, he says, but the industry has to agree on further specifications to unfold the business benefits of Web Services.

Further topics of ‘Eurescom mess@ge’ 2/2003 include project results on Location Awareness and on the future role of Ethernet in the access network as well as a report about a new, industry-driven European initiative for collaborative R&D in telecommunications named CELTIC.

The online edition of ‘Eurescom mess@ge’ is available at http://www.eurescom.de/message/
Anyone interested in telecoms R&D can subscribe to a free copy of the print edition at
http://www.eurescom.de/message/subscribe.asp