The Spirit of Wi-Fi by Cees Links (.PDF)
File Size: 804 KB
The Spirit of Wi-Fi by Cees Links
Requirements: .PDF reader, 804 KB
Overview: This book chronicles the 15-year genesis of Wi-Fi from an internal venture within NCR Corporation to a billion-dollar global market. Written by a key leader who spearheaded the technology through successive corporate transformations (NCR, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Agere Systems), it provides a firsthand account of innovating inside large, often skeptical, organizations.
The narrative details the relentless struggle to develop and market a disruptive wireless LAN technology that didn’t align with the core business of any of its parent companies. It reveals the internal challenges: corporate indifference, misaligned sales models, failed acquisition attempts by major players, and the constant fight to protect the pioneering engineering team from organizational turmoil.
Focusing on the practical realities of technology adoption, the book analyzes why Wi-Fi succeeded where other innovations failed. It underscores that beyond the technology itself, success required persistence, strategic partitioning of the business (into chipsets and infrastructure products), and navigating a market that took nearly a decade to recognize its potential – from the first product launch in 1990 to explosive growth surpassing $380M in revenue by 2001.
Essential reading for technical leaders and entrepreneurs, this is a case study in sustained innovation, corporate resilience, and the non-linear journey of a technology that became a foundational element of modern connectivity.
Genre: Non-Fiction > Tech & Devices
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