Emerging market structures in the digital supply chain

The supply chain for distributing digital goods via the Internet is in the process of spasmodic change. A wide array of new, high-speed access technologies are transforming the last mile, eroding the market power of established access providers, making smaller companies disappear overnight, and generating huge alliances. Customers face a rich set of options in access and content. The many access options and speeds have been accompanied by increasingly innovative digital products and services, most of them personalized. Wireless is maturing as a medium for data distribution with exciting new applications. While most observers recognize that the industries of content and access provision are in flux, it is unclear which business models may survive. The savvy organization (and individual) need to correctly interpret the implications of the dazzling developments in technology to effectively position themselves in the market. The authors characterize scenarios that are likely to occur based on the premise that you can't think of content and access provision as separate markets. Value-added bundles of dynamically customized content will be the order of the day. Will you and your organization be ready for the change?