the Broadband Evolution xxxix ICT Trends Driving the Broadband Evolution The age of intelligence and the new generation of networks have the potential to reshape the ICT industry and forever change the telecommunications landscape. A number of key ICT trends are driving the broadband evolution, including embed- ded devices, intelligent wearables, human-machine interactions, grid computing, and real-time communications. Embedded Devices The devices used to communicate with the Internet today-including PCs, orga- nizers, telephones, and mobile devices-present two problems: They are at odds with human behavior, and they are often the bottlenecks impeding the process and progress of information exchange. Recognizing the need to address this reality, research efforts worldwide are pursuing the vision of ubiquitous computing, also known as ambient, calm, or perva- sive computing. This vision takes computers out of boxes and puts them into ordi- nary, everyday things. Embedded devices will be integrated into larger systems, where they will perform control functions and communicate with one another over the Internet. Billions of these microprocessors, many of them invisible, will be used for countless applications. Embedded devices will affect ubiquitous computing in three main areas: Smart tags, specifically radio frequency identification (RFID)-RFID can be used for identification of objects and people at distances from a few cen- timeters to tens of kilometers, depending on the frequency, the size of the tags, and the reader being used. There's a growing list of RFID applications, including transportation, consumer product identifiers, drug and food ID and shelf life information, patient identification, smart houses, and a new era of textiles. (RFID is discussed in detail in Chapter 15, "WMANs, WLANs, and WPANs.") Smart devices-These include appliances, furniture, automobiles, indus- trial and medical equipment, clothing, accessories, and structures. Smart offices-Roomware in the workplace will ensure greater efficienc