elps explain how this phenomenon actually happens. Essentially, what the curve shows us is how different people jump on the new technology bandwagon at different times. The vertical axis of the chart measures the number of people that make use of the new technology and the horizontal axis measures the time elapse. Chapter 2 Early Adapters When the technology is first presented to the marketplace, there are a small number of users who jump in almost immediately and try it out. (Figure 2-1: A.). We call these people the early adapters. They are the ones who want to the have the newest, fanciest, most sophisticated, and even experimental technology as soon as it is available. Early adapters are important to the market because they are the people who "test" the items. The "Chasm" A very interesting discovery made during the new technology assimilation study is that, once the early adapters figured out how much they liked the new technology, many would move on in search of the next innovation to explore. This accounts for a drop in the already relatively low numbers of users. This dip in the utilization of the new technology is called the chasm. (Figure 2-1: B) It is the time before the technology becomes readily available to the mass market, but after the early adapters have made their judgements. The result is a temporary lull in subscribership. During the chasm period, companies go through a ramping up process: Finding investors, building out the network and, in general, getting ready to do business. Expansion Phase After the chasm period comes the most exciting time, the expansion period. (Figure 2-1: C) During the expansion phase we find a very rapid, often exponentional, increase in the number of people signing up to use the new technology. As more consumers use the product, like it, approve of it, and tell their friends about it, a momentum builds and the expansion goes faster and faster. eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook Most wireless companies have found themselves in the expansion pha