In 1894, when Italian scientist Guglielmo marconi invented a way to send messages through the air , the Italian government turned down his offer of first rights because it was no use for this technology. After all,marconi crude prototype could only send signals a hundred yards- hardly a match for the increasingly popular telephone. Who would have known such a weak transmission method would pave the way for everything from television to mobile phones? Even now, 100 years later, wireless technology is still opening up new markets and changing the way governments and businesses communicate and operate.

Marconi's wireless invention represents what some historians call "disruptive technologies". These are technologies that not only create new industries, but eventually change the world. Disruptive technologies are vital to the innovation and progress of human society.

In 1997 , Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen first publicised the term " disruptive technology" in his bestselling book, the innovation dilemma.

Christensen distinguishes between two types of emerging technologies. Those that do not result in the collapse of existing companies are reffered to as sustaining technologies, as they improve the performance along the dimensions that mainstream users demand, How ever , disruptive technologies , as the term suggests, are those that render existing technology redundant and expandable. Disruptive technologies that is in use. These innovations drastically change the course by which users connect, engage, and relate with the world and transform society.

Importance of disruptive technologies

While the 'marketability' of new technologies depends on a number of the factors, both sustaining and disruptive technologies have a larger role to play in our life. For instance, a disruptive technology like the internet introduced a whole new way of linking information assets together, as gradual improvements of the first 'internet' prototypes at CERN led to the public internet as we know it today. Similarly, technologies like the 'search engine' came about in response to a need to find information in the hyperlinked environment.

However, there were some technologies that were revolutionary, but became extinct over time. These include the beta max, laser discs, vinyl albums, polaroid pictures, PDAs, 8-track tapes, cassette tapes and floppy discs. The important thing is that they were all crucial bridges to our modern world of digital convenience - the essential steps towards disruptive innovation.

The impact of disruptive technology on the IT and telecom industry

The impact of disruptive technologies has been far reaching. lately disruptive technologies have usually been centered around digital innovations, and the most impact has been felt with IT and telecom industry.Disruptive innovations have made our work easy and our working areas more manageable. How?

Information technology

The inception of microcomuters signified the first step towards disruptive innovation within the IT industry. The mainframes just had to go - their size, clock speed and efficiency were simply not up to the mark. So it was the microcomputers - faster, efficient and having a smaller size than the mainframes - that prevailed. then came the internet- disruption in the older form of communication. Easier to send and receive mails than the postal system and easier to talk through voice system and easier to talk through voice chat and, now ,through internet telephony. The internet revolutionised the world. It rendered the telephone and the postal system obsolete. Moving on, USB flash drives allowed for more memory storage along with portability. Now , with a capacity of up to 20 gigabytes, the amount of date these devices can store is unimaginable for a floppy disk or CD-ROM .Thus, it has effectively taken over the floppy disk and rewriteable compact disc as our major portable memory device.

Telecommunications

The telecom industry is the one that has benefitted the most from the disruptive technology boom. Arguably the most disruptive innovation, was the mobile phone. with the telephone, the location to which you could connect to talk to people mattered, butt with the mobile phone, it is the people you connect to, regardless of the location, which matters. Mobiles technology and connectivity has redefined the term "staying connected".

The Future: What next?

Disruptive technologies enable us to think in dimensions we had never before considered , and therein lay their utility and power. These help us expend our knowledge base as a society and as individuals and solve problems we didn't quite realise were problems. The trouble is ,it is difficult to segregate disruptive innovations from the chaos that surrounds research, from all the hyperbole that accompanies every new product or technology launch announcement . There is no mantra that can enable you to distinguish between a disruptive technology that can after the landscape and the marketing fluff that most organisations indulge in. the only true test is time and the only test bed is the body of users on the internet.

There is no doubt that disruptive technologies such as the internet, increased computing power and so on have made our lives simpler and easier . They have gained our acceptance. The world is heading towards a time when disruption becomes a norm. there are hundreds of great examples of organisations that have changed consumers perception by unleashing innovative products and services that ave had a profound impact on society.

According to the late marie jasinski,
recognised educator, thinker, visionary and psychologist, "if you doubt the potential impact of disruptive technologies, just think of the law of small effects'-somethings that seems insignificant right now can gain momentum and have a big impact."