The future is wire-free

Orange chief executive Hans Snook has told the Telecom 99 conference in Geneva that the power of the internet will only be fully realised when people can access it whenever and wherever they need to - in other words, through wire-free mobile connections.

In five year's time, says Snook, the number of wireless connections will outstrip the number of fixed ones. This he said will be a part of a whole new infrastructure for the 'connected society'.

Snook also projects the emergence of 'international wirefree network utility companies', enabling services to be rolled out for 24-hour use around the world.

The German engineering group Mannesmann clearly has ambitions in the same league. It is currently seeking to buy Orange for £18.5bn, a deal that could see Snook pocket £45M over the next five years.

Elliott Chase