Today, investors, customers and end users are tired of the hype. They want to understand tangible consumer benefits. That's why creating relevance between the technology and the end user will drive the next boom.

How do we make technology relevant? The answer lies in value and efficiency.

For instance, we have an infrastructure to support high-speed access to the home, PDAs that can exchange data between multiple users and cellular phones that deliver toll-quality voice and limited data services. To make these applications valuable, they must seamlessly interconnect and support applications with Internet, voice, data and video that add efficiency to our business and personal lives.

There are several drivers responsible for this shift.

First, whether to avoid risk associated with traveling, or to save money, more people are staying at home. With both business and personal travel at historic lows, high-speed delivery of converged video, voice and data are gaining importance. Going forward, we must improve the quality of delivery of these services so that applications like virtual conferencing and voice over the Internet can be supported without the jerks and interruptions generally associated with the technology.

Second, industry is moving away from conventional "fixed" workplaces. Offices are mobile, sometimes spanning the distance between headquarters and customer sites, to the home. In this environment, mobile, always-on access is critical to enhancing business efficiency by enabling faster access to e-mail, voice-activated replies and instant connections to customers or suppliers.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, to increase efficiency in both personal and business environments, technology must be simplified. Today it is impossible to set up a personal-area network without sorting through standards and dealing with complex user interfaces. Refocusing on the end user will allow applications to be defined in advance, thereby influencing the development of relevant standards, easy installation and user-friendly products.

SiGe Semiconductor has survived the downturn by employing conservative growth strategies, delaying product development to align with market timing and reducing spending to break-even levels. Now we are taking the boards off the windows, with a renewed focus on making technology relevant to the end user.

With this focus, we believe we are guaranteed a place among the companies hitting the market with the right technology at the right time.