steven n fettig's Jitterin' Thoughts

     The Register has a great article on the reality of combining WiFi hotspots into 3G networks. While companies have fought over the control of the networks and equipment themselves, it may be time to simply provide the pipeline and let the market decide where hotspots are to be installed. Take US's Sprint PCS for example: with mother Sprint having a whole host of data offerings (from DSL to T1's, T3's, etc.), Sprint could easily provide the backbone and you provide the Hotspot equipment. It is unlikely that there will be longevity in the existence of the location for many providers (like myself) mainly because people move, businesses fold and life goes on. But the liquidity and consistency of demand will produce more hotspots than are needed (in my estimation) and all that Sprint is really forced to provide is the pipeline and IP space (which it already has). People like myself, who are already paying hefty sums for high speed service, would be more than willing to switch to a network that offers them the option of providing services supported by a big network provider - and heck, if I go under or move my business, maybe the next person will pick up where I left off.

No, the real value - and wealth - comes from the services that we use, not from fighting over the plumbing. The last thing the USA needs - it's already handicapped by three incompatible air interfaces (GSM, CDMA, IDEN) - is another infrastructure war.

See: Sprint to meet WiFi halfway