more on the economist Move over 3G: here comes 4G

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Subject: RE: [IP] from the economist Move over 3G: here comes 4G
> To: dave () farber net, ip () v2 listbox com
>
>
> I seem to respond mainly to telecom/connectivity issues but precisely
> because they are simple there seems to be a need to state the obvious until
> it is indeed obvious. The implications go well beyond the cost of a phone
> call. It's also fun to think of metaphors that try to explain the
> discrepancies.
>
> 4G is like 3G except that there are no cellular companies. It's like VoIP --
> it's just like the PSTN except for the PSTN -- there's simply no concept of
> the switching gear existing except as an abstract concept. It's like a toll
> booth in the middle of a large flat field. It also reminds me of when my
> roommate tried to cook potato dumplings from instant (dehydrated powder)
> mashed potatoes. He came back to see how they were doing and they had simply
> vanished.
>
> After passing through a series of hotspots this week each of which wanted
> $10/each during a single trip it's obvious that there is something seriously
> wrong. The good news is that hotel are finding they can't charge for it in
> the room but do charge for wireless (meeting room) access. Even more to the
> point is the difficulty and societal cost of requiring that people not share
> their Internet connectivity via 802.11 (assuming encrypted V6). This is part
> of trying to take a simple commodity and creating billable entities.
>
> I don't want to get too far off topic so I'll simply note that the new VOD
> (remote TiVo) services seem to presume that a megabit connection is cheaper
> than storing a movie on a local disk drive ($5 hardware assuming $1/gigabyte
> and 5 gigabytes for a DVD). There will be no reason not to share low cost
> connectivity (especially with encrypted IPV6). Trying to limit the sharing
> and manage it is already too much trouble for people
>
> The 4G story is telling since it is an admission of defeat in the face of
> fungible connectivity. WiFi is only one element of this story
> (wired/wireless -- no difference). The only question is how long the wired
> and wireless telecom industries will manage to keep it limited and
> expensive.


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