Drew, give it another year or two and WLL will be fully competitive with entrenched first world wireline. The competition goes like this. Some company puts in a cdma2000 WLL system [along with a mobile system]. Customers phone their twisted pair supplier and ask how much per minute for service and compare with the WLL supplier. The twisted pair suppliers are charging big heaps and providing a slow data rate. They don't want to cut all their last mile profits by cutting price per minute to everyone, so they lose swarms of internet users to WLL and a heap of voice phone service too.
The twisted pair suppliers can't cut price to some and not to others [at least I don't think so], so they are between a rock and a hard place. Then there are always new buildings and the like even in old areas, so new wiring is needed. The WLL supplier can just provide another air link no problem, little marginal cost. Plug in a modem to the back of your computer and hey presto, 2 Megabit per second wireless for cheap on IP.
WLL is going to be used heaps, in first, second and third world. So will mobile. People will have both, with maybe multiple handsets on one IP address. A Globalstar handset for going on holiday to check the emergency house in Montana. A Q-Phone, or Appeal for going for a run around the park or on the beach, or a round of golf - light and clips easily on the belt. A pdQ or notebook computer for being a salesman or otherwise in business mode. A mainframe WLL modem for Wintel connection to the Web in the house. A six-pack for the kids and family. Earcells [TM] for noisy environments, handsfree etc.
The fun is just beginning.
Mqurice
PS: Steve, I'm glad to hear 'at Qualcomm' or 'The Q' is the terminology. I haven't heard 'QUALCOMM stadium' since the finals last year. But also, have only heard 'Jack Murphy stadium' once, so negigible sample. Glad to see it was a one-off use [or at least very infrequent]. |
