3g into hardware penetration is great but when this happens for LTE, Wimax, or a future faster service, then I think we are in for a giant boom of innovations in hardware, software and services. All of them will be built on a rich internet backbone and fast wireless connection. The carriers, cable cos and fiber providers have all been afraid of being a dumb pipe (their words, not mine). I think rapid innovation, competition and consumer watch groups have prevented the land line guys from throttling back unfettered access. Thanks go to Apple and now Android for cracking the wireless side a bit more open, but I am looking forward to the day when someone isn’t afraid of being a great bit provider, when someone embraces that role and rushes to build a completely reliable, fast and open wireless network.
That company could win on a grand scale. The global electricity business is $1.5 trillion. They have proven that it is good business when you provide a fast, reliable open network. It may take 5 or 10 years, but when a bit provider embraces that possibility, we should be in for another century of great innovation just like we had from all the innovation built off the electric grid… that is of course, assuming the electric grid is still there to support the wireless bit grid.
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