Sounds like wishful thinking. Nor does it address many of the problems of mobile phones--cancer, for example, not just from the telephones themselves, but health consequences from towers. In many areas (rural for example), there remain economic disparites of access; if these are not addressed as such, the problem will not be resolved because industry says "this is better for you because it's better for us. In many old buildings in NY, wireless doesn't work well because the walls are so thick.
The "Grand Futurist Schemes", especially of industry, which has a vested interested in directing traffic in their own direction, should always be viewed with scepticism and a close evaluation. Generally, old, older and new, newer, newest technologies coexist, quite companionably because each have their advantages and conveniences. Embracing something solely on the "NEW, IMPROVED, GET YOURS NOW!!!" does not necessarily constitute good judgment, good design or actual improved (and user beneficial) technology. This industry has a long, ugly history of seeking to force everyone onto a single platform for increased profit/power, which is destructive both to innovation and to the end user. trina > COPPER LANDLINES GONE BY 2013 > [SOURCE: TelephonyOnline, AUTHOR: Ed Gubbins] > The copper “last mile” line to the house won’t exist in six years, > according to Tom Evslin, co-founder of Internet service provider AT&T > Worldnet and voice-over-IP wholesaler ITXC. "By 2012 [there will be] > no more reason to use our landlines -- so we won’t,” Evslin said. “I > don’t think the copper plant will last past 2012. The problem is the > cost of maintaining and operating it when it has very few subscribers. > Obviously [it’s] a huge problem for AT&T and Verizon. And an important > social issue as well.” Evslin pointed to a study showing the > percentage of homes with landline phones declining from about 96% to > 94% between 1998 and 2003 while cell phone penetration jumped from 36% > to 63%. Those trends have probably accelerated since then, he argued. > By 2012, copper landlines will have been replaced by WiFi-enabled > mobile phone services like the one T-Mobile will roll out nationwide > this summer, Evslin wrote. Such services will highlight the > superiority of mobile phones over land lines in consumers’ minds: > mobile phones are more capable (with built-in cameras, directories and > address books, etc.) and less expensive. > _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.isoc-ny.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
