Dual-mode service won’t interest US consumers
Ars Technica posted a critique of the whole dual-mode wifi/cellular networks deal that has been creating a lot of buzz around voip circles. To sum it up, it won’t catch on
The company predicts that only two percent of all mobile subscribers in the US—which amounts to less than 5.5 million people—will have subscribed to dual-mode services that enable both cell and WiFi capabilities by the year 2010, indicating that the general US market just isn’t interested in dual-mode technology.
I definitely agree with this. I think the concept and the technology is cool, but there are two problems with the marketability of this concept. First, cellular companies are starting to make a play for leverage their wireless networks to provide broadband Internet access, so they are unlikely to do anything to encourage using wifi technology to supplant their own network. Second, the technology does little to actually help consumers–after all, if the consumer is paying for a network with a great-coverage, it is not the consumers job to provide that network or that coverage. Most customers switch networks or phones to get better coverage, not provide their own.
Clint,
I agree with you on this dual mode offering not by Provider but by devices only .
I deploy a city-wide wi-fi network, and my clients like to use the cell based device with web based VoIP to PSTN, and since Canada made phone number portable, now the carriers are fighing to keep their customers, this dual mode service will force the Cell providers to offer cheaper service and may even offer free incoming calls to avoid losing clientels, this is when Wi-Fi voip to PSTN paly a major difference for consumers, (i.e., You use a wi-fi enable phone to call a Cell phone user, the cell user now picked up the incoming call without incurring an additional charges and now the Cell user will use the wi-fi network to call home (PSTN LAN line), the call are now using wi-fi network and it is not being billed also) you get the idea?
Mike