the big convergence

Just last week, Google launched its free citywide wireless network for its hometown of Mountain Town, CA. Earlier this year, it also won a bid to offer the same service for the whole of San Francisco.

Now, consider the following:

• Google offering free citywide wireless networks
• The Slingbox and P2P TV such as PPLive
  
• A Skype WiFi Phone
• Internet radio

What is the common significance?

All these little bits are falling in place with Oh’s big vision of the future. And what is this big vision? It’s the vision of a big convergence of technology. Since the arrival of the Internet, our lives have changed, and it has enabled us to do more and communicate better. But this is just the beginning.

Consider what we have right now. We surf the worldwide web on the Internet, call our friends on the phone networks, and get entertained watching television that runs on the cable network or listening to radio through the radio network. Slowly but surely, however, we are discovering that all these things can be accomplished solely via the ubiquitous and powerful Internet.

At the same time, broadband speeds are increasing steadily while prices to stay connected are going the other direction. It is only a matter of time before Internet service providers realize that charging for Internet connectivity is no longer a viable business avenue. Ambitious governments and companies in small countries and cities such as Singapore are already looking at providing free wireless coverage for entire regions, much like what Google is doing now. If I tell you that one day the whole world would become one big wireless zone, would you bet against it?

For the time being, that is the main thing that’s keeping us on these phone and radio networks. We want such services on the go, but currently the Internet is limited to certain places only. Think about it, by the time the world becomes one big wireless zone, would you still pay a monthly subscription fee to call your friends on the phone network? No way! The other area of concern would be quality of service – whether the Internet is capable of delivering at guaranteed levels of speed and clarity that we expect for such services. This shouldn’t be much of a problem given that the quality of internet telephony and video and audio streaming are very much at or reaching acceptable levels even as of today.

That is why the industries of service providers for phone (mobile and fixed line), Internet (cable or dial-up), cable tv and radio networks are dying a slow death. It may happen in the next ten years or it may take 50 years, but we can be sure it’s happening. Sooner or later, all will converge onto the Internet, and all will be more or less free. The moolah to be earned then will be on providing content, rather than infrastructure services.

So how will the relevant parties be affected? Those providing cable and telecommunication services will find that their main line of business will be severely affected. Television and radio stations, on the other hand, will continue to provide their content. Only the means of doing so would have changed.

As consumers, we will all benefit greatly if this comes true. Technology is supposed to be a wonderful thing, non? The main stumbling block is that all these affected companies will be clamouring for legislation in order to maim this free market and protect their businesses.

Why? Because they are all EVIL.