OT: [sorta]: from wired.com : Why Isn't Wireless [IP] Everywhere?

[R P Herrold]

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009, Mike Schwartz wrote:

I was thinking tangentially about this the other day -=- We 
forget it now, but recall the 'urgency' for the regulated 
telco's to 'add more wireline phone numbers' during the 
dial-up phase of the internet roll-in?

Wired number pool allocations with all the fax, dialup PPP 
links, pager, and related devices (I exclude cellular numbers 
here), and the pulling of copper in the 'last mile' 'outside' 
network were 'urgent', a crisis, and now are in the rate base 
we all end up paying for, essentially 'forever' for customers 
unable to totally drop wireline services [VOIP and wireless 
only go so far -- some businesses cannot take the risk of 
being 'unavailable']

The answer of course as to 'Why' usually includes a 
'TANSTAAFL' aspect ;)  What will WiMax, wireless, or whatever 
be supplanated by 'tomorrow', and what commercial company can 
'thread the needle' to provision it at just the right 'profit 
maximizing point'?

-- Russ herrold