[Eug-lug] Local dial tone providers - Qwest alternatives?

[T. Joseph CARTER]

On Tue, Jan 18, 2005 at 06:38:12PM -0800, Bob Miller wrote:
> > This already sounds like it has possibilities.  Already I can say that I
> > get internet access in more places than I get a clear cellular signal in
> > Eugene, and I could live with s 503 number.
> 
> This is how VOIP will kill the cellular carriers, IMO.
> 
> College students like Joseph will find that VoIP/WiFI gives better
> coverage for the places they frequent than cellular.  Combined with
> unlimited talk for a fixed price and portable phones (Vonage is
> supposed to be selling one sometime this year for $100), how can a
> starving student afford a cell phone?

You could do it just as easily with the cellular network.  In fact, many
prepaid cellular companies are just reselling large cell networks' access
plan on specifically branded phones.  Charge me $30 for VoIP with most of
North America as "local" and cheap overseas rates, then have me fork over
$1-200 for a cellphone which rebrands Verizon or Cingular service tied
into it for another $30/month, and suddenly you've undercut both POTS and
cellular providers.

AT&T wanted me to pay $.04/kb for data access from my phone.  That's
ridiculous given that I'm already paying $52 for my plan, after taxes and
fees.  Hit that sweet spot of $60 for both and you will have the most
popular thing out there.  Do it on a carrier with GSM (ie, not Verizon) so
I can upgrade my cell phone trivially and I might be willing to pay even a
little more.

The trick is that a VoIP carrier needs to buy up a prepaid phone carrier
who already has negotated good access to other carriers' networks because
there's no way the cell carriers would let a VoIP carrier into their
market like that.


> Eventually, they'll graduate and when they find out what a bad deal
> cellular is in comparison to what they're used to, they'll start
> demanding WiFi everywhere they ever go.  Metcalfe's Law will make VoIP
> even more attractive then, and the general population will start
> switching over.

WiFi is the other opportunity.  That's a little harder though because most
places that offer it do so over DSL links.  OTOH, it would sure be cool to
see the cellular companies try to deploy 802.11[abg] on all of their
towers.  ;)


> You heard it here first (unless you heard it somewhere else).

It's a good idea.