Death of Conventional American Cell Phone System

Over the next few years, several businesses areIn the next few years it is clear to me thatyou
planning start selling dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fiwill have the ability to connect wirelessly to the
phones, which will can make calls using either aInternet nearly everywhere in the country.
cellular network or a wireless Internet connection.If you have a VoIP wireless phone that connects
These phones are likely to alter theautomatically to the Internet you can make a call
telecommunications industry and change the wayon the Internet. Just like current systems like
consumers use phone service. They may spell theVonage, there is a fixed monthly fee and you can
end of conventional wired telephone services.make as many calls as you want for a fixed
As much as 30% of cell phone calls are nowamount. This includesmany countries like Canada
made inside homes. If those calls could be madeand Mexico.
more cheaply by means of the internet, wirelessOther plans allow you to add up to 35 countries
companies could free up capacity, and bothto the list.
businesses and consumers could save money.The major innovation here is that you will do this
The technology is still in an experimental stage,wirelessly and not be fixed to the few hundred
but some companies have already begun to offerfeet you can walk in your home on your portable
cell-Fi phones on a limited basis.phone.
USA Today August 24, 2005So rather than use your cell phone, you will
Dr. Mercola's Comment:connect to the Internet wirelessly and use VoIP
Earlier this week New Scientist reported that 4Gas an alternative to your cell phone carrier. These
cell phones(not land lines)in Japanusing thisnew VoIP wireless phones are essentially
technologycould receive data at 100 megabits peralternatives to your cell phone.
second on the move and at up toone gigabit perJust as many people dropped their land lines
second while stationary. To give you an idea ofnearly everyone will be dropping their cell phone
that bandwidth power, you could look at 32 highcarriers. The reason? Rock bottom prices. No
definition (not regular TV) video streams at oncelonger will you pay over $100 a month for your
while you were travelling in your car.cell phone. You will pay $25 for your home AND
The US is making some limited progress in 3Gcell phone for UNLIMITED use. Also remember
phone networks.that you avoid paying taxes or hidden fees. Just
Verizon has already rolled out its 3G networks in$25 a month.
14 US citiesand you can connect unlimitedSo you can call anywhere in the United States
wirelessly to the Internet for $60 a month inand Canada for one low monthly fee. If you have
these cities. Unfortunately Chicago is not one ofto call internationally the rates are typically 3 cents
the cities, but within a year they should havea minute. Compare that to the nearly universal $1
most of the US covered.per minute or more for most international cell
The Sprint Nextell mergeris rapidly following withphone calls.
their 3G EVDO systems. However, it is my beliefVery exciting and one of the major fruits of
that you and I will not have to wait ten years forMoore's Law.
4G phones or expensive 3-G wireless as Wi-MaxIn one month my technical staff is deploying an
is on the way and will be here in 1-2 years.open source VoIP system in our office called
Wi-Maxis already being tested in remoate areasAsterisk that is equally amazing. I need to make a
of Argentinafor widespread access to theone time purchase of about $10,000 inhardware
Internet.and rent a voice T1 line for about $500 a month,
WiMax isshort for Worldwide Interoperability forbut after doing that I will be able to have nearly
Microwave Accessandcomes in two flavors. The200 phone lines that I can have unlimited calls on.
first, known as fixed wireless, is similar toWi-Fi,Absolutely amazing considering that this would
but on a much larger scale and at faster speeds.costs hundreds of thousands of dollars in
Unlike Wi-Fi, Wi-Max can transmit up to 30 miles.conventional PBX systems and tens thousands of
Yes, you read it right, 30 miles. It doesn't takedollars in monthly phone fees.
many Wi-Max towers to cover most cities. MostIt could not be clearer that the death bell is tolling
communites will only require a handful of Wi-Fifor the conventionalAmerican phone system.
transmitters to provide coverage to theirOne thing you can count on in this life is change.
residents.Who would have thought thatAT&T would
Thereally exciting developement though ishave ever collapsed as in its hey day it was one
nomadic Wi-Max whichwould keep WiMax-enabledof the largest and most powerful corporations on
devices (like your "cell" phone)connected overearth.
large areas. Intel is projecting that they will haveWell technology can do that.
this deployed in their notebooks in late 2006 orThat is why I am equally convinced that even
early 2007.though the top ten drug companies have more
I have had conventional VoIP (voice over internetwealth than the rest of the Fortune 500
protocol) phone service for nearly three yearscompanies combined, it is clear that they, like the
and over 2. 5 million Americans have now made aphone companies, will fall.
similar choice. Next year, WiMax will beYou and I will catalyze that process. Mark my
widespread.words. This is happening as you read this page.
What is the Exciting News for You?