Recent developments in the wireless Internet space might lead consumers to believe that the future will operate without ethernet cables. Whether it’s Clearwire and WiMax, mobile operators and LTE, or cable companies and Wi-Fi, it seems that companies are attacking the wireless Internet solution from every possible angle. Yet what seems to be is not always what will be. Wired’s Cliff Kuang looks at the broadband issue and how it has played out in the past. Despite failings there, he believes that the future is indeed bright for wireless Internet.
The tipping point, apparently, was the iPhone. Before this device, wireless operators could cast aside notions that consumers wanted a better wireless Internet experience. That’s because there were no mobile devices which handled the medium properly. Yet with the iPhone the demand became evident. When a specific device causes users to consume five times more data than their counterparts, it sends a message to everyone.
Now the pressure is on mobile operators to construct 4G networks — though LTE isn’t really fourth-generation — to increase capacity and speed. Clearwire is trying to position WiMax as a home broadband replacement, with the added benefit of portability. Cable companies are offering Wi-Fi hotspots at any place they possibly can. All because these companies finally realized that people are willing to pay for high-speed wireless Internet. In other words, consumers themselves have created a new market.
The promises of yesterday weren’t sincere because the companies which would provide the service didn’t see signs of demand. People talking is not the basis for a service. People acting is. With the introduction of the iPhone consumers began acting. True to market principles, once they started acting companies started reacting with new products and services. iPhone killers of every type emerged, even though none matched the prowess of the original. But more importantly, wireless Internet services began to take off. Now that there’s actual demand there’s no reason to think the trend will die off.
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