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Do We Still Need Telcos (and ISPs)?

Posted by Cliff on from the beyond-their-effective-lifetime dept.

eraserewind asks: "Are telecom providers and ISPs going to continue to be necessary in the future? Why are we all paying subscriptions for communicating? What I want is a global extremely-high-speed ad-hoc wireless data & voice network, where the only entry cost is a mobile phone (or newtork card or whatever). Devices communicate peer to peer, or routed via other people's idle devices. Remember there is no subscriptions, so don't expect to piggy-back on someone's paid for DSL bandwidth. What are the technological barriers? What kind of protocols would you need? What hardware advances? How would you solve problems of geographic isolation? Are there theoretical, political or economic reasons it couldn't work?"

16 of 650 comments (clear)

  1. Uh... by TheShadow · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah, I want everything for free too. Give me a break.

    --

    --
    "What do you want me to do? Whack a guy? Off a guy? Whack off a guy? Cause I'm married."
    1. Re:Uh... by darthtuttle · · Score: 5, Funny

      1) it's always cheaper to run landline for the highest speeds available.

      2) There are great distances between areas where people live. Despite apperances you can't go from DC to Boston through suburbs all the way.

      3) Data has to be served from somewhere, and you have to connect that to everyone somehow. Your not going to do multi Gigabit out of a medium sized Data center let alone the big ones.

      4) I can count.

      6) Even if we got rid of all the companies and did everything as a "community" project people would end up running things and those people would fight for power and the little guy would get charged to much in the end anyway.

      7) Whoops, I can't count.
      8) Have a nice day

      --
      Darthtuttle
      Thought Architect
    2. Re:Uh... by squiggleslash · · Score: 3, Funny

      I hope they played good hold music while he was waiting...

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    3. Re:Uh... by twiztidlojik · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nothing wrong with using one pipe if it's a wireless one.

      So,,,you're advocating massive Tesla coils...every 20 feet, for power? Sounds rather costly to me. ;)

      --
      I will now redundantly add my name to the end of my post. You know, in case you forgot me or something.
    4. Re:Uh... by anthony_dipierro · · Score: 2, Funny

      So,,,you're advocating massive Tesla coils...every 20 feet, for power?

      No, gasoline and batteries. :)

    5. Re:Uh... by shaitand · · Score: 2, Funny

      Update, and in this year of 2015 we thank the scientist who discovered this incredible new substance called rubber. Everyone has taken to wearing rubber clothing and this has GREATLY reduced deaths due to high voltage zaps from the fucking tesla coils!

  2. Cliff, Cliff, Cliff.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Remember there is no subscriptions

    And apparently their ain't know grammar checker, either!

  3. What you are really proposing... by digerata · · Score: 4, Funny

    is global nirvana. It just might solve world hunger, end all wars, and bring us as a species to the 'next level'. I can't wait. spffff in my wet dreams!

    --

    1;
  4. What I want by ihummel · · Score: 3, Funny

    "What I want is a global extremely-high-speed ad-hoc wireless data & voice network, where the only entry cost is a mobile phone (or newtork card or whatever)."

    What I want is all of Bill Gate's money, all of Jeff Bezos's patents, and a quick easy way of getting rid of SCO once and for all (e.g., a tactical nuke).

    I think that my desire is more realistic.

  5. Hmmmmmm... by airrage · · Score: 2, Funny

    Are telecom providers and ISPs going to continue to be necessary in the future?
    Answer: Yes, the phone company will still be in existence.

    Why are we all paying subscriptions for communicating?
    Answer: Because string and two tin cans just doesn't cut it.

    What I want is a global extremely high-speed ad-hoc wireless data & voice network, where the only entry cost is a mobile phone (or network card or whatever).
    Answer: Isn't Science Fiction neat?

    Devices communicate peer-to-peer, or routed via other people's idle devices. Remember there are no subscriptions, so don't expect to piggyback on someone's paid for DSL bandwidth.
    Answer: If you are talking future state, what's up with the DSL reference? I think we should all grow prosthetic-tails, which act like antennas.

    What are the technological barriers? What kind of protocols would you need? What hardware advances? How would you solve problems of geographic isolation? Are there theoretical, political or economic reasons it couldn't work?"
    Answer: 42

    --
    "This isn't a study in computer science, its a study in human behavior"
  6. Great! by El · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, under such a system it would be FREE to call across the Atlantic... provided there is a solid line of swimmers with cell phones all spaced a half mile apart all the way between the coasts... personally, I'd rather pay somebody to build an infrastructure.

    --

    "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney

  7. Re:TANSTAAFL by bozoman42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    That Ape Never Seems To Assess Accounting For Lemurs?

  8. "What I want is..." by NoData · · Score: 4, Funny

    What I want is a global extremely-high-speed ad-hoc wireless data & voice network, where the only entry cost is a mobile phone (or newtork card or whatever)

    And what I want is a pony.

  9. Newtork by Sinus0idal · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wanna newtork card too!!!!!

    Uhm, whats that do?

  10. Telcos? Telcos? by inertia187 · · Score: 2, Funny

    We don't need no stinking Telcos (and ISPs)? We're doing just fine witho^ÏÆ'©âcgs7ww8

    +++
    NO CARRIER

    --
    A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code.
  11. The protocol to use for this by cullenfluffyjennings · · Score: 2, Funny


    Clearly RFC 1149 would be the best for this.