Fast Company Weighs In on 3G vs. Wi-Fi
These stories are getting so common maybe we should create a new category for them, "3G vs. Wi-Fi." Fast Company has decided that "3G is a bomb" and it's Wi-Fi to the rescue (surprise!). And who will bring Wi-Fi to the masses? Why your neighborhood electric utility of course! First off 3G is definitely in trouble, but not because of lack of demand followed by expensive licenses as this article would lead you to believe. Technology delays and licenses are problems. However, there are hints that people do want wireless data on their phones if the user experience is right. For example consider the increased interest in WAP thanks to GPRS color handsets. On the Wi-Fi side Fast Company sees Wi-Fi as a last-mile solution, which it was never intended to be in its current form (nor is 3G for that matter). You still need to plug your access point into a DSL or cable modem to do anything with it. And the electric companies? It would have been easier for them to offer high-speed internet over their existing power line infrastructure and take on DSL and cable providers, but they haven't. So why exactly they would get involved with Wi-Fi is beyond me.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
