Benjamin,
YOu (twice) mention that 'these arguments' were deployed against mass
adoption of GSM - but in fact, you're on the wrong side of the argument here
- you're arguing for a reverse of the trends that made mobile a mass-market
product.
The driver to GSM take-up is, quite simply, that mobility and convenience
have a premium. People are willing to pay more to be able to take a call
anywhere. Put another way - with a land line, you call a buildng. With a
mobile, you call a person. You're arguing that with a mobile you actually
only call a network - so you should separate the number from the network.
One could see this as a stage further - but I don't
What you're really arguing is that the pendulum will swing the other way -
that people will accept a greater level of inconvenience. I simply can't
understand why you think that the system you outline is simpler than just
having one phone and giving the number out! I go to a store. I buy a handset
with contract. I give the number to people. That's it! No scripts ("What's a
script!?"). No mesing around with multiple configurations.
Once we have 3G, I'll have a device in my pocket that can give me IP
connectivity anywhere at local rates. No hassle. No set-up. No multiple air
links and configuration and new accounts and *software*. Speaking as someone
who spend a solid week trying to get i-Appli's running on my iPaq (anyone
manage this?), I simply wouldn't bother with your configuration. Would my
mother? Not in a million years. You've given compelling reasons why it would
be technically possible, and even economic, but not why people would use it.
After all, you'd go through all this hassle to gain - well, what, exactly?
In all your posts, I can only see two material features of the system you
propose that I could sell to my mother:
-I have the same number everywhere
-It's cheaper than cellular
Of these, my mother's response to the first will be: "but my mobile works
everywhere" - which of course is true. It doesn't work in the USA or Japan,
but travel in and out of Jpan is not big enough to matter, and in the US -
well, what *are* the sales of tri-band GSM handsets? Not all that high -
people aren't willing to pay a premium for it. I contend that you're a
freakish user (in the nicest possible way;))
To the second -well perhaps - if I don't have to buy a second radio unit.
But so what if it is?
A side thought - how many people know that their mobile won't work in (or
outside of) Japan? Or care?
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Received on Wed Aug 15 10:01:01 2001