GigaOM’s correspondents have been on a tear about the obsolescence of POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) or landlines. Their latest snippet by Jim Courtney entitled “Area Codes are Dead — Thanks VoIP” talks about the “loosening” of the anchor of geographically locked phone numbers…specifically for the home/office. Obviously, cell phones have been doing this since the FCC forced the carriers to support number portability and more recently ensured this wasn’t something the carriers could drag on, it’s not like this is a surprise. As VoIP has gotten more widespread (Qwest was expanding its network to cover a large chunk of their residential customer base years ago…and they probably didn’t even realize it), it wasn’t going to be long. There are still hiccups (while clear, Skype calls can drop out or otherwise end up fubar if the net connection falters anywhere along the way) but with increasing bandwidth, faster cellular data connections, and a coming bump in WiMax support as adoption starts to spread, it won’t be long before you can (finally) have uninterrupted cellphone access.
Imagine being able to get 99% coverage because where cell service dips, your phone can automatically switch to WiFi without you noticing. One of the cool things that I’ve wanted to try out were those IP phones that really routed to wherever based on your location. So, you could have calls follow you if needed. Don’t roll your eyes. Think about family calls. Your son or daughter’s stuck somewhere and they need you. What if you left your cellphone somewhere or it got dropped in the toilet (yes, this happens but thankfully not to me…yet)? Walk over to a “public” phone wherever you are that you can log into and pull up your phone book or even have the phone ring for you if someone calls.
Big Brother may be watching but there are a number of other reasons this sort of thing benefits people. I’d even go for the Minority Report-style ad/public screen that can ID you and say, “Hey, your wife’s trying to reach you…it’s important!”
In the end, though, I still feel a bit defensive when I hear about the end of POTS. Maybe it’s one of those things where you’re familiar with something…like an old friend…and you hate to see it go. One more thing from your history that disappears under the mob of progress, leveled to the ground and replaced with a new strip mall. One of those weird duality things with me. I love new tech, stylishly new architecture and the like…but I also respect and enjoy old things (okay, I don’t appreciate stuff from the 60′s or 70′s…yeesh).
Or maybe it’s because of what it implies…that we’re no longer grounded in a place that we know but are becoming digital era nomads without a home. How long before nationalism gives way to something new…technologism–your identity becomes like those Mac commercials where you’re identified by your tech platform…no more religious wars or wars for land…it’s a war for bandwidth or adoption. Ugh. And when those little green men finally show up a thousand years from now, picking through our technological bones…will they just shake their heads and mutter about misguided automotons or will they just be the Borg, showing up and collecting some more technology for their own?
kn
