A few years back you may have remembered all the hub-bub concerning the “white space” frequencies of what was formerly used for the television band spectrum, which Big Telco, Big Cable and a few others (even Google) fought each other for, tooth and nail.
Well, it’s now 2012 and there’s this thing now called “Super Wi-Fi”. This article explains pretty well what that is (like the fact it really shouldn’t have “Wi-Fi” in its name as the way it works is quite different from what we now know as Wi-Fi), and how it will affect internet subscribers in the not-so distant future.
Super Wi-Fi has in fact already been deployed, but not on a widespread scale just yet mainly because OEMs aren’t making devices that can use Super Wi-Fi yet. Think of it as the same thing when wireless networking first started becoming common. People outfitted their older PCs and laptops with an add-on card to get the wireless working. Such will be the same with Super Wi-Fi in its beginnings.
Basically speaking, your connectivity to the internet in the near future will be based on a wireless model. When Super Wi-Fi starts gaining more traction in the marketplace, soon enough the ISPs will probably have an offering that specifically uses this technology instead of (or maybe in concert with) what’s used now like LTE.
If all goes well, a Super Wi-Fi ISP offering should in fact not cost any more than an existing wired subscriber offering. In fact, it may be cheaper when it first makes its splash just to get people to sign up for it.
Would I personally use Super Wi-Fi if it were offered? Maybe. Being that I don’t game and don’t have any huge bandwidth requirements (as long as I can watch Netflix and YouTube I’m a-okay), if Super Wi-Fi is on par with LTE’s speed, cheaper than wired cable, yes I’d give it a go…
…but only if it was offered in the same no-contract style my existing internet subscription has. I am by nature very anti-contract when it comes to things I pay for. And at the end of the day, it all boils down to whether a contract is involved or not.
I do want Super Wi-Fi to be a real thing everywhere, because I do believe in the technology. However, if it’s handled in the stupid style that post-paid cell phone contracts are (read: Verizon, AT&T, etc.), nobody will want it.
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My problem with this prediction is an assumption of Logical Decision Processes on the part of ISP Executives….you know the one’s I’m talking about: The Executive who knows NOTHING about Technology, but he’s qualified to be head of that Dept because he’s played golf with the CEO’s Uncle last year.
Another possible problem is that ISP’s may structure as a CHEAP way to get more customers without truly working the back-end network. So the Super-Wireless is available in a poor dense neighborhood…as one lone tower/tenna…and everyone has crappy connection that never gets better, but that’s the only option available because the Cable or TeleCom co Execs consequently made the decision not to even bother with any further DSL/Cable/Fiber infrastructure improvements therein.