Not so very long ago in the news, there was a story about a mandate laid down by the Government that within 5 or so years, everyone should have access to the InterWeb, at a speed of 2Mbps or more. The medium of connection for that statement was not defined, but of course there could be a range of options – (x)DSL, Cable, FTTH, Mobile, WiMax – the list goes on.
However, in the last 24 months, the runaway success has been Mobile broadband – plug a self-installing USB dongle in your PC, and off you go – InterWeb access straight away! So I pose this question – would the Government’s mandate best be served, in large part, by USB dongles on current/next-gen networks?
I’m not of course suggesting that we just dump tens of millions of extra users on to existing networks, but, instead a multipoint plan revolving around:
• Government investment strongly in to the Mobile Operator Networks
• Government definition of requirements of Operators to share mobile mast sites
• Government subsidy of USB dongles for those disadvantaged
• Government definition of clear wireless networking strategy
It’s a snap for mobile broadband dongle vendors to include multi-mode radio in to their devices, and with increased coverage, we could get a roaming super-network, overlaid with a couple of generations of radio access technology – ultimately providing very good coverage for anyone with a need to access the InterWeb.
I’ve a feeling the Government might stay technology-agnostic, and just lay down more general plans about the % of people that should have access in 5-10 years’ time, but in fact, at this point, due to the dramatically slow speeds of things like the (widely-deployed) xDSL, it is the time to get directly in the technology definition path. Take a hold of things, define how they ought to work, and make the Mobile Operators play nice together. InterWeb access is becoming a utility, and without strong leadership in this area, the disadvantaged will end up with differential access to another key commodity of the future.