When Steve Jobs first dreamed up the iPhone with his team at Apple, he didn't want it to run on AT&T's network. He wanted to create his own network, says venture capitalist John Stanton, who spent a good deal of time with the late Apple CEO during the phone's development period.
Jobs wanted to replace carriers completely, Stanton says, instead using the unlicensed Wi-Fi spectrum. Jobs would not have been the first executive to think about how Wi-Fi could literally replace use of mobile networks for mobile voice and data. There was a fair amount of such speculation in the late 1990s and earlier 2000s. Wi-fi for mobile service?By about 2005, most began to see Wi-Fi as a complementary access alternative to mobile service. Wi-Fi becomes complementary Republic Wireless, the new mobile service provider, is the latest example of that line of thinking.
For ubiquity, no service provider yet has shown an ability to completely displace mobile networks. On the other hand, for consumers, most important personal devices are equipped, or increasingly will be equipped, with Wi-Fi capability.
So even though it remains a challenge to design a mobile phone's connectivity around Wi-Fi-only connections, the in-home environment is becoming a "Wi-Fi mostly" sort of environment. Steve Jobs wanted iPhone on its own network
It is clear fixed line telephone services in the United States are beginning a rapid decline, with users favoring mobile phones and computer-enabled telephony, some would argue. Bill Reidway, Neustar Vice President of Numbering Services Product Management Reidway, is among them.
“As the fixed line network begins to fall by the wayside” explained Reidway, “the notion of telephone numbers associated with a specific geography falls with it.” Neustar’s Vision on the Future of Telephony That doesn't mean numbers are less important, just useful in a new way.
Reidway also explained that although telephone numbers no longer have rigid location sensitive significance, users still generally prefer to associate their phone numbers with a location, and that is particularly important for business users. While it is certainly possible for a business or individual to use an area code, or even country code from any point in the world, he believes an area code “still says something about the identity behind the number.”
One might argue that, over time, the role of a fixed network will change, with users relying on fixed networks for some services and features that are superior to wireless, including bandwidth, cost and features. Business users are likely to derive higher value from fixed line voice than consumers will, for example.
Most popular personal consumer devices will sport Wi-Fi capability, for example, meaning that "untethered" connectivity is becoming more important over time.
Fixed networks, in other words, will become the primary broadband connection used inside homes. Given the existence of mobile data caps, it will make sense for most consumers to switch even their mobile devices to Wi-Fi connections when at home.
Most consumer devices use, will use, Wi-Fi
Republic Wireless is a new mobile phone service from Bandwidth.com that will be launching on November 8, with some features some users will find compelling. Republic Wireless teaserAmong those features is the price, said to be $20 per month, with unlimited talk, texting and data. The plan is also touted as truly “unlimited” with no bandwidth caps. $20 a month unlimited smart phone service?Republic is a mobile virtual network operator, but is integrating Wi-Fi connectivity and software that will switch connections between the mobile network and the Wi-Fi network automatically.The hybrid service essentially will default to Wi-Fi whenever possible, and use the mobile network only when Wi-Fi is not available.
That should translate into lower calling costs for end users, since Bandwidth.com will be able to use fixed network VoIP much of the time.In all likelihood, pricing will set at levels much lower than what users typically expect from mobile service plans, and without need for a contract. Republic Wireless Users will have to buy a new device specially created by Republic Wireless, which undoubtedly will prove a barrier to some users. But $20 a month, with unlimited data access, texting and calling, is going to be attractive to lots of people.
Smart phone owners are using Wi-Fi hot spots in increasing numbers, both in the home and out in public. A recent study by WeFi shows an uptick in smart phone data consumption, much of it by users on the Android platform, for example. That might explain why the Republic Wireless service will use Android devices. Smart phone Wi-Fi usage
When Steve Jobs first dreamed up the iPhone with his team at Apple, he didn't want it to run on AT&T's network. He wanted to create his own network, says venture capitalist John Stanton, who spent a good deal of time with the late Apple CEO during the phone's development period. 
