The Demand for the Data Pipe

Thursday, 02. 18. 2010  –  Category: T2 Communications

It seems like ages ago when data connections were only available via dial up and our consumption was limited more to a time block than a logistical need.  We couldn’t keep our phone lines tied up, and even when we tried our connection was often broken with regularity.  Even with the latest gear, the process was inefficient, slow and aggravating.  Of course, for most people it really didn’t matter because there wasn’t anything to do online that we couldn’t accomplish by using the postal service or reading a newspaper.

How times have changed.  Now, that data connection has become the equivalent of a morning commute—it is their way into work.  We communicate more via e-mail, text and social media without considering picking up the phone or…

Should Data Connections Be Considered Essential Like a Utility?

Thursday, 02. 4. 2010  –  Category: T2 Communications

Every month, we get the usual round of bills at home.  For most, there is the electrical and the gas bill.  Most pay for trash and perhaps water.  Likely you either you have a mortgage payment to make or rent to deliver.  Combined with our food tab for the month, these are considered “essential” services for our existence.

And then there is data.

For the purposes of this article, data is any connection you pay for over which communication is delivered.  For some that still means copper phone lines.  It also means cable or satellite service, internet connections, wireless (cell phone) service and any other devices like VoIP that you pay for to create your experience.  They come from one provider or three, and like clockwork they…

The 2000s: A Decade of Technology Addictions

Friday, 01. 8. 2010  –  Category: T2 Communications

As another decade comes to a close, we are given time to reflect back on those previous years.  For many, the 2000s were a decade full of highs and lows as the world continued to become increasingly more complex.  Of particular importance was our increased dependence on technology to streamline our lives, both personally and professionally.

Items that started as a curiosity for some have evolved into addictions that we would be hard pressed to remove from our daily lives.

Cell Phones: In 2000, there were 281.4 million people in the United States, and just over 97,000,000 cell phone subscribers.  Today, there are 276.6 million subscribers and to go along with 308 million people.  That’s a change of 34% of the population with phones to nearly 89%.  Now,…

Are Wireless Phones Really About the Phone Anymore?

Monday, 11. 16. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

On the legal side of telecommunications, the “duck test” is often used to describe how new technologies fit into legacy regulatory policies.  When data companies unveil voice services and claim that they are data and not voice products, the argument is often made by competitors and regulators that “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.”

This test is pertinent to the current state of the wireless phone industry as well.  With all of the enhancements happening, the user experience is getting more and more complex.  As a result, a paradox emerges.  If a phone doesn’t have a key pad, doesn’t require minutes and is rarely used to make calls; is it really a…