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come to mind – cloud, crowd-sourcing, killer app, service ubiquity, social networking. Skype is all of those things, and now it's a mainstream service being offered by the largest mobile operator in the United States. This is a big moment for the telecom and Internet industries, and I'm a little afraid to say that too loudly lest Congress step in and jack it all up.
The question that's probably in everyone's mind now is – how will AT&T respond. Well, unlike VZW, AT&T was very resistant to the FCC's recent ruling that said it has to allow VoIP over its 3G network. Skype does offer an iPhone app – but here's the difference: AT&T isn't offering Skype as in-network calling that deducts neither minutes nor MBs from an allotment. We'll see what happens – but consider this anecdote.
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AT&T: technically speaking, your exclusivity just went out the window. |
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A close friend of mine— let's call him Mr. Touchdown— called me recently from Crested Butte where he was skiing with his family. Mr. Touchdown is a real early adopter; he's had an iPhone since day one of its release and he uses it to stream video from his slingbox. He had a MiFi device as soon as it came out. He always pushes the mobile devices' and networks' limits. He asks me, "guess how I'm calling you." I say, "uhh...on a phone?" He says, "Yeah, but I'm calling you with Skype, on my iPhone, over the Verizon 3G network through my MiFi. How's the quality?" It was crystal clear. So, AT&T – technically speaking, your exclusivity just went out the window thanks to Mr.Touchdown...and Skype.
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