iMessage! Is it beginning of end of Mobile Phone networks?

iMessage = Text message service using world wide web instead of mobile phone network

Why do we need a separate voice network (whether landline or mobile phone network)?

What if we have a mobile phone device with 3G connectivity that has a voice/video communication application such as skype/windows live etc. and that’s it!

The way three mobile in UK has allowed unlimited skype-to-skype calls over mobile phone, if all other mobile phone operators also allow unlimited skype-to-skype calls and your land line phones/IP phones at office or at home also have a skype application, there will no more be need for a separate voice network.

The only exception may be if you are calling to a country where 3G is still not available to masses. In such a scenario translation from data to voice network would be required which is similar to making phone calls using skype credits.

Challenges:

1. 3G Bandwidth availability: However going forward, with 4G network availability this problem will solve on its own.

2. Opposition from BT/Vodafone/O2/Orange etc that have huge stakes in conventional technologies. They want it or not but day by day more and more people are bound to move towards IP networks for voice communications. On one side telecom companies may lose but they have a bigger opportunity on 3G/4G side. Moreover, it’s a bigger opportunity for Voice over IP product companies. Governments may lose money on licensing fees of 2G spectrum but at the same time will get money for 3G/4G spectrum.

3. What if I want to carry two or more mobile numbers, one for work another for home? No need to have two sim cards anymore. Have one mobile phone hardware that runs one app from vodafone another from orange and may be third from AT&T

Benefits:

1. As a customer no need to carry two or more mobile phones everywhere. Low cost voice calls.

2. No more confusing price plans, permutation combinations of minutes, texts and internet download limit. Only one product (in most of the cases) which is 3G/4G download limit in GBs.

3. For telecom manufactures a new opportunity. Instead of building multiple networks, have one unified network.