End of telcos

Recently, speaking at a VoIP event, Skype CEO Niklas Zennström predicted that VoIP would force POTS providers to stop charging for voice calls by 2015. I have to agree..!!

Look 10 years into the future, where everything is hooked onto the Internet. In such a scenario, any realistic chance of revenue must come from online services. Disruptive technologies like Skype would never go away - voice call will be free. All this has been possible because voice communication today is a software product and not a hardware product as with the POTS systems.

The old telcos still hold the last mile copper and hence will still have a say. But, come wireless (wifi and wimax) the last mile copper will no longer be needed. Being on the inside, we can already hear the rumblings, the winds of change, it'll become more obvious in years to come...