
Google and Apple Would Make Cell Service Better By Bidding - walterbell
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/google-apple-bid-best-cell-service/
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stanleydrew
There are a lot of incorrect assumptions and general misunderstandings in this
article about how mobile networks operate generally, and about how Project Fi
and the Apple SIM work specifically.

Would it be great if we could choose a wireless network to join the same way
we choose a WiFi network to join? Absolutely.

But that's not going to happen without the consent of carriers. It's not a
technology problem that can be solved by an outside entity.

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ksec
Exactly, If they are all combined they might as well Merge into one company.

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rahimnathwani
I don't see what's new here. Cell phone service is already a competitive
market in the USA, although slightly less so than in the UK.

\- Companies that offer wireless service, even though they own no physical
infrastructure? Yes, the US has >60 MVNOs:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_v...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_mobile_virtual_network_operators)

\- The ability to roam onto a different network? Yes, T-mobile doesn't cover
everywhere, but has roaming agreements to fill the gaps in coverage.

\- Porting numbers between operators? Yes.

The issues aren't technical in nature. The issue is also not that the
wholesale market is dysfunctional or nonexistent.

The issue is that an individual wants predictability in billing for usage,
without negotiating prices each day. This objective is most easily achieved
through serially monogamous relationships with operators or MVNOs.

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dubya
_The ability to roam onto a different network? Yes, T-mobile doesn 't cover
everywhere, but has roaming agreements to fill the gaps in coverage._

There's a caveat that data roaming is pretty restricted. My wife visited
Bozeman, MT, and was limited to, I think, 10 megs of data, which went very
quickly. On the other hand, in the UK T-mobile had unlimited but somewhat slow
data at no extra cost.

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rahimnathwani
Yes. But a more competitive wholesale market (which is what the article is
suggesting) wouldn't necessarily fix that limitation (on your wife's retail
contract).

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hiou
I stopped reading when the author referenced the energy market as an example
to aspire to.

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zeckalpha
Well, there goes net neutrality. Thanks Wired.

Recently, they also recommended using a product that is no longer being
maintained because security by obscurity:
[http://www.wired.com/2014/05/truecrypt/](http://www.wired.com/2014/05/truecrypt/)

They don't seem to get it anymore.

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jakeva
I just read the article you linked… in what way were they recommending using
truecrypt? Pretty straightforward article as far as I could tell, I don't even
recall a positive recommendation of anything other than bitlocker and time
machine.

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zeckalpha
Hmm, that's not the one I read. The one I read was more recent than May. I
must have mislinked. My mistake.

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YokoZar
I always did think it a bit odd that I can't just create an "Open Cell Tower"
the way I might make an open wifi access point. This is true even if I have
the resources and property rights to build such a thing - say, to make sure
cell service works for everyone on my private island venue. Instead I have to
contract with each cell service provider visitors might use.

That seems wrong. Independent organizations should be able to contribute the
the cell infrastructure, be they companies that need service or local
governments just wanting to make cell phones work without giving a handout to
one particular carrier.

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grecy
Can someone with knowledge please explain why an entity can't create an "Open
Cell Tower" as YokoZar says?

(Genuine question)

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jauer
Radio spectrum is "owned" by the federal government and leased or sold to
private entities at auction. While you can use ISM/UNII bands ("free"/open)
spectrum (and there are GSM base stations that run in 900Mhz), you have to
deal with interference from every other device in the band. Cell systems are
designed to generally not interfere with each other through RF planning and
synchronization of TX/RX timeslots. They don't work well in the face of
outside noise.

Now, in areas where cell providers don't see ROI on a physical build they will
sublease spectrum to a local operator in exchange for roaming rights
(sometimes transparently--you might not see "roaming" on your phone). Verizon
and AT&T do this in chunks of the midwest.

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samfisher83
Isn't it illegal for a company to make phones and sell service? Didn't they
break up AT&T for this.

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stretchwithme
AT&T was a legal monopoly that did not allow competition in service or allow
any one else's devices on its network.

So it forced you to use both its service and phones. Or go without.

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Animats
Two words: "surge pricing".

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softprodigy
Agree!

