The Iron Yuppie

Forget 3G. I'll take 4G (aka: Why WiFi is dead) | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

I'd love to think that the better product always wins, and that all wireless will be done through a simple (and single!) technology, but this is not going to happen anytime soon, despite the endorsements of the authors. The premise above is that 4G will soon replace Wi-Fi because it is technologically superior, faster, more secure, etc but the technology marketplace is littered with countless examples of this not being the case. I'm a great example. In 1997, I bought a DSL line because everyone said that it would be faster, more reliable, etc, yet cable beats DSL today by a large margin (and I've since switched back). Basically, Cable companies were faster and more flexible (they did not have to deal with the FTC as much I believe). 4G sounds like a great idea, but carriers are notoriously slow... Sprint still has not upgraded their systems in Seattle, one of the most tech savvy groups anywhere! What the experience is like in implementation (rather than in theory) and which the consumers can get first in quantity are a much clearer signs to future success than the merits of the underlying technology.

[Updated: Improved the flow of the first sentence.]