I’m continuing to see how television is going to be a thing of the past. Well, not television in the broad sense, more the way television is delivered. Right now, my television programing, my internet connection, and my phone service are delivered over the same pair of copper lines. The same lines that just 5 years ago could only deliver voice service.

It used to be that you had a twisted pair running to your house for telephone and a coax cable running to the house for television and internet (of course before that, it was just rabbit ears…).

I am starting to see how digital data compression is going to open up the world of telecom to even faster, cheaper service. In fact, the internet as we know it today will probably become obsolete.

The latest breakthrough is coming from Cern, the particle physics group that created the world-wide-web (Al Gore takes credit for it, but the really smart folks actually made it come true), and are calling it “the grid”. The grid could will provide the power needed to transmit holographic images or offer high-def video conference calls for the price of a local phone call.

It’s all about speed.

David Britton, professor of physics at Glasgow University and a leading figure in the grid project, believes grid technologies could “revolutionise” society. “With this kind of computing power, future generations will have the ability to collaborate and communicate in ways older people like me cannot even imagine,” he said. -Source

With speeds like this, you’ll be able to transmit and download full albums within seconds, and streaming full length, Hi-Def movies will be common place. Couple this with high-speed wireless networks and you’ll literally be able to whip your TV out of your pocket and take the morning news with you on your morning commute.

The technology is here, and it will make current telecom companies rethink how they deliver their product.

Tags: internet | Technology

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