Friday, February 21, 2014

The Other Big Winner in the WhatsApp Deal: Your Wallet - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from a bigger-picture reality check; also see Facebook’s WhatsApp Deal Could Jumpstart Internet.org Plans (Re/code)

"There is a larger lesson in this story: When telecom companies control specific protocols on their lines — whether it’s texting, voice calls or even cable TV — customers lose out. And as soon as our devices get access to the open Internet, we have a bounty of competitive choices that reduce prices and improve service. What happened to texts is likely to happen to voice calls, too, in a few years’ time. Because of competition from FaceTime Audio, Google Hangouts, Skype and lots and lots of other Internet-phone services, few of us will worry about voice minutes anymore; for some, that might even be true today. And perhaps the SMS story will play out on TV, too. Cable is expensive and inflexible. Internet-based alternatives like Netflix and YouTube are cheap and available everywhere. In the long run, there is only one way that story ends."
The Other Big Winner in the WhatsApp Deal: Your Wallet - NYTimes.com

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