The holy gateway and the evil gatekeepers: An example of how telecom companies and politics slow innovation down.

When I see the proliferation of devices that each one connects to the Internet via their specific means and that each one requires a different service subscription, I can’t help but think that there must be a more efficient way. The natural question that comes to my mind is: why isn’t the cell phone the center of this ecosystem? Why can’t the cell phone be the hot spot all these devices use?

I think the idea is intuitive enough not justify more formal proofs that things would become much simpler that way. Via your cell phone your computer, your eReader, your camera, and even your vehicle could all connect to the Internet using just one data pipe (only one contract, only one bill, only one protocol). So many more possibilities would open for innovation. Then, why not?

The short answer, in my opinion, is that Telecom companies only simplify when they have no more way to exploit. I would also add that it only happens this way, because Telecom is an overly regulated market in which competition and, consequently, innovation are discouraged.

For a moment, let’s say we give up on the Telecom mess. Can a completely new model be created to provide people with ubiquotous Internet access? Or doesn’t matter how brilliant an idea is, if it gets into the Telecom’s way they will just kill it using political/legal “procedures”?

With the Analog TV spectrum going available soon maybe we’ll get a chance to do things differently. Maybe the cell phone will not be that hub, but your good old TV instead (#sarcastic).

UPDATE: GigaOM seems to share some of my frustration (The Power of MiFi in the Tablet Era)