Google WiFi - A Disruptive Technology on the Horizon?

The recent purchase of free VoIP long distance provider Skype by eBay has been big news of late. In fact, the latest Economist Magazine made it the cover story last week. And rightfully so, because this almost certainly spells the end of age-old telephone companies - at least in their present form - in probably just the next 5 years.

Now here's an interesting story about Google's rumoured free WiFi (wireless Internet) service. Might this be just the first spark in what is surely to be another disruptive technology "fire" in the future?! For once there's free wide-spread wireless Internet access and free telephone service then the mobile telephone companies will also be headed to bankruptcy.

Already today I'm using Pocket Skype with my wireless Dell Axim Pocket PC. In order to make a long distance call I need to have a strong, steady WiFi signal but more & more are popping up all the time, especially in the larger cities. The quality still isn't great but with some minor tweaking of the hardware that could be quickly improved.

What's most fascinating of all to me is how such highly capitalistic companies like Google are moving the telephone industry into a highly socialist one!