Subj : Re: KICQ as an "Old New I
To   : Arelor
From : Andeddu
Date : Sat Jul 10 2021 21:06:10

  Re: Re: KICQ as an "Old New I
  By: Arelor to Andeddu on Thu Jul 08 2021 06:22 am

 >  > I don't think that's a problem with 99% of people though because 4G
 >  > coverage is so good now and
 >  > you're at home you should have a decent WiFi connection. For the people
 >  > who are out in the stick
 >  > and are unable to sustain a conference call, a traditional phone call
 >  > would be far more
 >  > appropriate.
 >
 > That is a very firstworldler-like declaration to make.
 >
 > A lot of people on this ball of mud we call Earth does not even have a data
 > plan at all. They just
 > can't afford it. I have heard a lot of people in India has smartphones
 > without dataplans at all and
 > they get their Internet fix using public wifis or whatever.
 >
 > According to the GSMA State of Mobile Internet Connectivity report, as much
 > as 40% of the planet's
 > population will still be digitally isolated by 2025.
 >
 > You don't have to be very far off to be out of proper mobile network
 > coverage though. If I drive
 > for half an hour away of the main city of my province, the quality of the
 > connectivity drops very
 > sharply.
 >
 > I am a liiitle bit touchy with this subject because I have noticed a very
 > disturbing pattern when
 > rolling down technologies like these:
 >
 > * Technology is first deployed, availability is insufficient, and everybody
 > thinks it is not "quite
 > there".
 >
 > * Technology becomes widely available in high density population areas.
 > Inhabitants in high
 > population areas think the technology is great.
 >
 > * Inhabitants of densely populated areas claim the tech is ready and
 > whidespread (because it is for
 > them). The technology starts being deployed in low-density inhabited areas
 > at snail pace.
 >
 > * Inhabitants of densely populated areas start pushing for sociological
 > changes that surround the
 > new technology assuming it is widespread. For example, they try to make
 > Internet access mandatory
 > for certain tasks that used to be doable over a phone line.
 >
 > * When inhabitants of places where this technology is not deployed at all
 > complain, city slickers
 > counter with some statement which is true if you happen to live in New York.
 > "How come you don't
 > have affordable Internet! Stop complaining and get an ADSL subscription! I
 > have one and it is
 > cheap! Get on with the times man, it is 2005 already!"
 >
 > For a New Yorker it might seem that 99% of people won't have trouble
 > adopting the tech, but believe
 > me, this is an skewed assumption.

I guess roll outs re tech happen at a different pace depending on which
continent, country and region you reside. In most dense cities and towns in the
UK, the 4G network is robust and can handle 720p/1080p video streams and
confernece calls with no issue. Even rural villages appear to have strong 4G
signals and are able to sustain all of the above. I understand that it's not
nice leaving people behind or forcing people to move on to newer technologies
if they're happy with what they've got... but that's what progress is all
about. I think, especially with COVID, we are moving very quickly down the
technological path and most people are starting to grasp now that this is the
future -- people are going to work from home remotely and sometimes children
are going to be taught via virtual class rooms and court trials are going to be
handled through a virtual court. We are becoming highly dependent on the
internet and I cannot see things changing post-COVID.

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