Telecom History after 1984
Q. Why don't you write about telecom history after 1984? (internal link)
A. It's too big a subject for the time I have to write about it. After the Bell System breakup in 1984 companies and competition flourished, hundreds and then thousands of new suppliers entered the market. In 1985 the first American commercial cellular networks were started, recreating wireless as an industry. Pre-paid phone cards and alternative long distance companies enjoyed success, creating business where none existed before. I could cite a dozen more examples of telecoms' Competition era, which I date from 1984 to 1996. We're now nine years on to something else, which continues to quicken the pace and broaden the scope of everything communications. I call this era The Rise of IP Networking.
In 1996 the commercial internet began developing in earnest. It's based on what's known as the internet protocol or IP (internal link). For many reasons nearly all telecom companies are moving to IP and replacing their old circuit switched technology with packet switching (internal link). Once every company and individual uses IP, everyone and every network can provide or use a service on cable, telephone, broadband wireless, cellular radio (perhaps), power line, or satellite links. The transmission media may differ but the content carried may be the same or close to it.