The endless ether

De eindeloze ether appears soon in our bookshops in the Netherlands. A concise book in which is put that the current restricted possibilities for radio and TV broadcasting will disappear. The report is a quick scan into the possibilities of mobile broadband data communication. The broadband data communication network  must be considered as an endless ether, on which radio, TV and other medium services can be offered not impeded by existing regulations!
 
How can you deserve money with radio on a broadband data communication network? What are the different business models? How influences this the position of the existing players such as makers of the radio programs, existing broadcasters, networks operators and the manufacturers of the reciever equipment and user software? 
 
Always-on internet has become important when then the tariff becam less than 35 euro per month. Speed is less important, but will increase, to reduce the fall of the prices for broadband connections. Everyone can select therefore by means of Internet its own station and listen to it.  Radiolocator helps to make a selection. The portable Internet radio of Reciva is wireless. The streaming radio of Philips isn’t. But both make the switch-over of the current analogue radio to digital internet radio much approachable.
 
Mobile telecommunication became possibly by the invention of cellular networks. The endless ether will become possible by a nation wide network with WiFi-hotspots. It is still lacking of roaming agreements. But these will come certainly. It’s only a matter of time until only a few competitors of WiFi-hotspots remain and combine there networks.
 
Dutch haven’t got used to pay for radio or television. Streaming audio will always be free on the Internet. The possibilities of the endless ether can be exploited, if suppliers specialise on target groups, nich-markets for special interest groups, of offer listeners possibilities to focus on information concerning their individual needs. But there’s no money in personalised information. That conflicts with the expectation of the user that information on the Internet is free.
 
Money will be deserved by the network operators and the suppliers of digital audio receivers. Advertising will be give some cashflow for het content providers. But the questions remains, who will make money by delivering content in times of an endless ether.