the road (and they'll take it with them wher- ever they travel in the world). In many respects, today's telephone service is little changed from the tech- nology our grandparents used. Despite advancements on numerous techno- logical fronts, as well as the widespread use of mobile phones, most people still think of telephones as those familiar little devices that sit on desks, nightstands, and end tables. Telecosmos: The Next Great Telecom Revolution, edited by John Edwards ISBN 0-471-65533-3 Copyright © 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ON THE MENU-TELECOM SERVICES This situation will soon change. Over the next few years, several develop- ments will combine to make telephone service more innovative, less expen- sive, and increasingly useful. Although conventional telephones may linger on for a decade or more, people will increasingly rely on alternative telecommu- nication modes to keep in touch with friends, family, and business contacts. 1.1 END OF THE LINE FOR WIRELINE? The U.S. carrier market is facing a tough and uncertain future, as total wire- line service revenues continue to dwindle. In-Stat/MDR, a technology market research firm located in Scottsdale, Arizona, finds that long-distance service providers are the group facing the greatest challenge, as their core revenue sources-voice and long-haul private lines-show the greatest revenue declines. Long-distance providers also have very little market share in the few growing consumer telecom services, most importantly broadband. "Over time, as wireless continues to mature and becomes seamless and reli- able, the need to put up new wired infrastructure will decrease to the point of no longer needing it," predicts John Bartucci, senior director of product man- agement for Telular, a wireless equipment manufacturer located in Vernon Hills, Illinois. "It's a question of putting up poles and stringing wires, or digging trenches to lay cables, versus putting up wireless towers. Assuming there are no health risks associated with all the wireless stuff we've got flo