PTTs wore the hat of “natural monopoly” until last century. They firmly believed, “I am monarch of all I survey; My right there is none to dispute.” That was ended during the post-mobile era. Internet has further disrupted the orthodox dominance.
Since then the new breeds of giants kept on emerging: Google, Yahoo, Skype, Facebook, Apple and others. Unlike old days the consumers now decide who rules the world, said the Columbia Law School professor Tim Wu in his new book, “The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires.”
Wu first coined “net neutrality” in a conference sometimes during 2002. After publishing the book he was interviewed by the NYT. Commenting on the future of Internet he said:
I think the natural tendency would be for the system to move toward a monopoly control, but everything that’s natural isn’t necessarily inevitable. For years everyone thought that every republic would eventually turn into a dictatorship. So I think if people want to, we can maintain a greater openness, but it’s unclear if Americans really want that.
Tim Wu has also published an article in WSJ and said:
There are digital Kashmirs, disputed territories that remain anyone’s game, like digital publishing. But the dominions of major firms have enjoyed surprisingly secure borders over the last five years, their core markets secure. Microsoft’s Bing, launched last year by a giant with $40 billion in cash on hand, has captured a mere 3.25% of query volume (Google retains 83%). Still, no one expects Google Buzz to seriously encroach on Facebook’s market, or, for that matter, Skype to take over from Twitter. Though the border incursions do keep dominant firms on their toes, they have largely foundered as business ventures.
Read the NYT interview and WSJ article.
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