Mobile Skype: Quality Issues?
Skype's introduced a PDA version that will work with 802.11b-enabled Pocket PC handhelds with more than 40 Mbytes of memory onboard (see Skype Me? Skype You! on the regular Skype client).
In theory, this is an application that enables users to -- at least partially -- bypass wireless carriers: If users live in an area with plentiful WiFi hotspot access and all their friends and family use Skype.
That's a big if, if you consider the nature of hotspot coverage when compared with traditional mobile networks: It's spotty, at best...
How spotty? Get all the details on Unstrung.
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung
Well, not really a problem in typical use. While a DOCSIS 1.1 upstream is limited in bandwidth (typically set to 5 Mbps, often 2.5M), it's common for a CMTS to have four upstream carriers per downstream. So the total bandwidth upstream is reasonable, unless there are an awful lot of subscribers/node. (Okay, we do know of some such cable operators.) DOCSIS 2, of course, provides for much more upstream bandwidth, provided the modems are also at 2.0+.