It wasn't by accident that a Netopia gateway is featured on the item (below) about cell phone business models.

Netopia has done more to be ready for this than any other company.

• They have methodically worked with phone companies to sell modems, then routers, so they know how deals get done.
  
• They have worked assiduously on the technical hurdles, both from the phone side (making modems work with central offices) and on the network side (getting rid of dead spots in wireless networks.)
  
• They announced a decent product that seems to meet everyone's goals in December at WiFi Planet, and they've been working hard to create "up-sales" that carriers can use to lock-in customers.
  

Now they need some action. Now that Netopia has shown its hand, they are ready to see a response. Will it be what they want, what they need?

I wish I knew.

What is needed now from a carrier is more than a Request For Proposal, signed, sealed and approved. Netopia needs a commitment to deploying the cell phone business model, to creating distribution channels, and training installers as salesmen. Unlike cellphones, gateways go into the home, and the only way to be sure they're working is to link them to a central office. Can you do that from a store? I don't know.

I'd sure like to be a fly on a carrier wall right now, but I'm not. I'm hoping for the best for Netopia, because they have done their homework and deserve first shot at this market. But life, sometimes, is unfair.

All we can do, right now, is wait.