Jobs wanted own network with unlicensed spectrum

[Mosby]

Steve Jobs initially hoped to create his own network with the unlicensed spectrum that Wi-Fi uses rather than work with the mobile operators, said wireless industry legend John Stanton.

Stanton, currently chairman at venture capital firm Trilogy Partnership, said he spent a fair amount of time with Jobs between 2005 and 2007. "He wanted to replace carriers," Stanton said of Jobs, the Apple founder and CEO who passed away recently after a battle with cancer. "He and I spent a lot of time talking about whether synthetically you could create a carrier using Wi-Fi spectrum. That was part of his vision."

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http://www.macworld.com/article/163633/2011/11/venture_capitalist_jobs_wanted_own_network_with_unlicensed_spectrum.html

I think what Jobs was talking about is ultra wideband technology:

http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/Research/UWB/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-wideband

Cell phone carriers already use a type of shared bandwith transmission called CDMA, with an ultra wide band capability we would not need the cell companies at all, the phones themselves would set up the network without the need for cell towers.

What needs to happen to facilitate this? Open Spectrum:
http://www.greaterdemocracy.org/OpenSpectrumFAQ.html