Would you watch television on your mobile device? Rogers Wireless thinks you will after unveiling plans today to offer Canada's first mobile TV service through a deal with MobiTV. Before dissing the idea of mobile TV, it is important to remember that younger consumers see their mobile devices as essential tools. Leaving the house without their wireless device is as bad as forgetting their wallets. As these people grow up, their use of services such as e-mail, Web browsing, music downloading and TV will be as much a part of the mobile experience as voice. Of course, it's going to take a few years before mobile TV gains real momentum but it could be a big wireless hit to access sports highlights, news clips and entertainment content. A key factor will be how carriers price it. If they offer user-friendly packages - pay-as-you-go, a la carte and all-you-can-eat - this would be a real plus. Another issue is whether networks will be fast enough to produce a good TV experience.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 8x8 Inc., which is struggling to keep up with the Vonages and Cablevisions of the world, has slashed the price of its VideoPhone service by $10 to $19.95 a month, while the cost of its VideoPhone hardware has been reduced to $99 from $250. The service includes unlimited voice and video calls worldwide to another Packet8 Videophone as well as unlimited local and LD voice-only calls to any phone number in North America. Of course, there's a catch: new customers have to sign a 24-month contract and pay an early termination fee of $299. Do you get the feeling the VOIP market is about to divided into the haves and have-nots? As the cablecos rumble into the market, will there be much room for under-financed "independents" such as 8x8? My advice is many of these smaller players should focus on market niches to bcome viable - be it ethnic, demographic, regional or affinity markets. The market's evolution into the land of giants is very much like what happened in the market e-commerce sector.

ZDNet's Russell Shaw poses the question about who will have the most Internet telephony subscribers by the end of this year. Vonage currently has a large lead with over 600K customers but cablecos such as CableVision and Time-Warner are starting to close the gap. My take is Vonage will end 2005 in the top spot with 800K to 1M subs - propelled by aggressive marketing that will continue to keep it top of mind with consumers. The Yankee Group expects Vonage's market share will drop to about 20% from 66% due to more competition. As for Vonage in 2006, there are two questions: will it be able to fend off the cablecos or will it be snapped up? There is growing scuttlebutt Vonage will not do an IPO - partly because of CEO Jeff Citron's troubles with the SEC a few years ago. This concern may be inaccurate but it's out and it should not be discounted. What many investors/analysts would really like to know is whether i's marketing efforts are causing it to lose tons of money. The company claims it is close to being cash flow positive before marketing expenses, but read into that what you may.