David L. Sifry, co-founder and CTO, Sputnik

What I always thought was cool about wireless was that it really lets you change the way you live as well as change what you do. It's more than being untethered. It's more than saying, “OK, now I have another way to get access to data and voice.” It impacts how long your workday is and crazy things like how you date.

Sputnik got started because we said, “Wow, what if we could harness the power of all the people who basically brought the Internet into being? This is a monstrous grassroots force. What if we could do that for the wireless world as well? Wouldn't it be interesting if we could create a standards-based, unlicensed, ubiquitous, high-speed, low-cost data network?”

Let's assume we're successful — what does that mean three to five years out? That's when things get exciting. Right now, it's blood and guts. Let's assume that a ubiquitous, high-speed, low-cost data network exists and is not controlled by a cell phone company. We talk about the rich getting richer, the educated getting more educated and the poor getting poorer. What if there is this ubiquitous high-speed access in urban areas? That means I don't need to go out and bring in all of this expensive equipment into low-income areas in order to get people connected to the Internet.

I'm imagining picocells lining pole tops to do handoffs from poletop to poletop. We've been investigating this with a company that manages truck stops. Truckers staying overnight can get high-speed connections, communicate with other truckers, and — let's be honest — they'll probably download porn. Or imagine a geeky guy like me in his 30s with a wife and kid. I'm driving and stopping at my gas station and my 802.11 connection is in the trunk downloading the latest Bugs Bunny video for my daughter to watch in the back seat.

Once you go wireless, you'll never want to go back. It's one of the stickiest experiences I've ever gone through.

I have Category 5 wired throughout my house. The only thing I use it for is connectivity for my wireless gateway servers down in my basement. I'm completely wireless because of that ability to pick up the laptop and move anywhere in the house. I love NPR, and when I'm cooking, I start up the Real Player software and listen to it live. And it means that I don't have to leave any magazines in the can.—As told to Lynnette Luna