Wi-Fi vs. Wi-Max - SMME vs. Multinational

Unlike most blogs where current affairs are referenced and generally commented on - the topic of discussion my site is dedicated to – is my thoughts. Maybe short sighted, maybe naïve but hey it’s my space and I get to air my views regardless.
So on the topic of Wi-Fi vs. Wi-Max – we all know that Wi-Max rules! - greater bandwidth . . . and the convergence of voice, data and video all in one… and that is exactly why the large multinational companies like Telkom, Neotel, Sentech, Iburst and Altech are vying for their licences to be converted from test to live. Think of bottom line revenues, massive subscriber base – woah there is just so much one could generate from this space.
However whilst this is all happening I see a massive opportunity for the small guy, the business with a little knowledge and a lot of initiative. How many townhouse complexes and apartment blocks are there in this country? I am not sure on the actual numbers but there are many, enough to sustain an SMME business?
Imagine one could provide a Wi-Fi network within each and every complex and apartment block within South Africa and then add an apple TV, networked to deliver Video on Demand. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv?mco=MTE2NTk)
Now I am not sure whether this could be done legally but if it could - already you would be taking out all the video stores as the ease of accessing latest release videos from the comfort of your home – with the ability of watching for a 30 day period before the video expires which from a convenience point of view far outweighs the schlep of having to have your DVD’s returned by 12h00 the following day.
I am convinced that one would be able to build a very sustainable subscriber base on just this content delivery itself.
So without the hassle of applying for licences from ICASA, and the massive spend in investment for base stations - one could tie up the market pretty rapidly. From there on the value added services that could be delivered could be personalised to region specific. For the subscriber this would be key, however think about the flip side for advertisers!
So why no one has achieved this I have no idea - maybe Richard Branson or Mark Shuttleworth should be looking into this – sneak in the back door so to speak.