How Mobile Bandwidth is becoming a commodity

We’ve posted here before how Google is poised to become your phone provider.  Also note that Microsoft recently purchased Skype.  Can you imagine a day when you can simply buy a mobile device, log in to your Google Voice account or iTunes and begin making calls on the cheapest available bandwidth?  That day is coming, and probably no more than seven or eight years from now.  Mobile bandwidth will move faster down the commodity road than land line because the costs of switching are so low.  The only thing tying you to your carrier right now is your phone number, but what will happen when all you need to do to talk to a friend is place a call to their Facebook profile?  Phone numbers will become a relic of the past, just like the rotary dial.  As soon as the first carrier breaks and begins selling bandwidth wholesale to Google, Apple, or Skype, the rest will have to follow suit and the race to provide numberless service begins.