Goodbye cell phone towers:

Japan is readying a new network for cell phones that will allow people to connect to the internet to talk over the phone more cheaply and transmit data more quickly.
The government plans to introduce mobile voice over internet telephony by 2007.
The mobile service under consideration at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will allow people to use VOIP on cell phones -- similar to what's now available on fixed lines.
The proposal for the network, which will also transmit large amounts of data such as streaming video on cell phones, is being discussed in a ministry panel of experts and telecommunications officials. A decision is expected in December.
Although details, including the kind of mobile VoIP technology, are not yet decided, several carriers are expected to apply for licenses to offer mobile VoIP services, which are likely to be cheaper than talking on cell phones today.