The main obstacle was the lack of capacity of the telecommunications networks of the time. What used to be their ordinary POTS phone line has been transformed into a virtual PABX which they can configure as they like for voice, fax, videophony, even video conferences with friends or work partners. Each member of the household has their own phone number. The extensible lines mean that the kids can chat endlessly with their friends or surf a vastly enhanced version of the Internet without blocking access to the rest of the world for their parents. The system automatically allocates bandwidth to applications and users.
Callers can have eye contact with whomever they are talking to.
There is a strong feel of mutual presence, as if someone was standing at the door or saying hello through the window. The speed of fax services has been enormously enhanced. In fact, the old machine is no longer used. By 1998, microchips to enable hand held videophony were already being developed by a number of firms, in particular by Phillips. Similarly a number of manufacturers were also building-in GPS functionality in cellular phones.