Birds are twittering about Verisign's moves to integrate WiFi, VOIP and cellular over campus-wide networks.

The idea is to give cellular carriers their own "triple play" -- combining paid WiFi (through controlled real estate), VOIP (long distance) and cellular service on one bill.

I understand why Verisign is on to this. What I don't understand is why the carriers are getting in bed with them.

These are, after all, the people behind the Crazy Frog scandal. Defrauding customers and relying on their ignorance for profit, while hosing the good name of the cellular carrier in the process -- that doesn't sound like the kind of folks you want to do business with, even with an arms-length agreement.

But T-Mobile and SBC should both be interested, if Verisign can make it work and show a profit. Both are still hot for building-out paid WiFi networks, although neither has been bragging lately about all the money they're making from them. Instead, both are increasingly seeing paid WiFi as a way to "lock in" customers, and that's exactly what Verisign is about -- locking folks in.

So call me crazy, but maybe this marriage will work out after all.