A new article on the website of the Hollywood Reporter indicates that Comcast- the largest broadband Internet service provider in North America- is seeking a toe-hold in the wireless world.

Maybe not just a toe hold. Maybe more than that.

Comcast's goal, contributing editor Diane Mermigas described Comcast senior executives as saying, would be "to offer itscable TV subscribers the ability to check their Comcast email, voice mail,on-demand video selections and conduct personalized product and service searches on a branded Comcast phone."

Mermigas- who I worked with directly for years and for whom I have the highest professional and professional respect- says that in terms of infrastructure, a major Comcast wireless effort could play out in one of several ways.

These might include Comcast re-selling Sprint or T-Mobile wireless service. I could see this working this way: you buy a Comcast-branded cell phone, as well as minutes from Comcast- but actually you are buying Comcast minutes out of a giant pool of minutes they've purchased from say, Sprint PCS. Not so far-fetched: Qwest Wireless is a Sprint PCS reseller. And DirecTV also has a similar re-seller relationship with Verizon.

The other major scenario Mermigas proposes is that a wireless phone provider and Comcast would strike up a deal allowing for "personalized services across multiple media platforms."

Either scenario sounds plausible -even not to the exclusion of the other.