I was just thinking that if that number or even the ratio stayed the same and one still needed 1000 coins to have a masternode, and Dash became used as a currency then the price would have to be a lot higher to provide enough capital.
Has anyone run any numbers?
Is there a plan to phase out masternodes or reduce the amount needed to run a MN?
There are no plans to phase out masternodes. In fact, they are essential to implement reliable network services that differentiate Dash such as InstantX, protocol network governance, private transactions, etc.
If there is ever a need to increase the number of masternodes to handle greater transaction capacity over time, the collateral needed to host a node could always be reduced from the current 1,000 Dash... but that definitely isn't one of our immediate concerns. If you were to require only 500 Dash, the number of masternodes should roughly double for example. Right now, the 1,000 Dash collateral requirement results in an equilibrium of about 3,500 masternodes. For now, that is more capacity than Dash needs, but like I said, the network could vote to change the collateral requirement to target any quantity of desired masternodes as the network capacity needs change.