Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
Posted: 11/04/10 by Jonathan Spalter
With the pundits dissecting the meaning of the mid-term elections and the implications of the D.C. power shift, the conventional wisdom appears to be that little can or will get done in Washington. As the argument goes, Republicans now control the House of Representatives, so it is largely unthinkable that the two parties could work together on major issues. After all, another high-stakes election is "just around the corner" in 2012.
When folks speak up for bipartisanship, they tend to talk with sweeping historic references. The Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 'third-way' efforts of President Clinton. But a steady, ongoing precedent for meaningful cooperation exists right now in U.S. wireless policy.
Through periods of both Republican and Democratic leadership in Washington, U.S. mobile innovation has been carefully nurtured through policies that allow consumer choices and market competition to shape and direct its progress. This approach was largely rooted in Congress' bipartisan decision in 1993 to embrace a pro-innovation framework that favored competition over regulation.
How's it working out? The U.S. now has the most competitive mobile marketplace on earth--a fact that's documented in a new report from the Mobile Future coalition, entitled "Mobile Momentum: How Consumer-Driven Competition Shapes & Defines the Modern U.S. Wireless Landscape."
As the report documents, diverse consumer choices define every corner of the mobile marketplace. Two-thirds of Americans can choose from among five or more wireless providers and a broad array of service choices — from family plans to flat monthly "all in" voice, data and texting plans. Among the latest examples: Wal-Mart, in partnership with T-Mobile, is now offering $45 per month unlimited voice and texting — with no contract required. And, AT&T is advertising data plan add-ons for as little as $15 a month.
As a result of this competition, our nation is home to the world's lowest per-minute voice prices, the largest 3G customer base and is a leader in 4G network deployment. We enjoy the most competitive device and application markets, with more than 65 smartphones introduced to U.S. consumers in 2008 and 2009 alone and more than 300,000 apps available from at least 10 stores.
According to the FCC, wireless customer satisfaction rates stand at 92%. And, Americans are adopting wireless Internet access at a rate of 2:1 today over traditional wired broadband. Yet in its last competition report, the FCC declined to observe that the wireless marketplace was competitive, stating that it was holding back for "superior outcomes." While it's important that we set a high bar and there certainly are areas for improvement, it's equally imperative that we recognize our success to date.
It is a foundation FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski can build from, particularly on spectrum policy, to ensure wireless remains a catalyst for progress throughout our society.
To his credit, Chairman Genachowski has challenged all Americans — innovators, policy makers, and consumers — to work together in building a sustainable and comprehensive approach to managing America's spectrum in the years to come. His efforts, along with key initiatives by Larry Strickling at NTIA to identify and free up more spectrum, have been both visionary and timely. By working in a bipartisan way with the new Congress, as well as in a cooperative way with all stakeholders in the American mobile ecosystem, the FCC under Chairman Genachowski can make great strides in the coming months in harnessing innovation in policy, in our capital markets, and in industry, and set the stage for even more competition and innovation in our mobile and wireless sector.
And, thanks to robust competition, hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment offer the promise of driving next-generation infrastructure and helping to ensure the U.S. remains a global leader in mobile innovation. Since 2006, an average of $20 billion annually in private capital has flowed into U.S. mobile infrastructure. In fact, cumulative capital investment rose 8% from June 2009 to June 2010 — despite the current recession. This is essential progress for what President Obama calls "the next transformation in information technology."
The reality is that wireless has thrived because Washington, through the ebbs and flows of political fortunes, has made a purposeful decision to let consumers and innovators take the lead. Just as we need political leaders who reach across the aisle, so do we need mobile innovation to continue to thrive and evolve in robust and surprising ways — taking paths that are hard for static regulatory regimes to predict, let alone encourage.
As our society and economy prepare for the next wave of innovation, we need to acknowledge the path that got us this far: rapid, awe-inspiring innovation from a myriad of sources and profound private-sector risk-taking — all fueled by a bipartisan policy framework that showed rare restraint and clear deference to consumer choices in a competitive marketplace. There are many lessons to be learned from Tuesday. One is that while elections are inevitably partisan, sound policy that stands the test of time often is not.
This article was originally published on Huffington Post.
Posted: 09/21/10 by Mobile Future Team
Long gone are hours spent retracing steps and digging through cushions, trying to answer the one question we find ourselves asking far too frequently, “Where is my phone?!”
Thanks to Verizon Wireless’ new mobile application Mobile Recovery-- which works much like Apple’s MobileMe: Find My iPhone service-- the search for your mobile device is over!
Mobile Recovery employs several useful tools to locate, retrieve, and protect a lost phone. For example, the “Sound Alarm” feature triggers an alarm to sound, even if the phone is on silent or vibrate mode. And if we were so forgetful as to leave our phone at a restaurant or in a cab, the “Locate Phone” feature uses GPS to find the address of the phone’s location and provides turn-by-turn directions to retrieve it. You can also remotely lock and erase contacts to secure your privacy.
In addition, MobileMe for iPhone recently has been updated to be accessible via mobile Safari on iPhone and iPod touch. So the next time you have another “uh-oh” moment and can’t find your phone, simply grab your iPod touch or a friend’s BlackBerry and rest assured that your phone is just a click away!
Posted: 08/12/10 by Mobile Future Team
This week marks the beginning of Ramadan, and this year mobile is making it easier than ever for Muslims to nativgate this important observance.
From yesterday's Washington Post article by Samantha Henry:
The most ancient traditions of Islam are going high-tech, with a slew of modern offerings for those observing the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week. Cell phone applications such as "iPray" or "iQuran" offer a beeping reminder of requisite prayer times, while the "Find Mecca" and "mosque finder" programs help the Muslim traveler in an unfamiliar city find the nearest place to pray.
Posted: 07/09/10 by Jonathan Spalter
Consumer confidence remains low in today’s tough economy, but the Pew Internet and American Life Project’s new Mobile Access in 2010 report illustrates a contrarian streak among U.S. consumers when it comes to the mobile marketplace. Across ages and demographics, Americans are showing a remarkable bullishness when it comes to the value and innovation they see in their wireless purchases. In fact, usage of connected devices and applications continues to grow at an unabated and staggering pace.
Over the past year, the number of Americans connecting wirelessly to the Internet is up 8 percentage points, with six out of 10 Americans now using their smartphone or laptop to access the Internet. In fact, more Americans now use their mobile device to connect to the Internet (38%) than play a game on their device (34%). And, it’s not just young millennials gravitating to the nexus of wireless and the Internet. Their parents—folks in the 30 to 49 year old age bracket—are now leading the growth.
African Americans and Latinos also continue to lead in mobile connectivity. Two-thirds of both communities are wireless Internet users. And, African Americans and Latinos continue to outpace whites when it comes to cell phone ownership (87% versus 80%).
These insights illuminate the wireless debate at a pivotal moment, coming on the heels of President Obama’s Executive Order announcing his Administration’s intention to increase the amount of spectrum available to meet consumers’ fast-growing mobile needs. Pew’s methodical documentation of a steep adoption and usage growth trajectory—cutting broadly across the U.S. population—powerfully illustrates the profound importance of these spectrum allocation efforts and the equally essential need to safeguard policies that encourage the billions of dollars in investment needed to get this spectrum into use across the country. This process can take six to 10 years to complete, from the announcement of auctions to the deployment of actual networks, so we need to get started now.
Unfortunately as temperatures rise in Washington (both literally and metaphorically), it seems no debate is safe from the partisan pull of election-year politics. Even U.S. wireless policy, which has enjoyed bipartisan support for a light-tough regulatory framework through both Republican and Democratic administrations, is getting dragged into the pro-regulation and heated rhetorical fray.
It’s hard to justify given the frenetic pace of competition across the mobile landscape. Verizon and Google recently have gone public with their ambitions to challenge the AT&T/Apple iPad alliance. HP, Dell and others also are in hot pursuit. Cox is becoming the first U.S. cable company to directly offer wireless services. Regional players like Leap Wireless and MetroPCS are thriving. And, the Palm Pre was recently offered to consumers for the jaw-dropping price of a single cent. Consumer choices of service providers, plans, devices and applications abound.
All of this, of course, only further fuels the leaps and bounds we’re now seeing in mobile Internet adoption and usage. The arrival of dispassionate, data-driven reports like this Pew contribution are essential to constructive policy conversation that benefit consumers and innovators alike.
The data also clearly illustrates just how deeply mobile connectivity is working its way into our lives, and just how enthusiastically consumers are responding to the profound innovation it is making possible.
As the Federal Communications Commission takes a closer look at wireless, it’s important that it consider how consumers are actually embracing mobile connectivity in their diverse lives. And, it is imperative that the FCC acknowledge that all of this progress we celebrate now has taken place in—and been made possible in no small part by—the current light-touch regulatory framework.
The proof is in the numbers. As the mercury rises in the nation’s capital, it’s important that cooler heads prevail when it comes to the flexibility and dynamism that have truly connected the nation to the opportunities and innovation made possible by the mobile Internet.
This article was orginially published on Huffington Post.
Posted: 07/06/10
When AT&T and Apple debuted the original 2G iPhone on July 1, 2007, the most expensive 8GB model cost a whopping $599. Just three short years later, the most sophisticated 32GB iPhone 4 is available for $299, while consumers can snag the 8GB 3GS model for $99. There’s no denying that increasingly sophisticated operating systems combined with significant price decreases equals a consumer-friendly marketplace, and Americans have responded to these positive trends with insatiable demand.
But perhaps what is most exciting is that the price of today’s most basic iPhone is not the floor as far as smartphones are concerned. In fact, manufacturers are rolling out smart devices for as low as $70—a far cry from the $599 number that seemed justifiable in the industry such a short time ago.
For example, last week Qualcomm focused a sizable portion of its Uplinq annual developer conference on Brew MP software designed to proliferate mass-market smartphones. Qualcomm anticipates the technology will have massive implications in both domestic and international markets, driving the cost of multiple smartphones well below $100 when models running on Brew MP software are released either later this year or by early 2011.
These models will join other newcomers—like Nokia’s Nuron and E73 Model, which are available through T-Mobile and cost around $70 each—in a new family of smartphones that reach broader demographics and bring these devices’ life-changing capabilities to an increased number of consumers. For more information, check out “The Race to the $70 Smartphone” in Forbes.
Posted: 06/24/10 by Mobile Future Team
Taking off work to stand in line for a new iPhone4?
If you answered 'yes' to this question, you are not alone. Media outlets today have been blanketed with the images of long queues as impatient Apple fanboys and fangirls are paying the opportunity cost and at least $200 (with 2yr activation) to get their hands on the latest must-have device. With such tantalizing features as video-conferencing, multi-tasking, and 720p video recording, it is no wonder that people are forming endless lines outside Apple stores-- similar to those you might see outside a certain vampire themed movie premiere.
With as many as 600,000 preorders, Apple's current supplies can only appease those launch day customers showing up to AT&T stores that actually ordered the device in advance. All Johnny-come-latelies must wait until June 29th to be able to buy an iPhone4 at AT&T stores.
Has the love affair with your iPhone3 come to an abrupt end? Don't trash it, learn how to recycle it and other phones here.
Posted: 06/07/10 by Mobile Future Team
Today marks the kick-off of Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which continues through June 11th. Taking place in San Francisco, the conference is usually full of surprises, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs already unveiling the highly anticipated new iPhone 4 during his keynote address today. The Wall Street Journal’s Yukari Iwatani Kane is live-blogging from the event, so check it out for real-time updates on what to expect from Apple in the coming months!
Posted: 05/28/10 by Mobile Future Team
If you’re thinking about taking the plunge on a new mobile phone this weekend, you can probably get a pretty good deal. According to a recent survey, the benefits that mobile users enjoy when trading in for a new phone have never been higher. A May 20th Goldman Sachs report estimated that the average handset subsidy has risen to $128, a 16 percent increase during the past year.
But what about your old handset? Given that this is Memorial Day, here’s a suggestion: Cell Phones for Soldiers (CPFS).
Teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist from Norwell, Mass. founded Cell Phones for Soldiers in 2004 with $21 of their own money. Since then, the 501c3 non-profit organization has raised almost $2 million in donations and distributed more than 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers serving overseas. That works out to more than 60,000,000 minutes of free calling cards.
The concept is pretty simple. Just drop your old phone off at one of more than 2,000 drop-off locations around the nation and it will be sold to a reseller. The money goes to purchase phone calling cards for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition, donating your mobile phone also makes good environmental sense.
Earlier this year, Liberty Tax franchises collected more than 10,000 mobile phones at their nationwide locations. Little Caesars pizza restaurants offer free postage-paid labels so you can mail in your phone. AT&T, a Mobile Future member, offers drop-off boxes at all its U.S. wireless stores.
But probably the best reason to donate your old mobile phone is when you hear stories like this:
“My name is Isaac, I am a 16 year veteran of the US Air Force. I am currently deployed to the middle east on a 6 month tour of duty and my family is back in the states. Last week I received a knock on my door late at night and outside stood my Superintendant, my first Sergeant, and a chaplain. I got the news that a cousin of mine, who is more like a brother to me, had died suddenly of a brain anuerysm. I had used up my phone cards and had no way to call his parents and tell them how sorry I was to hear the news. They are not close to a military base where I could patch a call through to them.
“Just today I got a phone card from you guys…. I will now be able to call and tell them how sorry I am that I cannot be there in person to lay such a great man to rest. I cannot thank you enough for your giving hearts!
Best regards,
TSgt Isaac Gustafson, USAF Deployed
One more thing: If you’re walking through an airport or down a boardwalk this weekend and see a serviceman or –woman, go up and say thanks. This is one time when saying it in person really is better than doing it over the phone.
Posted: 05/20/10 by Jonathan Spalter
This Thursday in its monthly public meeting, the FCC will consider — as it does each year — the state of competition in the wireless marketplace. It is an important assessment and one that merits a cold, hard look — as the new FCC is wont to do — at the underlying facts and data.
Here are some of the key facts about the American wireless marketplace:
Our nation currently is home to the world's lowest per-minute voice prices, largest 3G customer base and most innovative and voluminous applications and device markets. More than nine out of 10 Americans have mobile devices. One in four of us favor them so much that we left our landline telephone service in the last century. Two-thirds of us have a choice of five or more wireless providers and a range of plans from family discounts to pre-paid, no contract options to "all in" voice, data and texting for as little as $50 a month.
By any measure — from the number of facilities-based competitors to the market share of individual companies — U.S. consumers enjoy the most competitive wireless marketplace on earth. Turn on your radio, your TV or open your newspaper and you plainly see compelling evidence of vibrant competition and consumer choice.
A recent memo from the FCC's general counsel, which lays out Chairman Julius Genachowski's "third way" proposal for net neutrality regulation, even cites industry claims that "one of the greatest successes in this industry in the last twenty years (is) the growth of wireless services."
A quick glimpse at the frenetic pace of this growth more than proves the point. Verizon and Google have gone public with their ambitions to challenge the AT&T/Apple iPad alliance. HP, Dell and others are also in hot pursuit. Cox is becoming the first U.S. cable company to offer wireless services directly to consumers and businesses. Regional players like Leap Wireless and MetroPCS are thriving. T-Mobile has vowed to deliver the fastest available speeds across its 3G footprint by year's end. Sprint is prepping the launch of its Evo 4G device, the first to run on its much-heralded 4G network. And, the FCC's recent approval of the Harbinger-Skyterra merger promises the emergence of a fifth national wireless player.
With so many choices, Americans can afford to be among the most communicative in the world, spending more than six billion minutes each day on their mobile phones and sending five billion daily text messages.
Importantly, the competition and consumer choice extends well beyond service providers. America is home to more than 240,000 mobile applications and at least seven competing applications stores. At the Apple App Store alone, more than three billion applications have been downloaded since its launch less than two years ago.
The U.S. is the envy of the mobile innovation world for the robust nature of our networks and the diverse array of consumer choices in devices, applications and service options.
While the FCC urges substantial reforms on multiple fronts, it would be judicious for the Commission to point out where the marketplace is working. Audiences from consumers to policymakers to Wall Street are actively speculating as to how broad or restrained the FCC's new regulatory push ultimately will be — and the potential impact for better or for worse from jobs and economic recovery to innovation and investment. Drawing a bright white line by affirming that competition is clearly working in wireless would offer a reassuring distinction amid a potential tangle of new red tape.
If the Commission aims to make good on its promise to advance a competitive, innovative and consumer-powered marketplace, now is the time and this week's mobile competition report is the place to make clear the upper limits of its regulatory ambitions.
This article was originally published on Huffington Post on May 19, 2010.
Posted: 03/26/10 by Mobile Future Team
Nothing is more relevant to our “Mobile Future” than the advent of new wireless technologies, which is why the CTIA Show in Las Vegas has been the hot topic of this week’s blog posts. Culminating yesterday, the show provided a convergent platform for network providers, application developers, manufacturers, and wireless data and internet companies to engage in constructive industry dialogue, unveil their newest creations and lay the groundwork for concepts that will drive the wireless industry forward. Today, we’ll focus on a few of the network initiatives that made headlines:
AT&T announced Wednesday it would be offering consumers lacking wireless service at home a quick-fix as early as April. For $150—with certain options for mail-in rebates—AT&T subscribers can purchase a femtocell that picks up cell phone signals and relays them through the home’s Internet connection. AT&T’s 3G MicroCell is similar to models released by Verizon and Sprint; however, AT&T’s goes a step further by relaying both calls and broadband data.
Sprint is rolling out its first-ever 4G phone this summer, CEO Dan Hesse announced Tuesday at CTIA. The Evo 4G is the first phone with capabilities to use the new Clear network. Boasting comparable speeds to that of home broadband, the 4G device promises to be more conducive to streaming online video and video calling.
Verizon will launch its own app store this Monday, March 29th. Consumers who purchase apps through the store will be able to pay for them with their cell phone bill, which differs from the separate purchasing accounts necessary with other providers. Additionally, Verizon announced Skype would be available on nine phone models starting yesterday, allowing subscribers to swap calls with other Skype users at no extra cost.
As USA Today reported, T-Mobile unveiled a new broadband service—known as the High Speed Package Access Plus—which promises consumers access to the fastest network in the industry.
Page 1 of 2 pages 1 2 >
comments | Permalink
Tags: AT&T, Competition, Congress, Economy, FCC, Genachowski, Mobile Future, Mobile Future Board, Jonathan Spalter, Smartphone, Spectrum, T-Mobile, Wireless Devices, Wireless Innovation