Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
Posted: 02/09/12 by Mobile Future Team
A new study out this week highlights the app market's impact on job creation in the United States. According to TechNet, since 2007 the application economy has created about 500,000 jobs.
As President and CEO of TechNet Rey Ramsey stated:
“America’s App Economy – which had zero jobs just 5 years ago before the iPhone was introduced – demonstrates that we can quickly create economic value and jobs through cutting-edge innovation…Today, the App Economy is creating jobs in every part of America, employing hundreds of thousands of U.S. workers today and even more in the years to come.”
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 02/07/12 by Mobile Future Team
State regulators have gathered from across the country this week for the winter meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) here in Washington. Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter participated on a lively panel exploring the exploding demand for mobile connectivity, and what a predicted spectrum crunch means for consumers and the nation’s economy.
Consider the benefits of mobile broadband: constant and instant connectivity with people around the world in the palm of your hand. Near limitless possibilities for innovation and investment. In the U.S., one of the crucial benefits of wireless is the impact on the economy. Researchers Robert Shapiro and KevinHassett concluded that transitions from early wireless networks to more advanced 3G and 4G technology led to some 1.5 million new jobs from April 2007 to June 2011. For every additional 10% increase in adoption of 3G and 4G technologies, 231,000 new jobs may be added in less than a year. Plus, with an additional 500 MHz of spectrum for mobile, the Analysis Group conservatively estimates that we can create 500,000 American jobs and add $400 billion to the nation’s GDP. Spectrum is the lifeblood of wireless, becoming more and more vital to our economy and how we conduct our everyday lives.
No one wants to go back to the days of the ‘busy signal.’ If we don’t reallocate more spectrum for wireless now, the capacity constraints could wreak havoc on the consumer experience - more dropped calls, stalled apps, and slow mobile Internet connections. State and federal regulators alike need to support policies that help get spectrum to those who need it the most – the 300 million wireless consumers.
So what can state policymakers do? Some states have the authority to review secondary market transactions within their state. Timely approval of thosetransactions is necessary so providers can swiftly make the best use of thespectrum that is available to them. Additionally, state regulators can help educate local municipalities. Acting as a resource on the capacity constraints of wireless networks may help to smooth tower siting approvals so providers can build out and expand their networks, allowing consumers to continue to enjoy unfettered access to mobile broadband.
State regulators should also encourage their federal counterparts to act now to free more spectrum for mobile. Congress is working on federal legislation authorizing the FCC to conduct incentive auctions and we strongly urge them to enact legislation quickly. As Jonathan said yesterday, “we need to stop playing games; it can take seven to 10 years to put any new spectrum into not only the pipeline but into commercial deployment. We don’t have time to waste.”
Consumers are demanding a mobile future. Policymakers must act now on these opportunities, before the spectrum crunch becomes a reality and millions of Americans are left waiting for many of the advantages mobile broadband can offer.
Posted: 02/03/12 by Mobile Future Team
Mashable recently highlighted a survey by Harris Interactive outlining smartphone users expected mobile activities during Super Bowl XLVI. Almost half of Super Bowl viewers are expected to look at their mobile devices up to ten times during the game and a third of viewers will have their device-in-hand as they watch the game.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 01/31/12 by Jonathan Spalter
On Capitol Hill today lawmakers discussed the urgent need to address spectrum capacity to meet exploding consumer demand for wireless connectivity. And not a moment too soon. In today’s wireless market, data-intensive mobile devices are gobbling bandwidth at an astounding rate, literally sucking the oxygen out of the wireless ecosystem. In fact, the FCC’s own data shows the U.S. exhausting its current supply of mobile spectrum by 2013.
It’s critical that policymakers move immediately to sustain the pace of mobile innovation and investment in the United States. And one of the more immediate ways they can do is to move ahead now with voluntary spectrum auctions. Implementing a spectrum auction process that is open to all stakeholders will continue to fuel economic recovery and help ensure that consumers will have enough spectrum to meet exponentially growing demand in today’s competitive wireless market.
It is well documented that the expansion of licensed wireless broadband networks and services is driving economic growth, creating jobs, and enhancing productivity. In fact, a study released last week by economists Robert Shapiro and Kevin Hassett indicated the transition from 2G to 3G created almost 1.6 million jobs between April 2007 and June 2011, and the build out of 4G should add over 230,000 new U.S. jobs by the end of this year.
Now is the time for leadership. Policymakers on Capitol Hill, at the FCC and in the Administration must work together to chart a clear path to address the nation's immediate spectrum deficit. More than 300 million wireless consumers are waiting. And the clock is ticking.
Posted: 01/31/12 by Mobile Future Team
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that several major auto makers are working to integrate smartphone and tablet apps into vehicles. In the near future, music streaming apps such as Pandora and radio streaming apps such as Stitcher and TuneIn could allow users to customize stations for the road.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 01/27/12 by Mobile Future Team
As The Washington Post recently reported, a new study by mobile network firm Arieso looks at the increased data usage by iPhone 4S users and found that the latest iPhone uses twice as much data as the iPhone 4 and almost three times as much data as the iPhone 3G.
Paul Farhi writes in the article:
“In all, Arieso says that the Siri-equipped iPhone 4S “appears to unleash data consumption behaviors that have no precedent.”
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 01/26/12 by Mobile Future Team
This report examines how the next wave of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and other connected devices will further accelerate mobile opportunity and exacerbate the looming spectrum crunch. The report authored by Jim Kohlenberger, former White House policy advisor and Mobile Future advisory board member, points to a nation on the verge of a wireless-driven technological revolution fueled by a vast sea of breakthrough connected devices offering astonishing new digital opportunities.
Click here to read The Internet’s Third Act: The Connected Device Decade.
Posted: 01/23/12 by Mobile Future Team
A recent study by NDN examines the economic and employment gains associated with investing in more advanced wireless infrastructure. According to the study, 1,585,000 new jobs were created with the transition from 2G to 3G wireless networks and NDN forecasts that transitioning from 3G to 4G mobile broadband networks could create 231,000 or more additional jobs.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 01/23/12 by Mobile Future Team
Check out Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter’s latest op-ed in The Hill on the immediate need to free-up more mobile spectrum to meet exponentially growing demand here.
Posted: 01/20/12 by Mobile Future Team
2011 truly was a banner year for wireless and as CNET recently reported, new data released by traffic site Pingdom points to the frenetic growth in the mobile sector. According to the report, there are now 5.9 billion mobile subscriptions globally, 350 million users log into Facebook from their mobile phone and of all handsets shipped in 2011, 85% were equipped with mobile Internet.
To read more, click here.
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Tags: Applications, Consumer Awareness, Consumer Benefits, Innovation, News, Smartphone, Wireless Devices, Wireless Innovation