Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
Posted: 04/12/12 by Jonathan Spalter
In January of 2011, President Obama's vision for the State of our Union included a bold objective of digital inclusion that could help virtually all Americans more fully participate in our connected economy. "Within the next five years," he pledged, "we will make it possible for business to deploy the next generation of high-speed wireless coverage to 98% of all Americans."
The ambitious declaration represented a solid follow-through on the lofty goals laid out in the FCC's National Broadband Plan nine months' prior. That plan included the essential objective of identifying 500 MHZ of additional mobile spectrum capacity to support exponential growth in the wireless web. The president's choice of the hallowed annual address to declare the drive to near-universal connectivity sent an unequivocal message: We mean business.
For that reason, you could hear a pin drop at a recent conference, when the following comment was made: "It's clear we aren't going to get close to the 300 MHz goal by 2015 laid out in the plan, never mind the longer-term goal of 500 MHz by 2020." Who said it? None other than Blair Levin, chief architect of the administration's National Broadband Plan.
What happened between the president's bully pulpit moment and Levin's bubble-bursting analysis? Congress recently authorized the Federal Communications Commission to proceed with voluntary incentive auctions, where those who hold these underutilized spectrum assets (largely broadcasters who were given spectrum by the government decades ago at no cost) can choose to put them up for auction and share in the billion-dollar proceeds. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has shown leadership in his efforts both to raise awareness about the need for more mobile spectrum as well as to identify underutilized broadcast spectrum holdings which can immediately be repurposed for use by America's wireless consumers. But this alone won't fill the gap. Spectrum cannot be manufactured. Technology is making it more efficient. But it remains a finite resource. Beyond the broadcasters, the other great bastion of underutilized spectrum lies within the federal government itself.
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) recently released a report outlining a transition plan to reallocate underutilized government spectrum for commercial mobile broadband use. NTIA identified numerous federal agencies sitting atop prime swaths of wireless spectrum. The characteristics of the spectrum identified make it uniquely well-suited for use by American consumers and our economy and could be put to better use while other spectrum is designated for government use. This spectrum transfer can be accomplished in ways that will maintain our national security and efficient government operations, while simultaneously enhancing our economy, and reducing the deficit: a veritable policy trifecta.
Yet there is little sense of urgency. The government-led transition to make more mobile spectrum available will take many years, which could quickly translate into substantial consequences for American consumers, businesses of all sizes and our nation's technology leadership. Today, there are more wireless connections than people in our country. In addition to leading the world in mobile innovation, the U.S. also leads on a more ominous metric. North American wireless networks are running at 80% capacity, compared to the global average of 65%. If more spectrum is not brought online quickly, then dropped calls, slower downloads, failed applications and more will increasingly be the outcome of an environment that plunges quickly into greater and greater spectrum scarcity. According to the FCC, the first wave of these impacts could come as early as next year.
And, still we wait on Washington.
If answered, the call for 500 MHz of spectrum will allow a wide range of wireless competitors to provide their customers with the level of connectivity that both consumers and the American economy alike have come to expect -- and to rely upon.
The private sector is doing everything it can -- from investing in research into ways to use existing spectrum assets more efficiently to pursuing secondary market transactions that, if allowed by the federal government, can help meet near-term consumer needs. But the private sector alone cannot address the mounting challenge. Government, too, has to step up to the plate and free its own spectrum.
Any passing student of Washington knows that this transition is not likely to happen without substantial institutional resistance. Neither the FCC nor NTIA have the clout to break through the federal bureaucracy. That kind of imperative to act can only come from the top. Ultimately, the White House -- and likely the president himself -- will need to insist that government agencies act for the greater good and put their spectrum to better use for American consumers.
This will require the expense of political capital. Economically and politically, it is capital well spent. Today, U.S. consumers and businesses largely take our mobile connectivity for granted. It is incumbent on all political leaders to ensure this never changes. President Obama was right to set an ambitious objective. The time has come to deliver.
This article was originally published on Huffington Post.
Posted: 04/11/12 by Mobile Future Team
Consumer’s use of mobile devices to watch TV and movies has garnered attention lately as a NYTimes piece, A Ballooning Megabyte Budget, examines consumers increasing demand for wireless video streaming made possible by innovative mobile devices and increasingly fast network speeds. The Washington Post’s TV critic also recently shared his thoughts on consumers watching video programming on mobile devices as the “cut-the-cable” movement gains traction. With half of Americans owning a smartphone and tablet adoption on the rise, this trend shows no sign of slowing. But to meet this growing consumer demand, we're going to need more spectrum to support the mobile traffic. The FCC predicts we could run out of mobile spectrum as early as 2013 so there isn’t a minute to waste.
The U.S. government is starting the process now to reallocate both broadcast and government spectrum for mobile use, but the process will take years. The wireless community –network providers, handset manufacturers, app developers – are all working hard to meet the insatiable consumer demand for all things mobile, but now it's time for government to act as quickly as possible to free up more spectrum for mobile.
Posted: 04/09/12 by Mobile Future Team
On Friday, Politico’s Kim Hart (subscription required) took a look at President Obama’s broadband agenda. With mobile innovation charging ahead, Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter urged the White House to lead on these critical issues and meet the goals of the National Broadband Plan to ensure the United States benefits from a bright mobile future.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 04/03/12 by Mobile Future Team
Join us tomorrow for a webinar, based on a recently released Mobile Future report authored by former White House Advisor Jim Kohlenberger, examining 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 webinar looks at:
- The promising and extensive opportunities in the digital device decade
- The technologies that are driving the connected device revolution
- The policy choices for enabling a brighter future beginning with making more spectrum available
- The five key steps for harnessing connected devices for societal gains
Follow #m2mwebinar on Twitter during the webinar for live tweets from @mobilefuture, key takeaways and insights from the m2m community, and an opportunity to share your own thoughts.
To learn more and register for the webinar, click here.
Posted: 04/02/12 by Mobile Future Team
Check out Tech Cocktail’s post on our recently released infographic, Mobile Data Growth and What it Means for You, here.
Posted: 03/29/12
Mobile Future today released an infographic, “Mobile Data Growth and What it Means for You” that offers a snapshot of the sharply increasing mobile device usage by Americans and explains why government must move immediately to make more spectrum available both to meet consumer demand and keep our economy competitive and growing.
Check out the full infographic here
Posted: 03/27/12 by Mobile Future Team
According to Computerworld, a mobile app developed by 2tor is allowing students to pursue online degrees from the palm of their hand. For certain programs at various universities around the United States, including University of Southern California and University of North Carolina, students can access online classes via mobile apps on smartphones and tablets. The app allows students to watch live lectures through videoconferences, check on class materials and connect with peers.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 03/22/12 by Mobile Future Team
As The New York Times reported, ticketing start-up Eventbrite recently released their credit card reader which attaches to the iPad and allows event organizers to sell tickets and process credit card payments wirelessly. The At The Door Card Reader can process up to 400 transactions an hour and print tickets and receipts by connecting wirelessly with printers.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 03/20/12 by Mobile Future Team
Today, the Government Printing Office (GPO) released the latest version of the Mobile Member Guide App which connects users with information on their lawmakers. According to The Washington Post, the app allows the public to easily access the biographies, contact information and websites of congressmen and senators.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 03/16/12 by Jonathan Spalter
Wireless growth and usage show no signs of slowing as more Americans are increasingly using mobile to connect. In 2011 alone, wireless data traffic grew 133%, and with more wireless subscriptions than people in the U.S., it's no wonder. The hype around the new iPad and the reality of mobile video coming to a handset near you are yet two more confirmations that consumers, including a growing number of small businesses, continue to adopt mobile products, services and technologies at a record clip.
Looking ahead, Cisco predicts there will be 2 billion networked mobile devices in the U.S. by 2015. With exploding demand for new devices and services, wireless networks are shuddering under unprecedented usage. As wireless adoptions accelerate at a blistering pace, both network operators and policymakers are scrambling to make more spectrum, the radio waves that connect mobile devices, available to stay one step ahead of consumer demand for all things wireless.
Let's take a closer look at the numbers. Since the iPhone debuted in 2007, AT&T reports that traffic on the company's wireless network increased an astonishing 20,000%. Siri, the omniscient voice of the iPhone 4S, devours bandwidth -- using twice as much data as the iPhone 4 and nearly three times as much as the iPhone 3G. And it's not just the iPhone. Today, consumers can choose from over 400 smartphones on the market, with U.S. smartphone shipments now outpacing PCs.
The staggering reliance on wireless devices is leading to a massive spectrum drain. Tablet devices are redefining the wireless ecosystem, with one in three Americans now owning a mobile reading device. New generations of these ubiquitous tablets are further draining the spectrum inventory. The new iPad, for instance, supports faster 4G mobile networks that deliver impressive data speeds -- and suck up spectrum.
With one billion apps downloaded worldwide each month in 2011, consumers are doing more on their mobile devices leading experts to predict that wireless data traffic will grow 100 times faster than mobile voice traffic over the next 10 years. This is a thrilling future but only if our wireless networks have the capacity to handle the surge in consumer demand and usage. Here's a startling fact that causes us concern: North American mobile networks already are running at 80% of capacity, compared to the world average of 65%.
When you consider the blazing fast speeds needed for streaming video, accessing audio, capturing high-resolution photographs and downloading gaming apps, it is not surprising consumers are taxing mobile networks and the spectrum that fuels them, at unprecedented rates. Given the staggering demand, it is equally predictable that the finite resource that is spectrum is rapidly becoming a very rare commodity.
The FCC published its National Broadband Plan in 2010, followed by President Obama's National Wireless Initiative a year later, both calling for an additional 500 MHz of spectrum for mobile in the next 10 years as an answer to the spectrum crunch. Policymakers have since been at work trying to realize these goals. For instance, President Obama and Congress recently passed legislation authorizing the FCC to conduct voluntary incentive auctions aimed at reclaiming broadcast spectrum for mobile. The NTIA is also studying various spectrum bands used by the government that may be repurposed for commercial use. Secondary market transactions and efficiently maximizing spectrum use round out the work carriers are doing independently to deal with a potential spectrum deficiency, all with a goal of ensuring a quality wireless experience for all U.S. consumers.
Today, policymakers have an opportunity to transform challenges into opportunities by adopting policy prescriptions that make more spectrum available for mobile and enable robust wireless investment and innovation. Policymakers cannot keep pace with the innovation we see in the mobile sector but they must act swiftly and make freeing up more spectrum for mobile a top priority. Consumers deserve -- and will demand -- continued access to the latest and greatest technologies that place the power of information in the palms of their hands. To make the mobile future as bright as possible, the 300 million American wireless consumers and a growing chorus of small businesses now depend on Washington to answer their call.
This article was originally published on Huffington Post.
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Tags: Congress, Consumer Awareness, Consumer Benefits, FCC, Genachowski, Huffington Post, Innovation, Mobile Future, Mobile Future Board, Jonathan Spalter, National Broadband Plan, News, Smartphone, Spectrum, White House, President Obama, Wireless Devices, Wireless Innovation, Looming Spectrum Crisis