Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications
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: 03/27/12 by Mobile Future Team
Making progress on a 2010 Executive Order, Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution, NTIA today released a report outlining a transition plan to reallocate underutilized government spectrum for commercial mobile broadband use.
Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter responded to the report, stating:
“With more wireless connections than people in our country and North American wireless networks running at 80% of capacity, it is imperative more mobile spectrum be brought online quickly so American consumers retain the level of wireless connectivity they expect and demand. Freeing up underutilized government spectrum will help mitigate the spectrum crunch that could soon stall the vibrant wireless ecosystem fueling our 21st century economy.
NTIA's new report is a good step in this urgent effort to serve the growing mobile needs of American consumers, and to avoid the looming spectrum crisis. We commend NTIA for its efforts and look forward to working with the Administration in the months ahead to repurpose government spectrum to the best and highest use for American consumers and the economy as swiftly as possible. To maintain the nation’s global leadership in mobile innovation and opportunity, there is no time to waste.”
To read the full statement, go 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.
Posted: 02/21/12 by Mobile Future Team
Check out Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter’s latest op-ed on The Hill on social media’s role in the 2012 races 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: 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: 01/26/12 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: 11/15/11 by Mobile Future Team
Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter sent a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction urging the Committee to call for voluntary spectrum auctions to meet growing consumer demand, reduce the deficit and spur lasting economic recovery and job creation.
To learn more, click here.
Posted: 10/20/11
Join Mobile Future, wireless entrepreneurs and key policy makers for a fast-paced discussion of the opportunities for continued investment and innovation in the mobile space. Hear experts delve into key issues and trends, including panel discussions on:
Big Market Opportunities: From the Apps economy, to new uses of mobile in healthcare or other key sectors, where are the next big opportunities in the mobile space?
Preparing for the Mobile Future: With all eyes focused on wireless innovation and new business opportunities, what are the key building blocks needed to ensure that innovation and growth continue in today’s vibrant mobile ecosystem?
Speakers include:
Jonathan Aberman, Founder & Managing Director, Amplifier
Mary Brown, Director of Government Affairs, Cisco
Peter Corbett, Founder & CEO, iStrategyLabs
Paul de Sa, FCC Strategic Planning & Policy Bureau Chief
Rick Kaplan, FCC Wireless Bureau Chief
Jim Kohlenberger, President, JK Strategies
Sanjay Macwan, Assistant Vice President, AT&T Chief Technology Office
Catharine McNally, Founder, Keen Guides
Doug Naegele, President, Infield Health
Jonathan Spalter, Chairman, Mobile Future
Bryan Tramont, Managing Partner, Wilkinson, Barker & Knauer
Also, enjoy cutting edge demonstrations from:
Posted: 10/05/11 by Mobile Future Team
The fall Mobile Future Forum will be held in Washington on Tuesday, October 25. The event will bring together forward-looking technology and communications innovators, apps developers as well as key policy leaders to explore the opportunities and challenges in today’s wireless sector.
For more details, click here.
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Tags: Consumer Awareness, Consumer Benefits, Innovation, Mobile Future, News, Spectrum, Wireless Devices, Wireless Innovation, Looming Spectrum Crisis