Blog | News & Information on Wireless Services & Telecommunications

Starting a Revolution

Posted: 03/11/08 by Jo-Anne Basile

It was a cool day in October 1981 when they flipped the switch in Chicago, beginning communications revolution for Americans, which we call cell phones.

It boggles the mind to think about where we've come in these 27 years. The number of users is staggering: today there are nearly 250 million users in the U.S. and 3.3 billion wireless devices in use on the planet, and with more than 1,000 activated each minute. What's even more amazing is how many different uses of wireless devices we have today. In a little more than 25 years the use of wireless devices has evolved from the simple voice-communicating, the mundane-to the sophisticated transport of critical data and video - medical, financial and more. Wireless also has the unique honor of providing the link that will fuel economic development for nations throughout the world. Yes, indeed, given the opportunity, humans have discovered endless ways to make use of wireless technology. Although the illustrations are too numerous to list, if we focus on a few, it helps put the communications revolution squarely in place.

A particularly good example of how wireless creates change is how it can jumpstart lesser developed nations into the global marketplace. Confronted with the need for a reliable communications network where little or no infrastructure existed, countries have turned to wireless as the most efficient and economical network to build quickly. This happened in the mid-1990's when many of the Eastern block nations, newly freed from the old Soviet Union, turned to wireless as the only communications tool that could link businesses with vital opportunities. Now, with the ability to connect reliably and quickly to the outside world economic opportunities previously closed off became open.

In less than three decades, about half the world's population uses wireless technology in big and small ways every day. Wireless is not only a revolution in technology but it has created a revolution wherever it has gone. Stay tuned to this spot as we explore more of the "revolution" that wireless built in future blogs.

Innovative loan program aiding in rural broadband deployment

Posted: 03/04/08 by Diane Smith

The Washington Post recently reported that one of the first things new Agriculture Secretary Edward Schafer did was to make it a priority to ensure the Rural Utility Service improved its loan process so companies can provide broadband to rural America.
 
It is just this type of program that, if properly implemented, is government at its best. Thanks to this partnership between the Agriculture Department and private industry that began in the 1920s, rural America has clean drinking water, electricity and telephone service.
 
For nearly a century, the Agriculture Department and the private sector have worked to ensure rural America has basic infrastructure, and in the 21st century broadband is a basic service. For small communities to thrive, being connected to the rest of the world is a necessity and broadband is their link to economic development, educational opportunities, and even opera.
 
Yet, as much as these communities may want something, the economic incentives must be there to deploy the infrastructure, whether it be fiber, cable or wireless towers. It is expensive to serve these areas and the return on that investment can be a long time in coming in sparsely populated areas. That is a tricky proposition for any company seeking traditional financing, where a return on the investment is often expected within a 12-month period. Because that isn’t always possible, the loan program made available by the Rural Utility Service is very important.
 
Take for example, Montana, where less than a million people live in a state that spans more than 147,000 square miles. Wireless broadband technology can be a cost-effective way to deploy broadband and in some cases it may be the most feasible way given the terrain and physical conditions of the land.
 
No matter which technology is being used, it takes significant investments to build broadband networks and offer service.  I wish Secretary Schafer luck in his efforts to make the RUS loans more readily available to those who want to offer broadband in rural areas.
 
This is the way government should be involved in the wireless industry – making available the needed resources to those who can deliver the much-needed services.