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Posted: 01/05/11 by Mobile Future Team
Today, Mobile Future Chairman Jonathan Spalter will be moderating a panel at the 2011 International CES in Las Vegas called “Wireless Broadband: The Bright Mobile Future” where representatives from Qualcomm and T-Mobile will discuss the expansive range of innovations and new technologies that exemplify the power of mobile broadband.
Mobile Future is also sponsoring the “Best Mobile App” category at the 4th Annual Mashable Awards. Jonathan Spalter will be presenting the award tomorrow night. For more information on the award, click here.
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: 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: 06/03/10 by Mobile Future Team
As a general rule, summer spells long days and warm temperatures, providing increased opportunities for sunning, socializing, and of course: summer love. Catering to the seemingly insatiable demands of consumers year-round, players across the wireless industry continue to launch an impressive slew of new and/ or improved smart phones and feature phones that consumers are sure to adore just in time for the season of love. A majority of the new devices are profiled here, with a link to an informative slideshow with pictures and descriptions of the new technologies.
Go ahead and fall in love all over again.
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.
Posted: 03/24/10 by Mobile Future Team
The wireless device ecosystem is constantly evolving, and this year’s CTIA show in Las Vegas delivers in reflecting the dynamic nature of the industry’s landscape. This year’s schedule devotes an increasing amount of attention to application developers and startup companies, and with good reason.
As Reuters reported yesterday, with nearly 90% of Americans already subscribing to cell phone services, the window for attracting new customers to the industry is rapidly closing. More so than ever, it is imperative that companies one-up not only their competitors but themselves with exciting new device applications aimed to increase revenues.
This year, the presence of exhibits like AppsWorld, educational sessions entitled “Applications – Consumer Entertainment and Social Trends,” and seminars such as “The Dating Game for Developers” highlight the shift in focus to allow attendees—including large operators like Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T—to fully immerse themselves in the industry’s newest technological advancements.
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Tags: Mobile Future, Mobile Future Board, Jonathan Spalter, Smartphone, T-Mobile, Wireless Innovation