The wireless industry is taking significant steps to address the coming economic and technological challenge of satisfying America’s unquenchable thirst for mobile data, according to a new report from the Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA). The paper, titled Feeding the Beast: How Mobile Operators are Racing to Keep Up with Insatiable Demand for Mobile Broadband, features articles examining new wireless technologies and the issues facing the wireless infrastructure industry. Produced by WIA’s Innovation & Technology Council (ITC) and its Data Crunch Working Group, the report covers a variety of topics designed to educate industry professionals, policymakers, and the public.
Americans are increasingly relying on mobile devices as their predominant method of getting online. As a result, traffic on mobile networks has grown exponentially over the past decade and this growth shows no sign of abating. The report explores how wireless stakeholders are addressing this demand. Network optimization efforts, densification strategies, new spectrum and new technologies are among the issues discussed.
“Subscriber connections, smartphone penetration rates, and data consumption on fourth-generation (4G) LTE networks have set record highs each year,” said Vertical Bridge Co-Founder/EVP Operations Bernard Borghei; He also Chairs WIA’s Data Crunch Working Group. “While the wireless sector is working to meet this demand by filling in 4G coverage gaps and rolling out next generation 5G technology, the industry will also need new spectrum to come to market—at several different frequencies—as well as new deployment strategies in order to achieve this,” said Borghei.
“America is facing an economic and technological challenge to meet consumers’ increasing demand for mobile data while keeping up with the network’s capacity to deliver it. This explosive growth in data demand is both encouraging and sobering at the same time,” said WIA President/CEO Jonathan Adelstein. “This wireless data crunch underscores the need for policymakers and the wireless industry to work together on policies that consider the growing demand for mobile data and address the challenges of meeting it by efficiently deploying wireless infrastructure.”
Members of the ITC Data Crunch Working Group who contributed to the white paper include Ray Hild, Triangle Advisory Group; Ray La Chance, ZenFi; Todd Landry, JMA Wireless; Joe Mullin, InSite Wireless Group; Steve Noonan and Jose Sangiuliano, Cheytec Telecommunications. The ITC is chaired by Jim Lockwood, Aero Solutions Group.
July 16, 2018
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