‘Mobile Data Will Soar Some 700 Percent Over Next Five Years’

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That’s what Jonathan Adelstein, chief executive of PCIA – The Wireless Infrastructure Association, told readers of the Los Angeles Business Journal on Monday in a 550 ­word essay on the future of connectivity in Los Angeles and its impact on the Southern California economy.

“HetNet” might sound like slang for the basketball hoops at Staples Center, but it’s really about wireless broadband – and much of Southern California’s economic and technological future hinges on it,” Adelstein wrote. “HetNet” refers to “heterogeneous networks” – the many different ways that mobile data can be transmitted via wireless broadband facilities, from towers and other “macro” sites to small cells and other “micro” sites. Small cells and distributed antenna systems, or DAS, are now integral components in the arsenal of every wireless carrier. They’re also uniquely suited to Southern California’s terrain and population density.”

And noting that the mobile data field has swelled by some 700 percent in the past five years and will swell another 700 percent in the coming five years, Adelstein said massive technology will be required to support these services. “While the bulk of mobile data needs are met by macro sites, smaller cells are increasingly being deployed in highly populated urban areas such as the L.A. Basin.” He added, “The economic impact will be staggering: The Internet of Things is expected to add $1.7 trillion to the global economy and connect more than 50 billion “things” by 2020.” The former FCC commissioner said the onset of 5G is just around the corner and will exert still ­greater demands on wireless broadband infrastructure. “If sufficient wireless infrastructure can be built and upgraded, it will stimulate jobs and growth in every industry in California. It will also significantly strengthen the region’s emergency services in the event of a disaster,” Adelstein said.

 

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