Wireless is a Global Game-Changer

The printing press. The light bulb. The airplane. These were monumental game-changers in the history of civilization, and I don't think it's a stretch to add the cellphone to that exclusive list. It is not only changing the way we communicate, but it is also changing the very way we live. And while it's easy to get caught up in what's wrong... the increasingly rare dropped call, your kids' text messaging habits, the meeting interrupted by someone's "Sledgehammer" ringtone (c'mon, you know who you are!).. there is quite seriously an enormous amount of 'right' created by the technology. There's a great piece in this past weekend's New York Times Sunday Magazine about the numerous positive impacts wireless technology is having today in underdeveloped areas around the globe, and I think you'll find it fascinating to see how far-reaching the effects are and the incredibly innovative ways people all over the world are putting the technology to use. The article is an interesting complement to remarks made by President Bill Clinton at our trade show last year in Orlando, regarding the global nature of wireless and the unifying nature of the technology.  

The article centers on the extent to which companies such as Nokia, a supplier member of CTIA featured prominently in the article, are going to identify what consumers want out of wireless, and then work feverishly to meet those demands. In Nokia's case, they employ Jan Chipchase as a 'human-behavior researcher', which means that unlike you and me, he gets paid to do things like watch people at airports and see how they act! Chipchase travels all over the world, with the mission of taking in all kinds of scenes from all kinds of places, and then reporting the information back to Nokia so they can boil it down, and ultimately put it to use to build better mobile devices. I think that's fascinating stuff, and is exactly the kind of responsive mindset that's prevalent throughout the industry. The competition is fierce to be faster, better, more useful, and less expensive. And truly understanding what people need and want, gives you the best chance of providing that for them.

While the article focuses on wireless technology and the underserved of our planet, I think it's just as enlightening to see just what it's doing for us in the US today. Take a look at some of the mobile enterprise pieces in our monthly Wonder of Wireless (WOW) webcast, such as the featured piece in the April WOW that highlights a cutting-edge application providing excellent rural healthcare in Idaho. These segments get right to the industry's core of finding what will make our lives more productive, safer, or more efficient, and then delivering on that. 

It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day rush and take the big picture for granted. We're all guilty of that. But the New York times piece, President Clinton's remarks, and our WOW segments, are reminders of wireless technology's great promise and capabilities. As I said before, I know there are problems to overcome. Every business has them. But none has more potential to do so much good than wireless, and finding ways to encourage even more incredible innovation ought to be on the minds of every policymaker in the country.