FCC Chairman Genachowski on the 4G Future
Unlike his immediate predecessor, new FCC chairman Julius Genachowski actually appears to have interesting things to say when he speaks publicly. While some folks seem ready to ding Genachowski for giving non-answer answers sometimes, if you read through his prepared remarks from his speech at the CTIA show earlier this week in San Diego there’s some real meat and understanding, especially of the mobile Internet market and what issues it’s facing.
Some money quotes from Genachowski’s speech:
On 4G rollouts:
More and more I hear people say that broadband is the future of mobile, and I agree. I also believe the reverse is true — mobile is essential to the future of broadband.
And the next generation of mobile technology — 4G — will make all the difference. 4G will provide mobile connectivity several times faster than we have today. It will provide a mobile Internet experience comparable to today’s wireline networks — data rates measured in megabits per second instead of kilobits, latencies in mere milliseconds.
After years of buildup, we can see 4G on the horizon.
Clearwire has launched WiMAX in 14 markets. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and MetroPCS have each announced plans to launch LTE in the next year or two.
But of course it’s easier to roll-out a press release than roll-out a network. There is a lot of work to do, and I know it won’t be easy.
On the need for more spectrum:
Spectrum is the oxygen of our mobile networks. While the short-term outlook for 4G spectrum availability is adequate, the longer-term picture is very different.
In fact, I believe that that the biggest threat to the future of mobile in America is the looming spectrum crisis…
The less spectrum available for mobile broadband, the more service will cost and the longer it will take to make 4G ubiquitous. And that doesn’t serve our national needs.
In our broadband record, carriers are telling us that they need anywhere from 40MHz to 150MHz — each — to bring the benefits of broadband to American consumers.
As this audience knows, it takes years to reallocate spectrum and put it to use. And there are no easy pickings on the spectrum chart.
But we have no choice. We must identify spectrum that can best be reinvested in mobile broadband.
That is something that we have to work on together, across industries, and in partnership with all stakeholders.
Unleashing spectrum for mobile broadband is the first part of our plan.
Genachowski also explained the FCC’s thoughts behind bringing net neutrality regulations to wireless — but that is fodder for later posts! Read the chairman’s entire address here.
