AT&T: More Spectrum, Please!
LAS VEGAS, NEV. — CTIA — In two completely news-free keynote presentations here at CTIA Tuesday morning, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega and CEO Randall Stephenson both made a call for additional wireless spectrum — so that future mobile networks in the U.S. don’t run out of breathing room before they even get off the ground.
De la Vega, the incoming chairman of the wireless industry association, identified additional wireless spectrum as one of the necessary pillars to continue the growth of wireless broadband, an industry that he said increased by 28 percent in 2009 to $41.3 billion in overall revenue. His boss Stephenson followed by praising the FCC’s recent call in its National Broadband Plan to free up as much as 500 MHz of new spectrum over the next decade, introducing a video visit from FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, who — guess what? — said he would do all he could to make more spectrum available.
While both de la Vega and Stephenson talked about the need to build a robust infrastructure to support the expected wireless growth, neither presented any specifics about AT&T’s plans to make its own networks more reliable — perhaps missing the chance to tell wireless industry insiders that Ma Bell was leading by example.
Clearwire, the owner of the largest amount of wireless spectrum for broadband use, kicked off CTIA by announcing additional markets for its WiMAX services in 2010, including Los Angeles and Miami. As our most recent report details, Clearwire is the one provider who isn’t facing a spectrum shortage. Stay tuned for more CTIA updates throughout the week!
