Fri, December 14, 2007 — CIO — A lot is happening in the world of mobile cellular communication these days. Service providers are testing new technologies such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is auctioning the 700 MHz spectrum in January 2008. Even Google is getting involved with their Android announcement. It is difficult to assess which events are important industry milestones and even harder to determine where we are heading.

Important Milestones in 2007

Here are some of the more important events in 2007 that we will look back upon as significant milestones.

On June 29th, Apple and AT&T launched the much-anticipated iPhone. Apple's elegant design set a new standard for mobile devices. But Apple's retail relationship with the customer was equally innovative. Apple allowed iPhone customers to purchase and provision the phone directly from Apple, thereby simplifying the purchase experience and establishing a customer billing relationship all at the same time.

On September 25th, Sprint, Intel, Motorola and Clearwire demonstrated a live trial of mobile WiMAX in Chicago. The trial provided download speeds of 2.5 Mbps and upload speeds of 1.5 Mbps. These speeds are significantly faster than current mobile data services and will dramatically improve the mobile cellular user experience. Sprint intends to deploy mobile WiMAX service in 2008.

On November 5th, Google and an alliance of more than 30 other companies, announced Android, an open platform for mobile devices, and the Open Handset Alliance. The Android platform will include a mobile operating system and open-source licenses that will likely result in lower cost mobile phones and new mobile applications. The first new Android-powered phones are expected in the second half of 2008.

Verizon Wireless gets the prize for packing the best one-two-three public relations punch. On November 27th they announced that they would open their network and allow customers to use any device, software, or application that meets their minimum technical standards. That is a complete flip-flop on their previous position of controlling their wireless "walled garden." In fact, Verizon Wireless had earlier legally challenged the FCC's open access rules for the upcoming 700 MHz auction.

Then on November 29th Verizon Wireless announced that they had selected Long Term Evolution (LTE) as their fourth generation (4G) broadband technology. This is interesting because LTE is incompatible with Verizon's current wireless network and will result in a very costly, multiyear network upgrade. Why did Verizon make such a decision? They did this because LTE is compatible with the vast majority of mobile phones in the world that use the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) technology, including those phones used by Vodaphone, who owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless.