INDEPENDENT INNOVATION

Explosive growth, competition and unparalleled innovation are qualities embodied by a wireless industry of which I'm privileged to be a part. Nurtured by the proper environment, the wireless space is poised for an even more dynamic evolution of technological advances than it's already experienced that will propel it as a leading industry of the 21st century.

Subscriber numbers and usage have increased significantly in the past 10 years, far surpassing even the most optimistic projections. Simultaneously, wireless costs have dramatically decreased, tremendous testimony to the industry's dedication to service.

The predominant reason for those trends is competition. The wireless industry is fiercely competitive, and consumers are the ultimate regulators. In essence, American wireless customers vote with their “feet,” afforded a multitude of carriers, options and prices not available in any other country in the world. It is my desire to see that consumer opportunity extended even further.

Our focus at CTIA is “Expanding the Wireless Frontier.” The wireless consumer base now numbers more than 160 million, but I have no doubt that exceeding the 200 million mark is within the industry's reach. We can accomplish that in large part by creating opportunities for underserved consumers. However, because many people in that category are less affluent than current subscribers, affordability is an issue. The impact of burdensome regulations insensitive to cost is a paramount concern.

Regulators could benefit from a lesson I learned during my career in the NFL. During a game in Denver, I recovered what I believed to be a fumble and held the ball up for all to see. Much to my embarrassment, an official informed me that I had recovered a ball dropped on the field by an over-exuberant ball boy and that the other team had actually recovered the real fumble.

State and federal regulators should also be wary of recovering the “wrong ball.” Their mission is to regulate monopolies and utilities, of which wireless is neither. We are a proactive, highly competitive, thriving industry. Regulators should focus on allowing competition to drive a marketplace which includes wireless service to Americans of all economic strata.

As an industry, we are undergoing a spectacular convergence of multimedia, allowing cell phones to become the “third screen” of our lives, alongside the television and the computer. A variety of revolutionary applications, combined with the emerging technological capabilities of Wi-Fi and the next generation of digital delivery systems, underscore an industry of innovation and problem solving without the need for constrictive regulation. Under circumstances that indulge the fervor of competition and innovation, wireless can provide consumers with unparalleled independence and opportunity and will prove to be an industry replete with manpower, brainpower, and equally enthusiastic measures of competition, innovation and initiative.