Word: wireless
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...might not sound like the sexiest deal, but today the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) will auction off rights to the 700 MHz band of wireless spectrum - a sale that has the potential to create a seismic shift in the telecommunications landscape. The powerful band of prime cross-country airwaves, which is currently being used for analog TV broadcasts, is due to free up by February 2009 when TV goes fully digital. So, if ever a new telecom player were to carve out a piece of the lucrative nationwide wireless pie, now would be the time. "This is the last auction...
Once TV broadcasters have vacated the 700 MHz band for more efficient digital signals, which take up less bandwidth, the FCC will repurpose the surplus analog spectrum for wireless devices. The auction consists of five blocks of licenses to be sold off in pieces - ranging from rights to various regional networks to sprawling nationwide ones - each set at a minimum bid. The process could take weeks or even months and is likely to pull in about $15 or $20 billion for the federal government. Carriers wishing to offer new wireless services are currently running into spectrum shortages - one reason...
...Belt, senior director of technology at the Consumer Electronics Association. Data goes farther and faster without needing as many cell towers. "The fewer transmitter towers you have to build, the cheaper the network is and the cheaper your rates will be," says Craig Settles of Successful.com, which tracks the wireless industry. The result: Customers should see more complex services for streaming video on the go (think YouTube while you walk) and location-based applications, which could point you to the nearest Starbucks wherever you happen...
...speed of innovation depends on whether a newcomer like Google or Qualcomm, both of which are registered bidders, has the money and the will to acquire enough licenses to break into the wireless game and force the telecom companies to break old habits. Sure Google has the cash, but do they really want to get in the labor-intensive business of broadband networks? Already, startup Frontline Wireless, a venture supported by a group of Silicon Valley investors, has gone belly up, unable to secure funding for its intended bid on the discounted public-private D block...
People have always multitasked behind the wheel: They smoke, brush their teeth, put on makeup, yell at the kids in the back seat. But the recent explosion in wireless technology has introduced a host of new and more complicated driver's side activities, like programming navigation systems, text messaging (which is even more dangerous than talking on the phone) and using laptops. "The distractions now are more cognitively demanding," says Strayer. "Now instead of short manual tasks like lighting a cigarette or changing the radio station, they have become mind-occupied tasks that take longer, placing a greater demand...