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The Wireless Industry Year in Review 2024
As the year comes to a close, WIA would like to wish our members and fellow professionals in the wireless industry a safe and happy holiday season. Once again, our industry has thrived during the past 12 months and as we look forward with hope for the new year, we also reflect on the milestones and industry achievements of 2024. This week, we bring you a look back at content published by WIA’s Innovation & Technology Council during 2024. Our regular publication will resume Thursday, Jan. 10, 2025. All the best to you from WIA!
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By Shane McClelland, VP Strategy and Business Development, Head of Emerging RAN Solutions, Ericsson
When examining the current mobile industry, four distinct business horizons are emerging in the market. Communication service providers (CSPs) worldwide are actively exploring and experimenting with new offerings and go-to-market models across all four horizons. Read More
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By Shirish Nagaraj, CTO, Wireless, Corning Optical Communications
Providing connectivity inside buildings and venues solely using Wi-Fi is no longer adequate. People expect ubiquitous cellular coverage both outdoors and indoors, which makes mobile coverage a critical utility rather than just a nice-to-have tool. Read More
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By Alda Licis, Chief Operating Officer, Tilson Infrastructure
Now that the buildout of 5G coverage is well under way, there are many ideas about how to monetize these networks and unlock the value of 5G technology. One way Tilson Infrastructure is doing this is through public-private partnerships that make 5G more affordable through shared infrastructure that maximizes use of assets and improves returns on investment. Read More
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By Sanjay Dhawan, Vice President – New Business Technology and Operations, SBA Communications
The most successful story in 5G to date is fixed wireless access. As of the first quarter of 2024, there were over 8.8 million 5G FWA users in the United States, and that number is growing at about one million users per quarter. Read More
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By Louis Jacob, CTO and SVP of Technology, iBWAVE and Scott Lewis, Vice President of Next Generation Solutions & Real Estate, Phoenix Tower
For more than three decades, the wireless industry has done a good job of connecting people almost everywhere they live, work and play, including within large public venues, sports arenas and airports. In the past, mobile network operators (MNOs) have participated in a model in which they pay to install in-building networks in the biggest venues and most important airports to ensure their customers have seamless connectivity everywhere. Read More
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By Phil Kelley, formerly EVP, Corporate Development & Strategy, Crown Castle
When we think about 5G monetization, everyone is focused on the “killer app” that will drive people to pay more for wireless service, but carriers don’t monetize their network through people paying more, they monetize it by getting more people to pay. If you step back and look at the history of our industry, the average revenue per user (ARPU) has been relatively flat over time. Revenue growth is a function of price times quantity (PxQ), but in wireless, revenue growth has largely been a function of Q: how many people or things are connected. Read More
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By Dr. Lori Dawson, Senior Director of Service Engineering, UScellular
We are very early in the lifecycle of private cellular networking (PCN). Just a couple of years ago, it was a concept. Now, we have some networks in place and operational. There’s so much opportunity as private cellular networks become more mainstream and more understood. A lot of the conversations happening today are still focused on educating the marketplace about how private wireless networks can help solve business problems. Read More
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By John Kuzin, SVP of Spectrum Policy and regulatory counsel, Qualcomm
Mobile data demands continue to increase rapidly, and the time is now to identify new spectrum to meet those demands. One of the greatest data demands driving the need for increased mobile network capacity is the emergence of augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and mixed reality (“AR/VR/XR/MR”) applications. Read More
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By Eric Toenjes, National Market Manager – Wireless Solutions, Graybar
As a distributor, Graybar works across a wide range of industries to provide power, connectivity and light to places where people live and work. Wireless is a key piece of the puzzle, but we find that many enterprises lack a comprehensive wireless strategy. Yet, many of these same organizations have a keen interest in expanding their use of applications such as artificial intelligence and automation, which can have substantial positive impacts on their operations. 5G is the technology that can support these capabilities. Read More
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By Bryan Darr, Vice President of Government Affairs at Ookla
Data and intelligence are changing the way every business operates around the world. In the wireless industry, data tools are invaluable for targeting infrastructure investment and ultimately expanding broadband access to more people. Consumers are familiar with the power of data to quantify their wireless experience. More than 11 million people hit the go button on Ookla’s Speedtest application each day to get a real-time, accurate view of how their network or device is performing. Read More
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By Tuoyo Ebigbeyi, VP, Network Operations, American Tower
The future of sustainability in the wireless infrastructure industry hinges on two key factors. First, as networks grow to meet increasing data demands, how can we minimize the environmental impact of this expansion? Second, how can the industry reduce its overall footprint through sustainable sourcing, efficient inventory management and responsible supply chain practices? At American Tower, sustainability is integral to our business strategy. Read More
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By Sanjay Dhawan, VP of New Business Technology and Operations, SBA Communications
The take-up of new 5G use cases, including Fixed Wireless Access, are driving additional spectrum needs across the board. The entire wireless industry including mobile network operators (MNOs) and equipment vendors have highlighted this need for hundreds of megahertz of additional spectrum in multiple conferences, forums and federal filings, but no spectrum is expected to be forthcoming within the next few years. Read More
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