Wireless connection is a problem that cities all over the country are facing now. This is not what happens after ten years, but rather the revolution that is happening now. Everyone had never predicted that Wireless will explode as it has it.
Are you considering wireless coverage as part of your urban infrastructure?
We need to start thinking wireless as infrastructure. This is the same as thinking about water and sewer systems. Four of the five people say that the connectivity of mobile phones is a necessary part of their daily lives. Mobile internet access is not luxury, it is inevitable. After researching this topic again and again, multiple sources say the same thing: Internet connection is now an essential element of modern life. Connectivity is an important part of private companies, family life, effective governance. In order to encourage deployment of wireless infrastructure, we have to do everything we can do in the city.
The urgent need for a robust wireless infrastructure is increasing. It is difficult to keep up with the demand for additional wireless infrastructure to provide services to businesses and residents to the community, but its demand will increase further. When you think of wireless, do you just think about mobile phones? That's more than that. It includes water meters, gas meters, all electric meters. A new car shipped today is equipped with a modem compatible with mobile phones. Traffic light, street light, iPhone, and even iWatches.
Within 12 months, major carriers begin to deploy 5G in some American cities including California. Most of us are listening about 5G. Although the exact specification has not been announced yet, it is most important to provide mobile data at the same speed as today's residential broadband connection. This means wireless internet on our mobile device at about the same speed as we have at home. This will change everything. This is the most important trend in modern infrastructure since the massive introduction of broadband internet. Imagine a world where a phenomenal high speed internet connection does not require hard wiring connections. The enterprises and services supported by this infrastructure revolutionize how to gather data, conduct business, and transform everyday life.
Many of us remember introducing the Internet to people's homes. Initially, the Internet was seen as novelty. Most companies did not take it seriously. Even though most companies have web pages they are quite static and still have a lot of debt as to how useful the internet was to the average person. Today, I think that it is an important element of modern life without doubt. Currently, most companies have not only websites but mobile versions of websites with built-in e-commerce. The application is optimized to work straight from the gate on the mobile device. In January 2018, 95% of active Facebook users accessed the account at least once using the mobile device. There are dozens of similar pressures in mobile data and the need for expansion of wireless infrastructure is increasing.
Mobile video is a major factor in this demand. Video streaming is already over 75% of all data consumption. People who are near or below the poverty line are more likely to have only one access to the Internet than mature Americans.
That source is almost always a mobile phone. For them, the lack of high-quality data coverage is not simply inconvenient but can also be a barrier between them and significant health, banking, job hunting and government services. We need to spend more time thinking about how the wireless infrastructure plays an important role for low-income residents living in our cities.
9-1-1 80% of calls are sent from the mobile phone. Can you imagine if it is difficult to make an emergency call as much as sending photos from a crowded stadium? Investing in wireless infrastructure is not just a revenue opportunity. Cities should encourage their spread. A robust wireless infrastructure can support public safety and save lives.
Cities can make the best wireless infrastructure for taxpayers free of charge by utilizing private sector investment. This is the place to demonstrate leadership. Cities need to adapt to the world of connectivity to meet the needs of the community.
I have been working in this arena for nearly 10 years, but since all cities have unique profile and needs, I still do not know what the right answer and the wrong answer are. However, cities should explore every opportunity to provide the necessary infrastructure to members to improve the economy, public safety and quality of life.
