Wireless Products, Services Help Drive Socioeconomic Change – Report

A report released by BSR and commissioned by CTIA-The Wireless Association® said wireless products and services are a powerful agent of social change that allow billions of people around the world with anytime, anywhere access.

“Socioeconomic Impacts of Wireless Technology” report cites a variety of case studies and uses on the adoption of, and trends in, wireless-enabled applications for finance, healthcare, education and community engagement.

The report said the billions of “underbanked” or “unbanked” people around the world are able to have access to market information and banking services via wireless technology for them to receive a fair price for their goods and services and protect their money.

It said wireless technology is helping to improve healthcare outcomes and address the healthcare worker shortage.

In the U.S., chronic disease treatment costs more than $1.4 trillion each year, but using mHealth could mean a savings of more than $21.1 billion per year.

“By using mobile technology, interactive learning may happen at any time and virtually anywhere. Technology-based instruction can reduce the time it takes students to reach learning objectives by 30-80 percent.

 Wireless technology empowers citizens around the world to create and interact with their communities and the world, hold their political leaders accountable and organize for social, political and economic change.

 The “Socioeconomic Impacts of Wireless Technology” report also highlights the role that licensed spectrum availability and the world’s six billion mobile connections have played in encouraging innovators to develop a range of applications.”

“The wireless industry has already revolutionized the way we communicate and we’re now seeing how it’s improving almost every other industry by making them more productive and efficient, and its changing peoples’ lives for the better all over the world,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA.

“In order to continue the great innovations that Americans and the rest of the world have come to expect from the U.S. wireless industry, our members must have access to spectrum so they may continue to create new products and services that will benefit individuals in developing and developed countries.”  

“This report highlights just some of the exciting possibilities to meet urgent social needs,” said Marshall Chase, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR. “There are rapidly growing opportunities for people to create vibrant new communities, connect with critical services, and improve their quality of life using wireless technology. To ensure these benefits, the industry will have a critical role to play in providing access at an affordable price.”

The “Socioeconomic Impacts of Wireless Technology” report builds on BSR and CTIA’s 2011 report, “Wireless and the Environment.”

 CTIA-The Wireless Association® is an international organization representing the wireless communications industry. Membership in the association includes wireless carriers and their suppliers, as well as providers and manufacturers of wireless data services and products.

 CTIA advocates on behalf of its members at all levels of government. The association also coordinates the industry’s voluntary best practices and initiatives, and sponsors the industry’s leading wireless tradeshows.