April 25 2012, BELLEVUE, Wash.  – 4G Americas, a wireless industry trade association representing the 3GPP family of wireless technologies including HSPA and LTE mobile broadband, commends Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo (D-CA) on today’s formation of a Federal Spectrum Working Group to examine how the federal government can use the nation's airwaves more efficiently.  This review will facilitate the use of the industry’s priority band of 1755 – 1780 MHz – the last available uplink band in the U.S. that is paired with 2155-2180 MHz in the internationally-harmonized band plan for mobile broadband.
 
Compared to other developed countries around the world, the U.S. has the lowest per capita allocation of spectrum by a significant margin and among the highest traffic volume for network capacity (80%). At the same time, the U.S. leads in mobile broadband --  in technology evolution, minutes of use (voice), lowest cost per minute, the number of advanced technology ‘4G’ connections, smartphone and tablet penetration, and volume of data traffic, among other technology leadership milestones.  Many studies indicate that this leadership position will soon drastically erode unless more spectrum is made available in a timely fashion. With mobile data traffic expected to increase in the U.S. almost 20 times by 2015 (Cisco), it is clear that spectrum is vitally critical to ongoing mobile communications.
 
By reviewing the government’s use of this vital resource, the Energy and Commerce Committee and its Communications and Technology Subcommittee demonstrate that spectrum reform continues to be a top priority for the 112th Congress. This cornerstone effort is appreciated by 4G Americas as a much needed step for the continued technology leadership in our country.