Spectrum: The looming question for wireless innovation

The Federal Communications Commission is the cross between the wireless industry and federal, state and local governments. When it comes to creating new technological opportunities for industries – health care, small business, municipal governments and the like – the biggest issue is spectrum.

A panel at the CTIA Wireless conference discussed how wireless technology is changing the fabric of society and the opportunities it brings. Dean Brenner, vice president of government affairs at Qualcomm, noted that there are billions of mobile devices deployed in the world and providing just basic functionality to the population can change the fabric of society. “We have the largest communications platform in the history of the world,” Brenner said. The panel touched on a variety of topics but one particular topic keeps coming up in the wireless discussion – health care. Qualcomm has partnered with the National Institutes of Health to create a mobile health summer institute, and various initiatives are being undertaken to transform the entire health care industry with mobile technology.