Roger Cheng

While cellphones, and now modern smartphones, have brought new ways to access information to more people than ever, there are still many left behind. Martin Cooper, who led the team at Motorola and is credited as the father of the cellphone, estimates that 40% of the students in this country don't have access to broadband wireless. "Just imagine what that means over the long term," he said.

In the race to get to 5G wireless technology in a real way, China is poised to lead the world.  That's according to a study conducted by Analysys Mason, which found that China had the best combination of wireless carriers committing to the technology, government backing for research, a clear rollout plan by 2020 and government commitment of spectrum, or the radio airwaves critical to deliver wireless service. After China, South Korea, then the US and Japan make up global leaders in 5G, according to the firm.

Key findings by Analysys Mason include:

Verizon said that it would begin locking the phones it sells to consumers, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. Initially, the phones will be unlocked as soon as a customer signs up and activates the service. But later in the spring, the company will begin the practice of keeping the phone locked for a period of time after the purchase -- in line with the rest of the industry. 

Sprint recently cut a significant chunk of its staff dedicated to repairing and refurbishing phones and shut down its slower-performing stores, part of a broader effort to reduce the company's costs in the face of continued financial struggles.

Sprint laid off 330 technical consultants, closing 150 service and repair centers across the country. It also shut down 55 of its worst-performing retail stores. The moves were part of a larger plan for layoffs and cuts that was announced in January.

Sprint is attempting to streamline itself and return to profitability now that it is under the ownership of Japanese carrier SoftBank. The company, while narrowing its loss from a year ago, was still in the red by $1.62 billion in the fourth quarter amid declining revenue. In January, the company warned it would cut jobs in areas including customer care centers and less-profitable retail stores, according to the Kansas City Star. Earlier, Sprint said that it is cutting about 1,550 customer service jobs.