Annotated Bibliography: Mobile Networks in the U.S.

Topic: Mobile Networks in the U.S: Past, Present and Future

Annotated Bibliography:

DEVELOPMENTS–TELECOMMUNICATIONS. (2008). Berkeley Technology Law Journal, 23(1), 651-652. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=34157371&site=ehost-live

This article describes the auction of the 700 MHz radio and television broadcast band (no longer in use after the mandated switch to digital television), “which has the potential to provide competition for the major wireless carriers.” Telecommunications titans AT&T and Verizon emerged as the big winners in the electromagnetic land rush yet Google was able to achieve it’s primary goal of creating a “open access” provision. This article will be used to show how changes in regulation and legacy technologies can open up new markets.

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Frenkiel, R. H. (2010). Creating cellular: A history of the AMPS project (1971-1983) [History of Communications]. IEEE Communications Magazine, 48(9), 14-24. doi:10.1109/MCOM.2010.5560579. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=53430788&site=ehost-live

Creating Cellular was written by a lead project engineer at Bell Labs and covers the developments that led to the first cellar telephone system (AMPS) created by a “vast number” of engineers at Bell Labs between 1971 and 1983. This article provides a look at some of the first “upsets” and challenges faced by pioneers in the cellular market. There is also a considerable amount of background information and historical perspective on the FCC’s regulation of cellar networks.

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Hazlett, T. W. (2003). Is federal preemption efficient in cellular phone regulation?. Federal Communications Law Journal, 56(1), 155-238. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=12248730&site=ehost-live

This article is one of the main research papers behind my project. The premise for this article is that cellular phone service fundamentally depends on spectrum policies enacted by the Federal government. It provides context for how telecommunication regulations are enacted and discusses whether they should be created on a state-by-state basis or imposed using Federal regulatory standards. While this article primarily covers regulation and jurisdiction, there are also some key market insights (i.e. “One particularly important rationale for government regulation arises under the externality rubric in the context of fly-by-night operations.”)

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McGinity, M. (2003). Hibernating during telecom winter. Communications of the ACM, 46(1), 13-15. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=12514004&site=ehost-live

The article focuses on the condition of the telecommunication industry in the U.S. after 2002.  It discusses the fact that Telecom reporters  were completely out of work because there was nothing to report and no readers. It also discusses a shift in the nature of telecom; in the past companies would “invest heavily in networks and potential new services before they were proven, now the move is in more measured capital, where the success base is not way out ahead.” This article will help provide context around the barriers to entry in the current cellular market and how they are different from those faced in previous telecommunication technology markets.

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Pelkmans, J. (2001). The GSM standard: explaining a success story. Journal of European Public Policy, 8(3), 432-453. doi:10.1080/13501760110056059. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=5180643&site=ehost-live

The GSM Standard will be used to show the importance of mobile networks and what they are used for. There is also a well written section titled “The Non-Cooperative Emergence of Digital Mobile in the US” that provides a comparison of US and EU mobile markets that will provide some history of mobile digital standards and technical protocol.

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Noam, E. M. (2010). Regulation 3.0 for telecom 3.0. Telecommunications Policy, 34(1/2), 4-10. doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2009.11.004. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=47957650&site=ehost-live

Regulation 3.0 for Telecom 3.0 will likely be one of the primary reference within my project because it describes how “telecommunications infrastructure goes through technology-induced phases, and the regulatory regime follows.” It begins with Telecom 1.0, based on copper wires, was monopolistic in market structure and led to a Regulation 1.0 with government ownership or control.” After describing the evolution of wireless long-distance, and the regulation that followed, the article goes on to predict the “return for a larger role for the state in a Regulation 3.0 which incorporates many elements of the traditional regulatory system— universal service, common carriage, cross-subsidies, structural restrictions, industrial policy, even price and profit controls.”

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Wilson, L. (2008). Broadcast RF power semiconductor market larger than assumed. Microwave Journal [serial online]. November 2008;51(11):55. Retrieved from: http://offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=35404225&site=ehost-live

This article suggests that the growth in the global market for RF semiconductors is driven by the explosion in digital broadcasting, both radio and television. The evolution of cellular networks and some forecasting for future technologies is provided along with some discussion about the need for cellular data connections on “ultra-mobile devices” such as tablets and netbooks.

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Wu, T. (2010). The master switch. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

In chapter 18 “The Return of AT&T” I found a treasure trove of information regarding the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA by AT&T and the events that led up to it. While Wu doesn’t explicitly mention anything about T-Mobile, he clearly explains how Edward Whitacre, longtime CEO of AT&T, rebuilt the AT&T system into what it is today. I’ll use this framework to show the difficulty of competing within the U.S. mobile network market. I’ll also reference Wu in my explanation of open and closed markets as well as to explain that if the acquisition T-Mobile by AT&T is approved, the centralizers (AT&T, Apple & Hollywood) have one less competitor to worry about and the government will have more concentrated power over information and communications.