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| CTIA SmartBrief |
| December 9, 2008 |
A look back at 2008
This year was the 25th anniversary of the first U.S. commercial cellular call and the launching of the American cellular industry. The past quarter of a century has been marked by incredible innovation and change, and wireless is showing no signs of slowing down. There's been an enormous amount of activity this past year, and there's no doubt that 2009 is going to be just as eventful. This two-part CTIA SmartBrief special year-end report provides you a chance to walk down memory lane for the past year and look to the industry's future prospects. Part I of this report rounds up the most important trends, stories and events of the past year. Part II, which will hit your inbox Thursday, will provide a glimpse into what's in store for 2009.
In 2008, mobile carriers continued spreading their wings, becoming more deeply integrated with the worlds of entertainment and enterprise, and building out and upgrading their networks to handle the increasing demand for more bandwidth and faster speed. Of course wireless was at the forefront of many public-policy issues, with open access commanding a substantial share of the spotlight as well as the use of unlicensed devices in the "white spaces" frequencies.
It wasn't that long ago that Apple made a splash with its iPhone, and now a group of carriers, developers and suppliers jumped into the competitive landscape late in the year with the Android operating system and T-Mobile's G1, the first Android handset.
Throughout 2008, several carriers were pushing the technology envelope as they turned to handset makers to deliver feature-rich phones, including those with touch screens and an array of applications from mobile TV, social networking and multipixel cameraphones to high-speed Internet access, location-based services and music.
Growth continued in our industry, with the U.S. reaching 262 million subscribers by midyear alone.
This year's conferences took CTIA-The Wireless Association® members to Las Vegas for CTIA WIRELESS 2008® and to San Francisco for CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2008®. As in years past, the conferences not only allowed you to stay abreast of industry news and developments, but they also cemented their position as "must attend" venues to do business in the wireless space.
And now, here's what was most important to YOU in 2008.
It is our responsibilities, not ourselves, that we should take seriously."
--Peter Ustinov,
British actor and writer
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened."
--Alexander Graham Bell,
American inventor
In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."
--Theodore Roosevelt,
26th president of the U.S.
The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B."
--James Yorke,
mathematics and physics professor
Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win."
--Jonathan Kozol,
American nonfiction writer and educator
Most companies don't exercise patience during the hiring process. There is no development system that is going to compensate for making a bad hire."
--Eric Foss,
CEO of Pepsi Bottling
You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
--Mahatma Gandhi,
Indian political leader
Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time."
--Marian Wright Edelman
children's activist
The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children."
--Clarence Darrow,
American lawyer
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