A CEO's predictions: What to expect for the U.S. wireless industry in 2025
It's 2025. Didn't the movies of the 1980s predict we were all supposed to have flying cars and personal robot butlers by now? Admittedly, my 2025 wireless predictions are less fun than that, but if they come to fruition, our industry ― and in turn Oklahomans who use wireless connectivity every day ― will be in a much better place.
Here are my three wireless industry predictions for 2025.
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I am proud to work in an industry that invests billions of dollars ― $30 billion in 2023 alone ― to provide essential connectivity to communities across the U.S. But there are some areas that are better connected than others, and in 2025, I predict unprecedented investment at both the state and federal levels to ensure that even the most rural areas of the country get connected.
Some of this will come from big-ticket funding solutions like the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, or the Federal Communications Commission's 5G Fund for America. But state governments will also play an important role in helping their residents get reliable connectivity. We've seen state-led funding programs be highly successful in providing affordable high-speed broadband in hard-to-reach areas and do so quickly and efficiently.
As data usage continues to increase, this funding will be extremely important because often market forces alone aren't sufficient to drive the investment necessary to connect rural America. Rural areas will need more cell towers, more spectrum and more fiber. Even satellite connectivity will have a place, and I predict increased investment to integrate multiple connectivity mechanisms to improve coverage and close the digital divide.
Is this me predicting it into existence? Perhaps, but frankly, it needs to happen. The FCC hasn't had authority to hold spectrum auctions since early 2023, and this has held the U.S. wireless industry back from investing in infrastructure, enhancing the customer experience and ensuring that the U.S. remains technologically competitive.
We know customers will continue to use more and more data ― Americans used more than 100 trillion MB of data in 2023, nearly double the amount used just two years ago. And if towers and cell sites are the physical backbone necessary to support this growth, spectrum is the virtual backbone. We need spectrum to fuel the next big technology innovations, and without it, we give our global competitors ― particularly China ― an advantage. Wireless technology is essential to economic growth and national security, and the longer this lapse in spectrum authority continues, the greater the risk is to U.S. leadership in a variety of industries. I predict that Congress will act to reauthorize the FCC's auction authority and direct the agency to free up spectrum ― particularly mid-band spectrum ― to support the evolving needs of our customers and communities.
The reason that infrastructure investment and spectrum authority are so important is because I predict a heightened focus on wireless leadership from other countries in 2025, increasing the intense global competition that already exists today. This will be especially notable in China. China is investing aggressively in the infrastructure, spectrum and technology standards required to support next-generation wireless networks ― along with investments in semi-conductors and AI ― because these capabilities are the foundation of the "soft" power that comes with innovation and technology leadership. This "soft" power leadership in technology complements the "hard" power of military might, and I expect considerable focus on both. The U.S. will need to be prepared to meet this challenge, which will require close alignment between government and industry.
Laurent 'LT' Therivel is CEO of UScellular.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Expect more rural wireless development in 2025 | Opinion
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