NEW STUDY BCG Perspectives: The Mobile Revolution: How Mobile Technologies Drive a Trillion-Dollar Impact
This excerpt originally appeared in BCG Perspectives blog on January 15, 2015.
Globally, mobile technology has emerged as a primary engine of economic growth, stimulating enormous private-sector spending in both R&D and infrastructure, and profoundly changing daily lives—everywhere.
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To ensure that the mobile revolution continues and expands, policymakers must support an environment that fosters innovation and investment. Future growth of mobile depends on continuing the policies that enabled the industry to get where it is today.
- Strong patent protection is needed to encourage large and risky investments in mobile technology innovation.
- Market-driven licensing is vital in order to ensure that technology innovations can be widely shared with others in the industry.
- Industry standards are required to solve the industry’s most complex technology problems through open and meritocratic processes.
- Continuous allocation and availability of additional radio spectrum, especially more licensed spectrum, is needed to keep pace with consumer demand.
- To reap the economic benefit of fifth generation (5G) networks and beyond, mobile players will need to invest approximately $4 trillion in R&D and capital expenditures by 2020.
- Weakening patent protection, intervening in the industry-driven standards-setting process, or curtailing technology licensing will jeopardize the future of mobile.