The Facts (Again) Prove the Wireless Ecosystem is Robustly Competitive

The facts continue to prove the wireless marketplace is driven by competition and innovation.

In our initial comments to the FCC on the state of wireless competition for their latest report, we provided a huge amount of data from trusted third-party organizations and our semi-annual survey that showed the competition that exists in the wireless ecosystem benefits consumers. For a recap of our initial comments to the FCC, read our post in December.

Last month, we submitted our reply comments that reiterated our findings from carriers, other industry associations, manufacturers and operating system developers, which clearly show that effective competition exists without regulatory barriers. Yet one crucial fact remains: more spectrum must be made available so our members can continue to meet consumers’ demands for wireless.

Some commenters made allegations without any evidence. Free Press stated in their comments that the wireless industry is essentially “[t]wo vertically integrated, national, dominant carriers [that] hold immense power and generate significant profits, while every other competitor struggles to grow or even to survive.” Yet Free Press failed to provide any convincing data to support their allegations. Instead, Free Press said that “effective competition may be best understood as competition that improves service quality or reduces price for Internet access services…”

Using Free Press’ definition, the U.S. wireless market is effectively competitive. The mobile service quality has improved and prices have reduced for our consumers. Wireless providers continue to invest in advanced networks, with most of them either intending to or have already launched 4G networks. In the past year alone, we have developed consumer-friendly practices such as the CTIA Mobile Application Rating System with ESRB and the Wireless Consumer Usage Notification Guidelines. And as AT&T noted in its comments, prices for Internet access services have declined remarkably in recent years.

By looking at the facts, it’s clear the U.S. wireless ecosystem continues to be competitive.