Sure, the industry faces a lot of big, big challenges. But is it really that bad? Really?

As I think about the past year and what the wireless industry is facing in the coming year, I’m reminded of something comedian Louis C.K. said on Conan O’Brien’s “other” show back in February 2009. Google these words and you’ll find it on YouTube: “Everything’s amazing, and nobody’s happy.” Yeah, wireless is amazing, and nobody’s happy.

On the broader scale, C.K. told a few stories to illustrate his point. He described how as a kid, his family had a rotary phone, which – sit down, now, if you’re under a certain age – you actually had to stand next to and dial. If it rang and nobody was home, it would just ring and ring, no voicemail. Nowadays, kids get upset when their mobile phone doesn’t immediately respond with the information they want. “Give it a second,” he said. “It’s going to space.”

He told another story about being on a plane and being informed it has high-speed Internet, the newest thing at the time. Then the system breaks down and there’s an apology over the loud speaker. The kid next to him complains – and now of course the world owes him something because the kid can’t use the thing that he didn’t even know existed 10 seconds ago.

FASTER, BETTER
Because wireless is so popular, at times it becomes a victim of its own success. The networks aren’t fast enough because everyone uses them at the same time. Can’t get a connection at a basketball game? Sharing is good, but maybe you should watch the game for a second or two. Upset because your connection dropped while you were walking down the sidewalk? Maybe you should watch where you’re going.

I’m not suggesting this is just about the generation who never knew a rotary phone or even a cordless. Believe me, I’m in this spoiled camp too. I get irritated when I can’t get a YouTube video to play immediately on my smartphone. I don’t like to wait more than a few seconds, for example, to see (for the umpteenth time) Gwyneth Paltrow’s rendition of Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” on “Glee.” Guilty.

In the wireless industry, some folks are frustrated about the fragmentation that exists in Android, or the multiple operating systems that make it extremely difficult for consumers, much less the apps developers and everyone else in the ecosystem. Hey, there are too many choices, darn it! Yeah, but isn’t it amazing that so many people are so interested in building mobile platforms, and so convinced that mobile is where the future is at, that we have this problem? Ditto for the wars between Apple and Google. (Yes, there’s a war Mr. Eric Schmidt, just ask Steve Jobs.) But is it really a zero sum game, where one or the other is top dog? Actually, there’s room for both, and Research In Motion, Microsoft, Nokia and others are not giving up the fight easily. That’s good, no?

SLOW GROWTH VS. NO GROWTH
At various times throughout the history of the industry, we’ve heard this one, usually with a touch of panic: Growth in wireless is slowing. Net adds are declining. But wait a minute. There’s growth, as in net adds exist as opposed to net losses? Wow, color me crazy, but I’d rather have slow growth than none at all. Geez.

We have real problems that the industry needs to address. Service providers need to be held accountable when they promise certain speeds and advertise the ability to watch YouTube anywhere, anytime. Operators need accuracy in their billing and if they charge for services not ordered or rendered, they need to make good. If they promise 3G coverage across the country, it better be there.

During these always crazy, fast-moving times, sometimes it’s worth a minute or two to remember what we’re doing. Wireless is science and engineering, but it’s also amazing. To some people who don’t regularly communicate with RF engineers – and even some of those who do so on a regular basis – it sounds like magic. Pretty amazing.

Comments or story suggestions? Contact me at monica.alleven@advantagemedia.com