4G Americas new name for trade association

4G Americas is the new name for the former 3G Americas trade association. As the industry evolves, the trade association said it will continue to advocate for 3GPP technologies, but also expand its focus to promote, facilitate and advocate for the entire mobile broadband ecosystem, including networks, services, applications and connected devices, said 4G Americas President Chris Pearson.
“4G Americas will be the unified voice to represent the 3GPP technology family, bringing together both major vendors and operators to enhance the prospects for mobile broadband growth throughout the Americas, as we move toward the fourth generation,” Pearson said. “We will focus on areas that may affect educational, social, enterprise and economic development for mobile communications such as spectrum planning, technical interoperability, public policy and regulatory issues.
“Even though 3G technologies will lead in the marketplace for years to come, the timing is right for the name change. 4G Americas will make great efforts for a mobile broadband community using the 3GPP family of technologies to transform communications for people, businesses and societies throughout the Americas,” He said.
The board of governors for the association voted unanimously on the new name and expanded mission statement, Pearson noted. “People are looking to be connected anytime, anywhere and at faster speeds than ever before.” As such, the 4G experience is about more than just the network technology – it is about the experience, from emerging devices through to applications. “We look at mobile broadband technology as much more than networks and technology. It’s about the ecosystem.”
Pearson noted that when the organization launched eight years ago, the GSM family of products accounted for less than 10% marketshare across the Americas. Today that figure has risen to 75% marketshare.
Along with the new name, the trade group unveiled a new logo.