It's common knowledge that wireless data services (internet, email, text, etc) are growing much faster than voice service for the cellphone industry. These trends - and the proliferation of so-called smartphones - are transforming the very way we as a society use and view our mobile communications.

A recent article in the New York Times title " Smartphone Rises Fast from Gadget to Necessity" notes that smartphone sales have continued to grow fast despite the economic downturn. This prompts the observation that: "the smartphone story is as much about consumer sociology and psychology as it is about chips, bytes and bandwidth." In other words, the very way we conceptualize the role of the cellphone/mobile device in our lives is undergoing a profound transformation."

The articles continues with a series of observations that are worth quoting at length:

"For a growing swath of the population, the social expectation is that one is nearly always connected and reachable almost instantly via e-mail. The smartphone, analysts say, is the instrument of that connectedness — and thus worth the cost, both as a communications tool and as a status symbol.

'The social norm is that you should respond within a couple of hours, if not immediately,' said David E. Meyer, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan. 'If you don’t, it is assumed you are out to lunch mentally, out of it socially, or don’t like the person who sent the e-mail.'

The spread of those social assumptions may signal a technological crossover that echoes the proliferation of e-mail itself more than a decade ago. At some point in the early 1990s, it became socially unacceptable — at least for many people — to not have an e-mail address."

Social transformation and people with disabilities

These broader social dynamics are reflected in the responses by people with disabilities to the Wireless RERC's Survey of User Needs. Respondents to our ongoing survey have typically assigned great importance to the fact that their mobile devices serve as a safety and security tool to help in case of emergencies or other difficulties. However we have observed a declining emphasis on the wireless device as a security tool, and increased emphasis on general daily activities (calling people, appointment reminders, etc.).

In 2008 72% of survey respondents said that being able to get emergency help made their devices important. And, 63% said their devices made them feel more secure. These figures are lower than those for respondents in 2007, 78% of whom cited the importance of emergency help, and 70% cited feeling more secure.

Meanwhile 37% of respondents in 2008 (vs. 30% in 2007) cited the importance of getting directions wherever they are; and 33% (vs. 22% in 2007) mentioned appointment reminders.

Network challenges

The social transformations underway will put increasing stress on communications networks, according to Frost & Sullivan's new report " Next Generation Wireless Networks Market", requiring a new generation of network technology.

According to the report, "Mobile operators in the United States are having to turn to next-generation wireless access technologies to keep pace with the spiraling demand for data service. Although voice average revenue per user (ARPU) still dominates the revenue stream, data ARPU is clearly the cash cow of the future. Among the next-generation wireless access technologies, mobile WiMAX and long term evolution (LTE) are expected to gain prevalence."