Wireless in the New Year...

I recently came across an interesting story written by Jonathan Paye-Layleh of the Associated Press. In 2008, the Liberian government will provide some of its citizens with wireless devices to fight against violent crime. The story describes how during the Liberian civil war (1989-2003) - which claimed more that 250,000 lives - many public institutions including the police force were decimated. Even now, the fledgling police force will not venture into certain crime-ridden areas without a UN escort. Mr. Paye-Layleh's story points out that wireless usage in Liberia is commonplace, but people there generally do not use their devices to report crime because of the high cost of a call. So to address this challenge, the government has decided to provide hundreds of community leaders in and around the capital city of Monrovia with specially programmed phones that connect toll-free to a police hotline. While 2008 will be an exciting year for wireless here in the United States - with many folks continuing to discuss what our devices should or shouldn't do - I thought this story would help all of us involved in this debate keep things in the proper perspective.  
 
Wireless devices are unquestionably among the greatest public safety devices ever invented, and I think we ought to keep in my mind the security, convenience, and mobility they provide all of us. Public safety in our country continues to deploy more advanced wireless applications to better coordinate its response to various emergency situations, wisely using the technology to save even more lives with their invaluable work. In fact, CTIA is producing a video highlighting a number of wireless case studies around the country, and a portion of the video looks at public safety and institutional emergency communications. We'll have more on that when the project is completed early next month, but if you want a taste of what we're doing check out the new CTIA Wonder of Wireless webcast.