Mobile phone industry association 3G Americas has officially changed its name to 4G Americas. This reflects a transition in the technology that is being used in the wireless industry today.

3G Americas was formed in 2002 and was created for the purpose of facilitating and addressing the future technologies that were beginning to be used in the mobile phone industry. This group provides education and information about the wireless industry to analysts, the media, government officials and other key stakeholders in the business. At the time it was founded, the shift was from GSM technologies to 3G services which have now been fully deployed throughout much of the Americas. The time has come to move forward again, and that is reflected in the name change to 4G.

Notably, we as consumers will continue to use 3G connectivity for at least several more years however, the technology is outdated from an industry perspective. The goal of 4G Americas will be (according to a recent press release by the organisation) “to promote, facilitate and advocate for the deployment and adoption of 3GPP mobile broadband technologies throughout the Americas region”. These 3GPP technologies include advanced GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSPA and LTE. They are considered to be precursors to 4G services that will emerge and evolve in the market in the years to come.

An industry organisation such as 4G Americas has the potential to speed up and facilitate the process of moving consumers towards these new cutting-edge technologies. Through education and advocacy, this type of company can help bring 4G into our daily lives. Additionally, the name change (and its corresponding new mission statement) will open the doors to new members who are working in these advanced technologies.