As predictable as ants at a picnic, the summer of 2001 finds the mainstream press proclaiming the death of the paging industry. This time around, they are wrapping it inside their coverage of the dot-com deathwatch. However, industry professionals and trade press know the reality is much less sexy … and much more promising.
Thankfully, we have RCR Wireless News editors and reporters who are willing to describe not only the challenges facing the entire wireless industry, but also report on efforts to respond to market challenges by various industry segments, including wireless data, of which paging and two-way messaging are significant components.
Through its timely reporting and as part of its fascinating 20th anniversary retrospective (replete with old photos of handsome and much younger association executives), RCR Wireless News offers a far more balanced picture of the industry.
The reality is that while we are tempted to focus on the travails of individual companies, demand for paging remains strong and the desire for the new generation of two-way wireless data messaging devices grows virally with each new user.
One-way paging remains an industry segment collecting billions of dollars in revenue annually. Nearly one of every six people in the United States carries a messaging device. Industry leaders Arch, Metrocall, WebLink and SkyTel continue to develop exciting applications and services, while new players continue to enter the industry or expand the reach of their products and service offerings. Network Services and Space Data Corp. being two exciting players about whom RCR Wireless News has recently reported.
We are delighted that through the Personal Communications Industry Association, members of the industry, carriers, manufacturers and service providers are working together to identify, develop and promote the wireless data services that consumers want. At PCIA we are expanding our reach globally as our members demand, but we also remain committed to our industry pillars that have always been at the forefront of technological innovation.
I expect that next summer, we’ll once again read in the mainstream press about the imminent demise of paging, even as the industry grows stronger and even more deeply ingrained in American culture … a ritual as predictable as ants at a picnic.
Jay Kitchen
CEO
PCIA
