What social/economic forces shape communication infrastructure?

Throughout my research and preparation for this case study I have learned that as telephony has progressed from landline to mobile telephones, social and economic forces such as connectivity, social networking and m-commerce have all shaped communication infrastructure. With the exemplification of AT&T as the example for my case study, I was able to dive into their history, progression from landline to mobile phones and their new innovations in the 5G network.

As I discussed in my case study, AT&T was granted the right to operate as a monopoly from the Communication Act of 1934 and functioned as one until its breakup into RBOCs in 1984. The transition from landline to mobile phones has been very quick as 51% of American homes have ONLY a mobile phone. AT&T’s innovation of the 5G network promises to greatly enhance the speed, coverage and responsiveness of wireless networks (Cnet). It’s promised to be 10-100 times faster than the average connection.

My case study enhanced my knowledge of the advancement of communication infrastructure. Additionally, the feedback I received from my classmates during the discussion question period greatly added to my presentation, specifically discussing whether or not a student would switch to AT&T just to access their 5G network. The students that responded all said that they would switch to interact with a stronger and faster service. In addition, when we were discussing the transition from landline to mobile technology the responses were more varied. Some people believed landlines are still beneficial to have and some believed that landline technology is too outdated and that mobile technology is the only important means of communication. Overall, my case study greatly strengthened my knowledge of communication infrastructure and the social/economic factors that influence it. 

Cheng, R. (2018, February 09). Crazy-fast 5G networks are coming soon. Here's what you need to know. Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.cnet.com/how-to/5g-network-technology-here-are-the-basics/

Newsroom. (2018, February 20). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://about.att.com/story/multigigabit_mobile_5g.html

Straubhaar, J. D., LaRose, R., & Davenport, L. (2018). Media now: Understanding media, culture, and technology(10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

The Importance of Landline Telephones. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://duocounty.com/home-telephone/the-importance-of-landline-telephones

Yurieff, K. (n.d.). AT&T names first three cities to get its ultra-fast 5G network. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/20/technology/att-5g-mobile-network-cities/index.html