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Both of these investments will strengthen the foundation of our networks. The $3.6 billion we will pay for advanced wireless spectrum from a consortium of cable providers will increase our network capacity and allow more connections. Upgrading our core IP network infrastructure using 100G technology allows us to seamlessly accommodate growth where traffic demand is greatest, increase reliability, and strengthens our FiOS and wireless networks.
But what do you do with that network capacity? Watch more cat videos faster than before?
Maybe. But how about enabling remote analysis of 3-D MRI scans? Or the ability to watch video programming on any device, anywhere? Our spectrum purchase was accompanied by an agreement that will give consumers this kind of control. A new joint venture backed by Verizon and the leading cable providers will develop the technology to let consumers send programs to any device, across different wired and wireless networks, effortlessly.
That's an example of something clearly in our sights. But the future is wide open, and we can't see all of what's coming. We do know that massive network upgrades that increase capacity and reliability will create a foundation upon which other will innovate. And that innovation, shepherded, tested, and revised many times, will create something of lasting value to our business and to society that might not have been seen at the outset. Our CEO, Lowell McAdam, firmly believes this, and has called buying this spectrum "rocket fuel for innovation."
Mark Kramer has blogged about the need for CEOs to see through walls — to see past the limitations imposed by the needs of day-to-day operations and embrace a new dimension of strategy by focusing on the social issues underlying the business. Indeed, he specifically cited Lowell McAdam.
What can we see coming from ubiquitous high-speed data networks? Anywhere-on-anything video is clearly within reach. The rest is not as certain, but some things in the works reveal the possibilities. For instance, our Innovation Center helped a small company enhance wireless data connectivity in their product: a telepresence robot called the VGo. One robot now enables a 15-year-old boy with a compromised immune system to attend classes at his local school. Following that success, we've started a pilot project that will deploy the VGo in 15 institutions this year to explore uses for this technology, such as creating virtual field trips to a distant zoo or helping doctors visit their patients in nursing homes.
Another example of shared value can be seen two southern Virginia school districts. The local school district in Mecklenburg County has issued a netbook equipped with our wireless data network to every 9th and 10th grade student, and in neighboring Halifax County, a class of sixth graders learn pre-Algebra with modified Verizon smartphones. Through the use of a cell tower that extends our network to a remote area, we gain customers and make money. And children who never had ubiquitous Internet service now have it as a routine part of their daily lives. Students are more engaged in their studies. It's the shared value that Kramer envisions: initiatives that simultaneously benefit society and our business.
Kramer argues that the greatest new business opportunities lie in the world's unmet social and environmental needs, especially when conventional business opportunities are scarce and social needs are most acute.
We see our greatest opportunity in things such as enhancing health care infrastructure and in enabling remote energy management.
Paradoxically, if our continuing investment in our network really succeeds, and there is enough spectrum to make massive wireless and fiber-optic bandwidth ubiquitous, it will become invisible — so woven into the fabric of our daily lives, the value so obvious and so large, that it will be taken for granted, like the air we breathe. But we will owe a debt to those who have seen through walls and had enough faith to invest and innovate for the long haul.
To view vital speeches given by our authors, visit our speeches page.
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Kathy Brown
S.V.P., Public Policy Development and Corporate Responsibility
Kathy leads Verizon's global corporate responsibility initiatives and policy development. She also oversees the Verizon Foundation.
James Gowen
Chief Sustainability Officer/
V.P. of Services Operations
James oversees Verizon’s supply chain, vehicle fleet, investment recovery, purchasing and materials management and sustainability initiatives.
Rose Kirk
President, Verizon Foundation
Rose leads Verizon's philanthropic strategy with an emphasis on projects that demonstrate the use of Verizon's technology in addressing social issues such as education, domestic violence prevention and online safety. The Verizon Foundation is one of the 15 largest corporate foundations in America.
Jack McArtney
Director of Corporate and Community Responsibility
Jack promotes digital wellness and online safety. He works with parents, educators, service providers, application developers and industry leaders to foster responsible use of Verizon's mobile and broadband networks.
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