Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution

by James B. Murray and Lisa Dickey

Book Overview

"Highly recommended."- Library JournalThe wireless industry was built by a motley band of characters who, from the beginning, have fought unrelentingly against one another for a cut of the business.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738206881
• ISBN13: 9780738206882
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great historical view of spectrum allocation in US

Very well written book! Jim Murray does a very good job of making an interesting story as he narrates how FCC distributed valuable cellular licenses in the US in the 1980s. Also, talkes about how McCaw built his empire. I highly recommend this for somebody who loves the world of telecom. However, this book is not for somebody looking for new business ideas or trends in the industry today.

very entertaining and informative

Murray has written an immensely entertaining view of the developmentof cellular telephone, the wrangling over FCC spectrum, the con artistsand hucksters, the visionary businessmen, the unprecedented methodsof haggling used to settle license ownership. My own background givesme familiarity with the Internet revolution; it was quite interestingto compare and contrast the cellular revolution with it. Those whostudied the cellular revolution were probably better able to understandwhat was going to happen with the Internet than those who didn't.

Great Background Read

This book is a must-read for anyone involved in the cellular industry, and should be very interesting (and entertaining) for anyone interested in entrepreneurialism or emerging industries. I work in the cellular industry and often hear, from those who worked in the industry in the mid-eighties, references to the "old days." While the current success of the cellular industry makes it seem as if its success was a "no-brainer," Murray makes clear that this was not the case--he does an excellent job of describing the free-wheeling, if not chaotic, beginnings of the industry, the fateful steps and mis-steps of some of the early players, and the vast uncertainty of whether the industry would ever be viable. Most memorably, he provides interesting profiles of some of the pioneers, cowboys, and charlatans that participated in the creation of America's cell-phone sector.

Incredibly Entertaining And Informative

Mr. Murray's account of the birth of the cellular telephone industry is remarkable. This is a subject I had little to no knowledge of (or interest in) and yet I found myself unable to put this book down. The story is truly incredible. The insider perspective he provides gives the reader a view into the birth of an entire industry.Time and again he details the steps, and more often mis-steps, that led to the wireless world we live in today. As interesting as the stories of the visionaries who "got it" from the begining are, the tales of those who guessed wrong are even more incredible. Huge corporations, respected "experts," and the US government all made one wrong decision after the other, while a handful of players who figured out just how big this industry could be took incredible gambles to succeed. At the same time, every day individuals from widows to plumbers had a chance to participate, and make millions in what was essentially a government run lottery.A riveting first hand account of the creation of an industry where billions were made and lost, and continue to be today.

TALKING TO THE FUTURE

James B. Murray, Jr. tells a fascinating true-tale of the wacky, wonderful world of wireless technology. As an insider, and an early investory, Murray has access to some of the yarns of the early cellular cowboys like Craig McGraw and John Kluge. Today, almost 120 million Americans use cell phones and more are swapping wireless for their landlines every day. This is a great primer if you're in any aspect of communications. Wireless promises to touch every aspect of our lives from work to play to education to entertainment. Murray's book gives us a birds-eye view to the past and a preview to the new spectrum of the future. He includes just enough tech info and countless stories, anecdotes and personal asides to make it a quick read yet, a valuable reference tool. No one else captures the excitement of the lotteries and wireless land rush. In his acknowledgements, Murray thanks Lisa Dickey who evidently was his collaborator on the book. He says she brought to live a dry narrative. And yes, the tome is easy to read but I yearn to dial my cell phone and talk directly to Murray whose voice on the era may just be much more colorful than polished prose can reveal. If you buy just one book on the history of wireless, you should start with this one. A great complement to any office bookshelf. Joyce Schwarz, JCOM, www.joycecom.com author, "Cutting the Cord: Guide to Going Wireless", fall, 2001