US releases spectrum for “wireless broadband revolution”

US president Barack Obama has unveiled a plan that aims to nearly double the amount of commercial spectrum during the next 10 years, providing unprecedented levels of access to broadband technology. Under the plan 500 megahertz of federal and commercial spectrum will be made available over the next decade to cater to an anticipated explosion in wireless economy.

"The internet, as vital infrastructure, has become central to the daily economic life of almost every American by creating unprecedented opportunities for small businesses and individual entrepreneurs," the president wrote in a memorandum. "We are now beginning the next transformation in information technology: the wireless broadband revolution."

The plan, which will free up spectrum for licensed and unlicensed mobile broadband, as well as allow for reallocation and sharing of spectrum, could potentially generate auction revenues in the tens of billions of dollars from commercial enterprises.

The added spectrum could be used to feed increased use of smartphones, laptops and other technological innovations that are now commonplace tools in today's workplace.

The plan has received wide approval from industry observers who have hailed it as a platform designed to spur innovation and investment in broadband.

According to a White House press release, analysts predict the mobile application store will become a $30 billion industry by 2013.