President Bill Clinton delivered the closing keynote speech of CTIA 2012 and he said that the wireless industry has the potential to change the world for good in a variety of ways.
The former president mixed in a few of his political philosophies but he mainly focused on how communication networks can enable collaboration, which allows governments and the private industries to attack major problems. Clinton cited a U.N. report which stated that for every 10 percent of mobile penetration in poor countries, the GDP can rise by 1 percent each year. In fact, he said that modern mobile technologies have done more to bring people out of poverty than almost any other technology.
President Clinton used Haiti as an example, as after the earthquake, a group of private companies, non-governmental entities and the government worked on a mobile banking system which really helped the Haitian people. It’s not just developing countries though, as he said mobile technology will play a large role in America cutting down its healthcare costs. That last part is important, as Clinton was clear that this wasn’t just a feel-good exercise but one that will help to growth the economy and build the future.
We live-tweeted the event from the @IntoMobile account and I’ll post some of those below. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @Marinperez too.
By 2020 the number of mobile connected devices will grow to ten billion #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Mobile Technology has an undeniable impact on education, healthcare, finance and citizen empowerment #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Mhealth apps can generate up to 21 billion in healthcare savings in the U.S. alone, says Largent. Global applications too #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
mobile banking and payments and it’s expected to reach $670 billion in the next three years #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Clinton: In Haiti after the earthquake, mobile technology helped 2 create a mobile banking system that actually helped the people #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Clinton: Less than 2 percent of people in Africa have a computer but over 40 percent already have a cell phone. The opportunity is there
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Clinton: Those trying to build the future don’t care if you’re Republican or Democrat. #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Clinton: “Cooperation in the modern world works better than conflict “#CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Clinton: America needs to live in tomorrow, not yesterday #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
Clinton: The wireless industry is making this collaborative, forward-thinking approach a real possibility #CTIAW2012
— IntoMobile (@IntoMobile) May 10, 2012
It was one of the more interesting CTIA keynote speeches I’ve seen and President Clinton reminded us that he had previously spoken at the 2007 show with President H.W. Bush (he walked away with the “best bag of tech goodies”).