8 Wireless Startups & Products Transforming Mobility

Over the last decade, wireless technology has reshaped the way we work and the way we live. According to the CTIA, a wireless industry trade group, there are now more wireless devices in the US than people, and 44% of American households are "wireless-only." Americans talk on their cellphones for 204.6 billion minutes every month, and they sent 1.92 trillion text messages last year.

The Pew Research Center reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans own smartphones, and 46% of those people say they couldn't live without those devices. That's a huge development in a short period of time, given that Apple released the first iPhone in 2007.

The coming decade could see changes in wireless technology that are equally dramatic. Several startups are leading the way with innovative technologies that could revolutionize the marketplace. For example, they are creating new laser-radio technology that transmits wireless data on a beam of light, Internet of Things sensors that can connect virtually anything to the Internet, messaging apps that allow people to communicate in new ways, and WiFi networks that make it easier to access the Web.

As part of our Top in Tech series, we feature eight startups with technologies or business plans that seem particularly promising. Many of them have innovations that could be useful for enterprises looking to capitalize on wireless capabilities.

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