How has the spread of wireless equipment across markets broadened over time? Existing product taxonomies allow scholars to observe the introduction of new products. However, these taxonomies fail to capture the development of new products, which may not neatly fall into the classification system. This study proposes a product code based on the compliance and certification applications for over 200,000 wireless devices in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Equipment Authorization System (EAS) database from 1982 to 2021. Key phrases from application product descriptions are matched to product categories. The product code is inspired by, but diverges from, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, developing new product categories for emerging markets rather than fitting new products into legacy categories. The completed code comprises three levels of nested product aggregation: 26 Classes, 83 Families, and 298 Types, offering unique avenues to analyze the cross-market scope of wireless technology over decades. The study shows that the breadth of markets for wireless products has grown over time, particularly in areas supported by unlicensed spectrum and corresponding standards, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Wireless communications equipment markets: Evolution, classification, and measurement.
Roberto Fontana;Shane Greenstein
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2026-01-01
Abstract
How has the spread of wireless equipment across markets broadened over time? Existing product taxonomies allow scholars to observe the introduction of new products. However, these taxonomies fail to capture the development of new products, which may not neatly fall into the classification system. This study proposes a product code based on the compliance and certification applications for over 200,000 wireless devices in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Equipment Authorization System (EAS) database from 1982 to 2021. Key phrases from application product descriptions are matched to product categories. The product code is inspired by, but diverges from, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, developing new product categories for emerging markets rather than fitting new products into legacy categories. The completed code comprises three levels of nested product aggregation: 26 Classes, 83 Families, and 298 Types, offering unique avenues to analyze the cross-market scope of wireless technology over decades. The study shows that the breadth of markets for wireless products has grown over time, particularly in areas supported by unlicensed spectrum and corresponding standards, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
