Americans used more wireless data than ever last year, with more than 100 trillion megabytes on track by 2023, Reuters reports. This record number represents a 36 percent increase, or 26 trillion MB, from 2022, according to an industry survey.
The number of wireless connections is also set to increase to 558 million in 2023 – a six percent increase over 2022. Interestingly, this increase was driven more by new advancements than traditional outlets. Americans spent about 100 billion minutes less talking on the phone than last year and maintained the same amount of text messaging.
Instead, technology like drones, space missions, self-driving vehicles, and precision agriculture moved the needle. However, in the US, uncertainty remains over how to find new spectrum for wireless communications.
According to Meredith Atwell Baker, CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), “To meet the insatiable demand for wireless, foster innovation, and support America’s economic competitiveness, the wireless industry needs access to more full-power, licensed spectrum.” In November 2023, the White House established the National Spectrum Strategy to improve spectrum access and management.
Sony’s 1000X line has long been our top pick for the best wireless headphones. Until another company can pack as many high-quality features as Sony, and do so with a blend of excellent sound quality and effective ANC, the crown is safe. With the WH-1000XM5, Sony redesigned its flagship headphones, making them more comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
This is an important factor to consider when buying over-ear headphones. We also noticed in our tests that the company has made significant improvements to active noise cancellation, thanks to a separate V1 chip in addition to the QN1 inside the M4.
There are also now a total of eight ANC mics — the previous model only had four. All of this works together to better block out background noise and high frequencies, including human voices.
The 1000XM5 still have all the features that usually make Sony’s top-of-the-line headphones showstoppers. That includes 30 hours of battery life and crisp, clear sound with balanced tuning and punchy bass.
A combo of touch controls and physical buttons gives you on-board access to music, call, and noise modes without reaching for your phone.
Speak-to-chat automatically pauses audio when you start talking, and like previous Sony headphones, the M5 can change noise modes based on your activity or location. Plus, this pair of headphones offers better call quality than most competitors. The only real drawback is that they’re $50 more than the full price of the WH-1000XM4 ($400).