Optimistic quotation of the day: “The current transition to 4G technologies is likely to spur significant new job creation and growth which could help the American economy restore gains in incomes and business investment.” That’s the assessment of Washington-based think tank NDN, which is out with a big new report that analyzes how the transition from 2G to 3G mobile technology created 1.6 million jobs in four years and predicts that the next technological shift—from 3G to 4G—will do it again. The report, called “The Employment Effects of Advances In Internet and Wireless Technology,” calculates that every 10 percent increase in the adoption of 3G and 4G wireless technologies could add more than 231,000 new jobs to the U.S. economy in less than a year, and therefore:

Based on the substantial economic benefits arising from advances in wireless broadband infrastructure and the adoption of devices that take advantage of that infrastructure, national policy should actively promote the rapid deployment and broad adoption of 4G wireless broadband.

Job creation will happen, the report says because the transition to 4G infrastructure will open the door to a wide range of additional applications, services, products, and industries. Online retail, healthcare, energy, and business services should all expect to see big advances. The growth in mobile commerce to between $6 billion and $9 billion in 2011 from about $1.4 billion in 2009 will only accelerate once more of us have 4G in our hands. And then there’s the cloud:

Cloud-based services, which are gaining rapidly in popularity, also would benefit from enhanced 4G wireless. Juniper Research, for example, estimates that the market for mobile-based cloud services could reach $39 billion by 2016, assuming wide deployment of 4G infrastructure and devices.

NDN clearly wants technology to enter into the discussion as politicians tout various economic recovery programs on the road to November's elections. Let's hope they're listening.