CTIA - The Wireless Association® Blog - CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment 2008®.

Some Thoughts and Reflections on the Show

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:25:00 -0500

Well, we’re drawing to a close here in San Fran. I think that this show accomplished what the best ones do: it refocused our industry on tomorrow’s consumer and business needs.

We saw and heard the continued commitment to open networks, saw some of the preeminent companies in the mobile enterprise space – RIM and Adobe – outline their respective organizations' visions of the mobile future, and listened to an outstanding group of young people discuss tomorrow’s ideal mobile ecosystem.

I think these shows are best when they remind and refocus the industry on wireless’s evolving, changing nature. This Wireless I.T. and Entertainment show surely lived up to the hype!

Famous Quotes and Confounded Expectations

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:18:00 -0500

“Never work with children or animals.”
-W.C. Fields

The teens on today’s keynote stage put on a show that would have impressed even the characteristically jaded Fields. The provided thoughtful insight, humor and authenticity in a way that only kids really can.

Seriously – those kids were good. Again, I’m going to the Harris briefing on the second level at 11:30 – they're going to provide a closer, more thorough examination on the teen marketplace. Hope to see you there!

Morning - Day 3

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:12:00 -0500

Ok guys – home stretch. After what will surely be a fantastic keynote this morning, the show floor will remain open until 3pm. Oh, and for those that are interested in doing a deeper dive on the Harris Interactive teen data-set from this morning’s keynote, the Harris folks will be holding an analysis session a bit later on this morning – check it out.

In thinking about this show’s press coverage, there’s been a lot of buzz about openness and the numerous handset deliveries. More about each to come later -- I’m about to run upstairs to get a seat for the keynotes – check back later for updates

Teens and Tomorrow

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 21:01:00 -0500

Tomorrow should be great. We’re going to unveil some new data on the teen market. Harris Interactive has worked tirelessly putting this data together, and they’ve gotten Trip Hawkins – a guy that knows more about teen trends and attitudes than just about anyone – to moderate the event.

These are tomorrow’s wireless users, and it’s their perceptions and expectations that will drive wireless’ future. It’s not to be missed.

We’ll see you tomorrow!

The Promise of Mobile Advertising

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:39:00 -0500

In our attendance of multiple panels and educational sessions we’ve all been hearing about mobile advertising. I know that a lot of smart people have thought a great deal about this – I just thought I'd throw in my two cents.

Mobile advertising is a paradigm changing capability. It will enable new and previously unavailable levels of brand delivery and focused advertising.

And it’s not like mobile advertising is a zero-sum situation – every stakeholder involved benefits. The gains to the carrier and other players are clear – but it’s the consumer benefit that is, at least to me, the most interesting.

Mobile advertising means that consumers can connect to thier brands in ways that we cant even right now imagine. When used properly mobile advertising will leverage the intimate nature of social networking and with advertisers’ institutional consumer knowledge.

However the market ultimately evolves, it’s going to enable a brave new world of personalization and brand connectivity.

Quick hit on RIM and Adobe Announcements

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:31:00 -0500

Sorry for the late post – been very busy. Anyway, this morning’s keynote saw RIM’s Jim Balsille, intro’ing a new relationship with MySpace, allowing for increased mobile social networking capabilities. We also saw three new handsets announced – some currently on display in their booth. The session also saw Microsoft announce that LiveSearch will become available on the Blackberry home screen -- no download required. Slacker also announced that its web radio app will soon be available on Blackberry.

Next up came Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen - he talked about the mobile internet and the future of mobile apps. He then announced Adobe’s new Photoshop Mobile, an app will likely revolutionize mobile camera phone experience. He then demonstrated how Adobe Flash is changing the way we interact with mobile media.

Running out to the show floor – more to come later.

Mark Desautels on Barcode White Paper

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:36:00 -0500

At this morning’s keynote Steve Largent announced the release of CTIA’s Wireless Internet Caucus’s Barcode Scanning White Paper. Click below to hear a few of CTIA’s Mark Desautels, VP of Wireless Internet Development thoughts on the topic.

Purpose of the White Paper

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How Camera Phone Bar Code Scanning Will Work

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Day One Wrap-Up

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:19:00 -0500

Well – the first day is in the books. And what a day it was. We saw the past, present and future of the wireless space showcased on the keynote stage and on the show floor.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s keynotes and to spending a bit more time on the show floor.

Enjoy the night in San Francisco, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

AWS 3, Tailors and Poorly Fitting Policy

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:57:00 -0500

Just because we’re in San Francisco this week doesn’t mean the work in Washington stops. Today CTIA filed an FCC ex parte on behalf of hundreds of companies expressing united opposition to the adoption of any "free" broadband mandates in the AWS 3 proceeding.

Our position: while any company should be free to voluntarily provide a "free" advertising-based service to consumers, a regulatory mandate for such a service will harm consumers and potentially delay access to next generation broadband services, especially in rural areas.

A free service will harm consumers? How?

Think about it: At best, given a “free” service’s limited revenue opportunity in any market – a case exacerbated in rural areas – the licensee would have little incentive to invest and build-out the service, thereby defeating its original purpose. At worst, having to compete with a “free” service could potentially drive most competitors out of any market, which means a reduction in broadband choice and availability. The FCC will have essentially provided a disincentive for other companies to deploy broadband networks at a time when it should be promoting broadband build-out.

We know that tailoring auction rules to a specific company's business plan won’t increase broadband adoption in the United States – recall the recent D Block debacle. The US broadband market is already intensely competitive and is characterized by intra and intermodal competition, multiple business plans and innovative service packages.

If the Commission wants to see further US broadband adoption, it should seriously consider the multiple currently pending proceedings aimed at doing just that.

A Common Connection

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:33:00 -0500

Today CTIA and Neustar celebrated the five-year Anniversary of the Common Short Code program with the presentation of the third annual “CSC Pioneer” Awards. The event, hosted by CTIA Assistant Vice President Joe Farren, was as successful as the burgeoning short code space. The Common Short code program now has more than 3,100 numbers under management and is enabling new services almost daily.

This year’s honorees included HipCricket Inc, OpenMarket Inc. and M3 Mobile Marketing. HipCricket is a repeat winner that specializes in increasing customer loyalty for broadcast stations and consumer brands. OpenMarket is a premier provider of mobile messaging and mobile commerce payment processing systems. M3 Mobile Marketing is a leader in increasing brand awareness and increasing advertising returns.

Congratulations to this year's winners!

Day One: A Keynote in Three Acts

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 15:07:00 -0500

Act One: Steve Largent sat down with CEOs from T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and Sprint. Their discussion revolved around a key word in today’s wireless industry: openness. They were clear: openness is here today. Each said that their company is promoting and committed to open devices and applications while at the same ensuring a positive user experience.
With regards to network interoperability: the laws of physics can be bent but not broken. A GSM network cannot interface with a CDMA device. But that’s today.

As companies move towards their 4th generation networks, and deploy common standards, network interoperability becomes possible.

Act Two: Marco Boerries, Exectutive VP of Yahoo’s Connected Life Division then came on and debuted Yahoo’s oneConnect application on the Apple iphone. This app allows users to centralize their contacts and communications from multiple mediums and social networks, and makes it mobile. Next, Boerries debuted Yahoo’s “Blueprint” mobile platform. This is a single, open, cross-platform framework for mobile content and websites. It’s designed to streamline the mobile content and website development cycle, while at the same time enabling robust and diverse features.

Act Three: Steve returned to the stage to discuss the wireless industry’s evolution and history with mobile luminaries John Stanton and Crag McCaw. Their discussion was a reflection on and comparison of wireless’s early days and today. They discussed the characteristics of early cellular users, and how those subscribers compare with today’s mobile broadband users. They also looked forward, each offering their view of an untethered, wholly connected mobile future. It was an excellent talk from two industry titans.

Steve on Data

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:59:00 -0500

Today from the keynote stage Steve Largent announced the latest CTIA survey findings – watch two video clips of him sharing his thoughts on the growth in wireless data and use:

Texting is Still Terrific!

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Wireless Data is a Key Driver

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And We're Off....

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:57:00 -0500

Just got into the Moscone Center and grabbed some breakfast. Keynotes are at 9:30 – looking forward to them. We hear that the session will include a retrospective on the industry’s incredible 25 years, and those individuals that have been instrumental in its evolution.
We’re also scheduled to hear from some of the industry’s current leadership. I understand that keynote segment will take the shape of a discussion – I’m excited to watch the give and take.

The show floor is scheduled to open at 11 -- we’ll be down there capturing video and interviewing attendees.

Hope to see you out there!

What's the Buzz at CTIA

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:07:00 -0500

This show we’re debuting the CTIA Buzz Zone. This area, located on the second floor of Moscone West (adjacent to the Media Center) will be our set for interviews and conversations with some of the industry’s leading minds. We’ve already sat down with a number of folks, and we’ll be continuing to over the next few days. Topics will range from show announcements to current policy discussions. We’re really excited about it – stop by and check it out.

Pre-Show Pics

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:31:00 -0500

Just left the show floor – thought I’d provide some pics of how things are coming together. With the way things look now, it’s hard to believe that the show floor opens in less than 24 hours!