CTIA - The Wireless Association® Blog - CTIA WIRELESS 2008®

CTIA WIRELESS 2008® is in the Books!

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:08:00 -0500

From exhibitors ABBYY USA Software House to Zumobi, CTIA WIRELESS 2008® touched all of the industry bases last week in Las Vegas. Whether you couldn't make it, or maybe missed a session or two after some seriously late night blackjack (oh sure you didn't), you'll want to check out our convention coverage. It includes keynote highlights, backstage interviews, show floor video, convention pics, podcasts and much more. You'll get to catch up on the thoughts of some of the more prominent leaders in the wireless industry, and see some of the new products in action.

One demo that really struck me was Yahoo!Mobile CEO Marco Boerries' display of the voice recognition capability of their new oneSearch 2.0. I've tested it on my Blackberry and I think it's really cool. In fact, I showed it off to a bunch of friends at a high school track meet over the weekend, and we spent an hour trying to stump it. No dice! And coming soon, we'll have our keynote webcast. We include longer, more in-depth excerpts from the presentations, and I'll let you know more about that next week.

CTIA WIRELESS 2008®: Over and Out

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:41:00 -0500

What a great way to spend a few days!

We certainly wrapped up with a bang on the keynote stage, as former presidential candidate John Edwards made big news. When asked on-stage by CTIA President and CEO Steve Largent whether he would consider being the Democrat party’s vice-presidential nominee, he said…. Well, see it for yourself. Just click on Keynote Q&A on Day Three, and then Vice-Presidential thoughts. You’ll see Senator Edwards is pretty clear on the matter! Edwards and fellow former senator and prez contender Fred Thompson were great with their remarks on presidential politics and what wireless is doing to the process. You’ll definitely want to check out all that they had to say.

In the big picture, CTIA WIRELESS® shows have always been a popular place for major mobile industry announcements, and this show was no exception. This week saw Chairman Martin declare his intention to dismiss the Skype petition and the debut of the cool Sprint – Samsung Instinct. On the applications and software sides, we had Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 and Yahoo’s One Search 2.0 introduced.

We’ve had great keynotes from some of the most influential player in and around the mobile space.

And we can’t forget about the exhibitors. Some of the most creative and original companies in the world showed off their latest technology.

We have had a ball this week, and we hope you have, too.

See you in 'Frisco in September!!

Day 3 Keynote Thoughts: Tying the Messages to Wireless

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:26:00 -0500

Just ran back from this morning’s keynote. This one was great. While the topics of discussion were very often only tangentially related to wireless, I think there are some good lessons in the words of both Senator Edwards and Senator Thompson.

Senator Edwards discussed the role news coverage plays in shaping perception. He talked about how it is the coverage of something that shapes one’s perception, and how that coverage can sometimes ignore the reality of a situation. I think there is a wireless tie-in here. So often, the only news we hear about wireless is negative – but the fact is that people are happy with their wireless service. According to a recently released poll, more than 9 out of 10 consumers are satisfied with their wireless service. I mean, a 90% success rate on anything is impressive. It’s even more so when you consider that the industry is serving hundreds of millions of Americans every day. The fact and reality is that the wireless industry has an impressive record of delivering to meet the demands of the American consumer.

Then Senator Thompson came to the stage. He discussed a number of issues, but what really resonated with me was Senator Thompson’s message with regards to “Disagreeing without being disagreeable” – this message has real application in the current, and evolving wireless policy ecosystem. As the wireless space evolves, we are facing more and more issues that get people more and more energized. That’s simply the reality. Net neutrality is a perfect example of this energized environment. Very often NN proponents are so emotionally involved in the issue that it’s difficult for them to step back and have a more low-key dialogue. In order to have constructive discussions about the merits and facts of this issue, those on both sides need to consider those facts objectively. You can be impassioned without being unreasonable, but it’s tough to do that when the volume is turned up loud. I think we all would do well to “turn down the volume” in order to ultimately sit across the table from one another and seriously discuss the facts.

Day 3 Keynote Preview

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 11:05:00 -0500

This morning we’re due to hear from former Sens. Thompson and Edwards. It will be thought-provoking and interesting to hear both of their takes on the current Presidential election, as well as their thoughts on the inevitable intersection of technology and government.

Note that the keynote begins at 9:30 – this is a change from the usual 9AM starting time.

I'm Feeling Taxed

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:44:00 -0500

Just came from the tax policy panel. A few thoughts:

1) The fact that wireless tax rates average more than twice the average tax rate of other goods and services is simply unfair to the 255+ million American wireless consumers.

2) Wireless taxes are regressive. That means that they affect lower-income users more than they affect those who are better-off. What it also means is that these taxes disproportionately discourage wireless use by those that stand the most to benefit from them.

3) There is something of a disconnect between the wishes of some state governments to see wireless broadband build-out in their respective states and the necessary tax incentives/ removal of disincentives that would encourage such build out. If states’ are really serious about promoting the continued deployment of next-generation networks, their tax code should reflect that priority.

4) State tax codes are old – they were developed for the manufacturing economy of the early 20th century. States should revamp their tax systems in order to acknowledge the shift to this new, information economy. In doing that, they would promote the well-being of these new 21rst century businesses as well encouraging their proliferation.

That’s it from me for the day – see you all tomorrow for Day 3.

Day 2 Keynote Wrap-Up

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:44:00 -0500

The keynotes were kicked off today with Steve Largent and Marty Cooper discussing the first cellphone call made about 35 years ago – it was a very nice thing. They then presented one another with awards for their respective contributions to the wireless space.

Next up was Arun Sarin, the CEO of Vodafone explaining how he sees the wireless ecosystem evolving. It’s no surprise that he sees the mobile broadband experience as revolutionary for the industry. Arun explained that he feels a single 4Gstandrard would be best in that it would allow greater efficiencies in order to realize greater economies of scale. That’s an interesting, if not unexpected, take. He also cited the need for effective network management as the on-network traffic continues to increase.

Next up on the Keynote Stage was Marco Boerries, President of Yahoo! Mobile. While there he debuted Yahoo’s new mobile search function, One Search 2.0. This function incorporates many of the functionalities we have come to expect from the search engines we use on our PCs. There was also a very cool demo of the voice recognition capabilities of the function. Something that I found particularly interesting was Boerries thinking that this new mobile, open ecosystem will be too big for 1 one dominant player to emerge, I think he’s right about that – these new open platforms will mean opportunities for a multitude of different players.

Following Marco was an infrastructure roundtable featuring the CEO’s of Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson and Nortel and moderated by VZW’s Lowell McAdam. Their conversation was an interesting one, dealing with the new implications on network providers in an open, mobile broadband world.

I’m off to the show floor – see you out there!

A Reflection on Market Realities

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:55:00 -0500

After a fun and interesting Day 1, I thought I might provide some thoughts and reflections on my experience.

Some of the most thought-provoking experiences from yesterday included two policy panels that I attended, "Mobile Industry Hot Topics" and "US Wireless and the World."

A common theme that I heard explicitly discussed at the Hot Topics panel, and as an under-current in the “US and the World” panel, was that of wireless national framework.

CTIA has researched international regulatory systems, and according to our findings, the US's system of both federal and state-by-state wireless regulatory authority is unique.

The possibility of expanded state regulatory authority over wireless is one that simply doesn't make sense. Wireless’ defining characteristic is its mobility -- because of that, wireless is inherently an interstate, not intrastate service. I certainly appreciate the need for state governments to enforce the generally applicable laws and look out for the best interest of their citizens. But, that being said, to allow expanded state-specific regulatory authority over a mobile, interstate service might bring with it unintended consequences.

By subjecting wireless carriers to 50 different regulatory systems, we potentially jeopardize the incredible levels of investment and innovation that have characterized our industry.

Think about that -- the innovation and investment of the domestic wireless industry is among the most impressive in the world. The regulations of today might not be relevant to the technological realities of tomorrow. To allow short-sighted regulatory preferences to potentially affect this evolving, constantly-changing industry brings with it the possibility of short-changing the American wireless consumer by depriving them new services and technologies.

Click here to listen to our "US Wireless and the World" podcast!

Day 2 Keynote Preview

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:28:00 -0500

After a busy and hectic Day 1, I’m pretty excited for this, Day 2 of CTIA WIRELESS 2008®. We have a lot planned for the day – keynotes include Marco Boerries, President of Yahoo! Mobile and Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone. It’ll be great to get these two mobile leaders take on the currents and future trends in the mobile ecosystem.

Following Arun, Lowell McAdam will be hosting a roundtable with some of the most prominent infrastructure companies in the industry. Considering the current, and continued surge in mobile data use, a sound wireless infrastructure and network is going to be more important than ever.

After the keynotes, the show floor will be open to show-off the latest and greatest of the wireless world.

See you at the keynotes.

Day 1 Keynote Wrap-Up

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:47:00 -0500

So I was just over at the Hilton watching the keynotes. All in all, a great showing by all of those there.

So what are some of the highlights?

Lowell McAdam kicked off the keynotes by discussing the wireless carriers’ continued efforts to work and deliver for consumers. Lowell then got into the industry’s new campaign that highlights the industry’s commitment to continued innovation and responsiveness in order to provide the wireless experience that Americans demand.

Then FCC Chairman Kevin Martin came to the stage. Chairman Martin emphasized the competition that is the hallmark of the US wireless industry. He called wireless the “poster-child for competition”. Chairman Martin also said that he’s recommending to his fellow commissioners that they dismiss the Skype petition, citing the industry’s competitiveness as reason enough to set aside the need for regulation.

Then it was Richard Branson’s turn.. His was a good keynote, complete with his reputed charisma. He discussed the ever-growing prepaid market, especially in light of the current economic situation. He also pulled an April Fools Day prank on the crowd when he discussed solar-powered space shuttle initiative that his company had just embarked on. Nice.

Following Branson was Robert Bach of Microsoft. He debuted their new mobile OS, Windows Mobile 6.1. This new edition is meant to better bridge the gap between users’ public and private lives, in order to streamline and simplify the Windows Mobile experience.

Following Bach was Dan Hesse. He talked about Sprint’s new Unlimited Everything plan and their new approach to the wireless business. Hesse also debuted the Samsung Instinct, a nifty new device meant to capitalize on the services offered by the Simply Everything plan. He then got into Sprint’s WiMAX offering, Xohm, and showed a cool promo piece of the trial taking place in Chicago. Essentially, Hesse made the case for Sprint being uniquely poised to be the wireless company of tomorrow.

Off to check out the show floor – more to come later.

Big Numbers and their Implications

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:19:00 -0500

Ok -- I just got back from this morning’s keynote. Among the big announcements, we at CTIA unveiled our latest wireless metrics. Some highlights: More than 255million wireless users in the US as of YE07. Those 255+ million folks used more than 2 trillion minutes (roughly the equivalent of total traffic on the landline networks around 1992 – the pre-dial-up days), and more than 360 billion text messages were reported by the carriers for 07. Moreover, data usage continues to see dramatic increases—more and more people are using differentiated wireless data applications more often. Along this line, the FCC’s High Speed Report was released about a week or two ago. It showed that not only have wireless broadband connections continued to grow at a rate that dwarfs both DSL and cable, but wireless now accounts for more than 30% of the total broadband lines in the US. Now, this is obviously a great thing for everybody – but are there larger implications here?

For me, as more people turn to wireless for internet connectivity, and as the volume and variety of traffic on these networks continues to grow, carriers are obviously going to continue shaping the on-network traffic. They’ve been doing it forever, since the 1G systems were in place, and they’re great it at. Wireless networks are amazing things – they’ve evolved impressively and will continue to. As I said above, the two trillion minutes reported in 2007 was the approximate equivalent of the total traffic on the landline networks as of 1992 – and almost nobody had a cellphone in ’92. So, I guess it’s safe to assume that 2 trillion represented the overwhelming majority of voice communications. Well, wireless did that volume of voice last year – and 360+ billion text messages, and music, and games, and mobile tv……

You get my point. A dizzying amount and assortment of traffic is flowing over and through these networks – and that volume and array is only going to increase and widen. Yes, the carriers will continue to spend tens of billions every year upgrading their networks so they can continue to deliver all the services we know today, and the Star Treck-esque stuff of tomorrow. At the same time, we need to understand that in order for the ever-increasing volume and variety of services and applications to be effectively delivered, carriers need to shape and manage the on-network traffic.

The Intersection of Sinks, Tubs and Wireless

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:27:00 -0500

As I walked through the show floor today, I looked around at the different companies that are now players in the mobile space. Kohler – Kohler?– the guys that make the cool tubs, sinks and water systems have a booth.

It makes sense though. Telematic solutions are going to play an important role in the next phase of the wireless evolution. The people of Kohler are definite innovators in terms of design – I’m interested to see their vision for wireless.

That’s just the nature of the industry today. As much as we associate wireless services with the consumer on her cellphone, we’re evolving beyond that. That’s not at all to say we’re getting away from the core services we’ve always provided consumers. Anything but. At the same time, we’re doing more these days. Remote systems monitoring, location based services and telemedicine are just a few of the niftier wireless applications currently deployed.

Companies acknowledge this reality. Recently, Verizon Wireless hosted their Open Development Initiative Conference. The essence of the meeting was this message: as long as the device doesn’t harm the network, it can be hooked up. The implications here are huge. Because we’re not just talking phones anymore, this policy could potentially lead to the proliferation of entirely new types of wireless goods and services.

Tomorrow the show floor opens – it’s going to be interesting to see who else shows up with some creative, original application of wireless technology.

Public Policy Goings on at CTIA WIRELESS 2008®

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:37:00 -0500

Among all the technology exhibited at the show, CTIA also has multiple policy panels planned (click here for the official wrap-up). These discussions should prove interesting and the issues on the agenda are ones that could potentially affect the wireless ecosystem as we know it. I’m going to give a brief overview of those panels and their respective topics of discussion. Again, stop by if you can – it’s always interesting to hear a policymaker’s take on our industry.

US Wireless and the World
This should prove a provocative discussion. There have been calls for the US to revamp the domestic wireless model, and (wrongful) claims that other countries lead the US in innovation and wireless service provision. This panel will try to tease that out and get to the heart of this issue.

Taxation of Wireless in the Mobile Broadband Era
Plain and simple – wireless taxes average about twice the tax rate for other good and services. Wanna find out why? Me too.

Market Realities
How do consumers interact with the wireless market place? How might different levels of oversight (Federal, State, etc.) affect that interaction?

Wireless Innovation at the Network Edge and Core
Where, and how does innovation take place in wireless networks? What implications might innovation within and on the periphery of the network carry for the larger wireless industry?

Network Management
A candid talk about network management in today’s mobile ecosystem.

Wireless Industry Policy Hot Topics
A discussion of some of the most salient wireless issues policymakers are currently considering.

Welcome to CTIA WIRELESS 2008®!

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 17:31:00 -0500

So here we are. “Vegas baby –Vegas!!” Years of planning and loads of coffee have gone into this show – and it’s one we’re already really proud of. CTIA WIRELESS® continues to grow, as we keep adding new exhibitors to join those who are already ‘in the family’. You’ll feel the buzz when you walk out on the show floor… you’ll see for yourself just how quickly the industry is changing. But what I always get a kick out of is the keynotes. And this year’s line-up is no exception.

Ok – so who do we have planned? Well, the Day One keynotes include some of the most important players within the wireless space. We’re due to hear from Lowell McAdam of Verizon Wireless, Dan Hesse of Sprint, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Mobile, and Robert Bach of Microsoft. That’s just on Day One! All of these gentlemen are playing important roles in crafting the mobile eco-system we know today – and each will play a prominent part in shaping tomorrow’s mobile world. What I really like hearing is their perspective on how that’s going to look, and their thoughts on the best way to enjoying the most success in meeting customers’ needs and demands. Some critics might like to think otherwise, but that’s what this industry does extremely well. That’s why we keep adding new subscribers, who are using their devices more often, to do increasingly more things. No one’s perfect and we know we’re far from it. But we’re getting better because competition makes us better, and the Day One keynotes will highlight that.

Day Two brings an international flavor to the keynote stage. We have Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin scheduled to speak, as well as Marco Boerries President of Yahoo! Mobile. We also have Lowell McAdam moderating what promises to be an interesting roundtable with the CEO’s of some of the most important network and infrastructure providers, including Nortel, Ericcson and Alcatel-Lucent. The last infrastructure panel we had was a huge hit and I’m sure this one will be even better.

So… who’s it going to be: Clinton or Obama? And what do you make of McCain? This year’s presidential election is already one of the most dynamic we’ve had in years, and I can’t wait for Day Three to hear from two gentlemen who have been through the campaign fires themselves. We have Fred Thompson and John Edwards scheduled to discuss technology, politics and the inevitable intersections of those two worlds. It should make for some interesting takes from a couple of the nation’s most prominent politicians, and is a nice follow-up from the great session we had last year with Presidents Clinton and Bush.

So those are the keynotes we have on tap – and more than 1,100 of the most innovative companies in the world showing off their stuff. Not a bad way to spend a few days.

It’s going to busy – and I have no doubt it’s going to be fun.

All of us here at CTIA hope you enjoy Wireless 2008®.