WCA Leadership Briefing Convenes Key Leaders & Supporters
Ali Tabassi, the vice president for technology development for Sprint Nextel, previewed his company’s Next Generation Network as the opening keynote speaker for WCA’s Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing Wednesday in Reston, VA, held in conjunction with WCA’s fall Board meeting. He described how Sprint Nextel is forging new ground with a wireless broadband strategy destined to make “Digital Life” simple, instant and enriching. He also drew distinctions between 3G and 4G wireless technology, saying OFDM technology for high-powered wireless data networks marks a significant shift from 3G, and so ought to be called 4G. Sprint Nextel plans to enable visually-rich content and bandwidth-intensive applications on a diverse array of portable and consumer electronic devices. Business, governments and consumers will be able to access multi-media content on innovative devices using Sprint's forthcoming mobile WiMAX network. Tabassi said his company has a 12-18-month lead over its competitors’ through its superior spectrum position for broadband wireless, especially because the AWS spectrum acquired by bidders during a recent auction won’t be available nationally for awhile. WCA’s one-day conference, which was co-located with WCA’s fall Board of Directors meeting, was for those industry leaders most active within the WCA to share insights with one another following a summer of momentous developments. Details: Agenda, etc.

WCA Leadership Briefing Showcases Mobile Interoperability From WiMAX PlugFest
Insights from the first WiMAX Forum™ Plugfest demonstrating interoperability of mobile products were discussed in authoritative fashion at WCA’s Leadership Briefing. WCA’s annual invitation-only conference for industry leaders and prominent members of the media featured WiMAX leaders Intel Corp. and Bechtel Telecommunications, among others. The latter hosted the first public mobile WiMAX Forum PlugFest from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1 at Bechtel’s Training, Demonstration and Research Laboratory in Frederick, MD. “WiMAX Forum Interoperability Testing At Bechtel Labs: Summary and Path Forward” was the title of the joint presentation by Bechtel Principal Vice President & CTO J.S. (Jake) MacLeod and Intel Mobility Group Director of Technology Standards Kamran Etemad, Ph.D. The WiMAX Forum has described its PlugFest as providing mobile WiMAX equipment suppliers an open environment in which to test compatibility and interoperability of equipment in preparation for certification. Interoperability is the foundation of standardization and the core tenet of the WiMAX Forum’s efforts. The WiMAX Forum Certification Test Lab located at CETECOM in Malaga, Spain – which has been certifying WiMAX fixed products since 2006 – will soon be joined by TTA Labs of Korea for the initial certification of mobile WiMAX products by the end of 2006, with market availability of certified products beginning in early 2007, according to the WiMAX Forum. Participating companies included: Accton Technologies, Adaptix, Airspan, Alcatel, Altair Semiconductor, Alvarion, Beceem Communications, CETECOM-Aeroflex, GCT Semiconductor, Intel, M/A-Com, Motorola, Navini Networks, picoChip, POSDATA, Runcom, Samsung, SEQUANS Communications, SOMA Networks, TTA Labs, Wintegra, and test equipment vendors: CETECOM, Invenova, and Rohde and Schwarz. Details.

WCA Applauds Northrop Grumman’s Success In Pioneering $500 Million Public Safety Deal

Sprint, Clearwire, BellSouth, Verizon, Bechtel & Citadel Group Speakers Named For Briefing
Ali Tabassi, vice president for technology development for Sprint Nextel, will be the opening keynote speaker for the above-mentioned Briefing. He will describe planning for the company’s Next Generation networks following its choice of WiMAX-certified equipment earlier this summer. Among other major speakers will be Clearwire Executive Vice President, Strategy, Policy and External Affairs Gerard Salemme, who will discuss the implications of the Clearwire, Intel Corp., Motorola, NextNet Wireless deal this summer. All four companies are members of WCA’s Board of Directors, which holds its fall meeting at the event. In addition, Verizon Communications Vice President & Associate General Counsel, Strategic Wireless Projects Robert H. Griffen will address an important topic for carriers seldom discussed outside their own companies: The Relationship of Intellectual Property Litigation & Wireless Broadband Wireless Innovation. Invitations to the Briefing are being extended to leaders on WCA’s committees, Briefing sponsors, and significant prospective purchasers of Next Generation equipment who are active within WCA, plus key members of the media and financial community.

Mayor Bloomberg Announces Selection Of Northrop Grumman To Build High Speed Wireless Data Network For Police Officers, Firefighters And Other City Workers

Northrop Grumman Wins $500 Million New York City Broadband Mobile Wireless Contract

Sprint Nextel To Sponsor WCA Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing In October
Sprint Nextel, which this summer announced WiMAX as its technology choice for fourth generation wireless network, will describe its 4G planning as Signature Underwriter for the WCA Carrier & Enterprise Leadership Briefing in October. The annual invitation-only conference for industry leaders is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 4-5 in Reston, VA near the headquarters of several of WCA’s major members. These include Sprint Nextel, First Avenue Networks and Nextlink – three of the largest holders of U.S. spectrum rights. Among the other companies who have confirmed participation are Bechtel Telecommunications, BellSouth, First Avenue Networks, Intel Corp., Nextlink Communications, Northrop Grumman, Pegasus Communications / Xanadoo and TeraGo Networks. The conference, which is co-located with WCA’s fall Board of Directors meeting, is intended for those industry leaders most active within the WCA to share insights with one another following a summer of momentous developments. Among others besides Sprint’s technology choice are implications of the Clearwire, Motorola, Intel, NextNet deal, plus major new opportunities for business development in the broadband wireless security field and in the ongoing rollout of municipal wireless systems.