CTIA show to highlight carriers' network transition, m-health, retail

The wireless industry heads to Orlando, Fla., next week for International CTIA Wireless 2011. The show comes just five weeks after Mobile World Congress 2011 kicked off in Barcelona. With such major shows like CES, Mobile World Congress and CTIA stacked up against each other in the first three months of the year, companies at all of these shows are expected to deliver new products, services and news in rapid fire.
CTIA is filled with press events and news announcements, but standing out from the pack is what counts, said Bill Ho, VP of consumer services for Current Analysis Inc., noting that CTIA is still a large forum for major companies to make announcements.
CTIA is expecting more than 40,000 attendees from 126 counties to attend next week’s event. “We are currently tracking ahead of where we were this time last year,” Rob Mesirow, VP of operations at CTIA – The Wireless Association, told RCR Wireless News.
The major themes on tap for this year’s show include the carriers’ ongoing transition to IP-based networks, health, commerce and retail.
“It’s hard to overstake the transition from a switch-based network to an all IP network,” Mesirow said. “This is a brand new network that’s going to be very different… It’s a huge leap forward from where we were.”
To that end, Ho expects Sprint Nextel Corp. will reinforce the vision for its network. By bringing its infrastructure partners together at the show, Ho sees an opportunity for the carrier to clarify its transition strategy and make some device announcements as well.
“We’re looking at a coverage race,” Ho said. AT&T Mobility could announce more plans about its LTE network and rumors continue to swirl about a tie-up between T-Mobile USA Inc., Sprint and Clearwire Corp.
“If anythign ties up it won’t happen until 2012 or 2013,” Ho said. “For me, looking at carriers is about looking at a coverage race by end of year.”
As always, new devices are expected to be a standout at next week’s show, but tablets have a steep hill to climb in the face of Apple Inc.’s recent iPad 2 launch.
“With Apple as a specter it’s already there in terms of a launch,” Ho said. “Everybody’s trying to get ahead and capture mind share and media share ahead of the launch (of an Apple product).”
Device manufacturers “really can’t do anything in terms of the iPad 2,” he said. “You have to do it before. If you do it concurrent you get lost in all the buzz.”
There will be plenty of other areas of focus at the show as well. With a large concentration of healthcare professionals in the Orlando area, CTIA hopes to highlight the role mobile can play. “Wireless health really is a good story because it shows how mobile can take an entrenched industry and turn it on its head,” Mesirow said. “We have a lot of companies solving little problems that are adding up to big rewards.”
Mesirow is also excited about developments in power-management technology, energy and retail, which will command one of the largest areas of the show floor.
CTIA kicks off with some pre-conferences on March 21 and jumps into full swing March 22 at the Orange County Convention Center.