CCA event set for strong carrier participation from T-Mobile, Sprint, focus on policy, 5G and the IoT
The Competitive Carriers Association is taking its annual convention to Seattle this year, hosting a number of keynotes and educational sessions heavy on policy issues and the growing specter of “5G,” and the “internet of things.”
The show, which is set to run from Sept. 20-22, looks to follow up on CCA’s first Mobile Carriers Show from earlier this year that had previously run under the Global Expo banner. The MCS event also showed a heavy focus on 5G, IoT and spectrum challenges for CCA members.
For this year’s convention, CCA has lined up a cast of keynote speakers headlined by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Ajit Pai. Topics for the FCC members are sure to include the government agency’s ongoing 600 MHz incentive auction proceedings, which recently entered into a second stage of bidding activity following the abrupt end of its first stage.
Wheeler had previously taken to a CCA stage in defending the FCC’s plans for the controversial auction process, including pleading with CCA members to “show up” and support the proceedings.
With its Seattle location, the CCA Annual Convention is also set to see strong representation from “local” operator T-Mobile US, including panel presence from Karri Kuoppamaki, VP of radio network technology and strategy; Ryan Hollinger, head of network architecture; and CTO Neville Ray, among others.
Fellow CCA nationwide operator Sprint also is set for a strong presence at the event, with scheduled appearances by Jay Bluhm VP of network planning and Ron Marquardt, VP of technology, innovation and architecture.
Also set to attend is long-time industry veteran John Stanton, who is scheduled for a “fireside” chat with CCA President and CEO Steve Berry. Stanton, who previously headed up T-Mobile USA and Western Wireless, and is currently founder and chairman of Trilogy International Partners, was last on stage at a CCA event in 2011 where he was in favor of AT&T’s then pending acquisition of T-Mobile USA. The deal, which was opposed by CCA, was eventually scuttled by regulators.
In terms of 5G technology and IoT, CCA has a number of educational panels on the topics, with panel members representing rural carriers, which should provide a unique perspective on those initiatives. Larger operators look to be heading down those avenues at full speed, while many smaller carriers are still in the process of rolling out current-generation LTE networks.
CCA is also set to host a session with the First Responders Network Authority, which plans to begin awarding contracts from its pool of $6.5 billion in funding for the construction of the FirstNet nationwide mobile broadband network geared toward the public safety community on Nov. 1. FirstNet has a history of attending CCA events as it looks to garner network support from the rural carrier community.
Watch a livestream of the keynotes and panels right here starting Sept. 20 at 12PM PT.
Look for RCR Wireless News coverage of the 2016 CCA Annual Convention beginning Sept. 20, including stories on top news from the event.
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