Submitted on January 6 2009, 02:06 pm by Scott Covell

Economist Recommends $17.4 B Stimulus for Wireless Infrastructure

Since the presidential election, PCIA has communicated the importance of wireless infrastructure to President-Elect Obama’s Transition Team and leadership of the new Congress.

At the request of Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the incoming Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, PCIA provided data on the strong economic value of wireless infrastructure deployment, identified appropriate regulatory relief in the infrastructure siting process, and suggested funding priorities for the wireless industry.

On behalf of Obama’s Transition Team, former FCC Chief Economist Dr. Alan Pearce prepared an economic analysis of the wireless industry as input to development of the infrastructure initiative economic stimulus package. Dr. Pearce relied on PCIA to provide crucial financial and other quantitative data for use in his analysis.

His resulting report, entitled “Accelerated Wireless Broadband Infrastructure Deployment: Impact on GDP & Employment in 2009 – 2010,” estimates that direct and indirect investments of $17.4B for wireless broadband infrastructure would increase GDP by 0.9 – 1.3% or $126.3B – $184.1B and create approximately 4.5million – 6.3 million jobs. The report also emphasizes that time limits should be placed on local jurisdictional review of wireless infrastructure applications and the FCC should clear the backlog of pending applications referred for NEPA review.

PCIA and its members will continue to be important contributors to the work of the new Administration and Congress as a fast-track economic stimulus package is adopted.

Submitted on November 6 2008, 01:08 pm by Scott Covell

Announcing our new Wireless Careers website & Job Board! The Florida Wireless Association has teamed with theWirelessWorkForce.com to provide a valuable new service to our members. By clicking on the Manage Careers link, (far right on the menu bar), employers and job seekers may access an Effective, Easy and Inexpensive means for matching talent with opportunity.

EMPLOYERS: post jobs and search resumes without charge. Select your candidate(s) and pay only $50 to be introduced once the candidate has confirmed an interest in the position,. Please give the service a try with your next job opening.

WIRELESS PROFESSIONALS: Stay informed about interesting opportunities effortlessly and automatically. Simply upload an anonymous profile naming the position(s) for which you want to be considered and you will be contacted when those opportunities become available. We urge everyone to keep a discreet profile on the website.

REFER JOB SEEKERS: See a job posting on tWWF and know a perfect candidate? Refer them to tWWF and collect a referral fee upon successful placement. (See our referral policy for details).

MORE

1. tWWF is exclusively for the wireless community so there is no need to wade through an endless stack of irrelevant resumes. Each and every tWWF member is a wireless professional who is thoroughly familiar with our industry.

2. tWWF offers access to both active and passive job seekers, broadening the talent pool to include persons who would otherwise be inaccessible.

3. tWWF is national in scope and is working to partner with all of the SWAP organizations across the US. To date we are partnered with California, Washington/Oregon, Florida & Kentucky.

tWWF was designed to serve the needs of the wireless telecom community. We hope we have done our job in bringing you a tool that will change the way you find that perfect job or talent. If you have suggestions or comments regarding tWWF, please contact ppachuta@twwf.net.

Submitted on 15 March 2010, 9:59 am by Fierce Wireless

As I finalize my schedule for next week's CTIA Wireless 2010 conference, I have to wonder if the upcoming show will be filled with interesting announcements and thought-provoking discussions or just a repeat of what I heard a month ago when I was in Barcelona, Spain, for the GSMA's Mobile World Congress event.

Although CTIA Vice President of Operations Rob Mesirow assures me the overlap in exhibitors at the shows is not that significant (out of 1,000 exhibitors at CTIA, just 200 exhibit at MWC too), and that the two shows attract a distinctly different audience (80 percent of CTIA's attendees are from the U.S. while 80 percent of Mobile World Congress attendees are from Europe), there are some interesting similarities.

Both conferences are bullish on developers. Mobile World Congress had a dedicated section for application developers called "App Planet" while CTIA has an devoted area called "App World." The GSMA reported that its annual conference attracted 6,000 developers last month in Barcelona. Meanwhile, CTIA says developers are the third largest demographic group at the show. CTIA has been focusing on developers since 1994 and currently the annual confab draws more than 10,000 developers.

And this year the GSMA decided to forgo its pricey, formal gala event at the Palace and instead had a networking party featuring the rock group Duran Duran. CTIA, which typically hosts a formal gala on the second night of show, also is switching to a networking party, called CTIA Unplugged, which will take place March 24 at the Hard Rock Hotel with the band The Gin Blossoms.

Mesirow said the annual gala was nice but not fulfilling a purpose and so the organization decided to switch things up and try a networking event. "That doesn't mean we won't go back to the gala. But we thought it was time to try something new," he added.

Even if the events are distinctly different, there is no doubt that for some wireless firms having three big events in three months is quite a challenge. With the Consumer Electronics Show in January becoming a hotbed of wireless devices and Mobile World Congress drawing a huge contingent of C-level operator executives, some wonder why CTIA hasn't moved its annual conference to the fall. Mesirow says CTIA has had a successful conference for the past 25 years and it has already sold more than 50 percent of its exhibit space for the 2011 show. "The time frame isn't going to change in the near future," he said. "But when you do the math there isn't that much overlap. ... We haven't had an overwhelming demand to move the show."

Look for next week's show to have a bigger focus on 12 areas where wireless is being embraced such as smart energy, mHealth, transportation, retail, mLearning, mobile applications, social networking and more. Mesirow says CTIA is building a community around each of these areas, and is moving a step closer to product categorization. One area that is growing fast is retail and CTIA will have a dedicated area of the North Hall as its Retail Zone. "The retail community is a big component," Mesirow said. "How can we drive wireless into these retail stores and better manage inventory? What do they have to do to be more profitable?"

Beyond the show floor, expect the usual keynote addresses from the top CEOs of some of the largest carriers--AT&T, Sprint Nextel and Clearwire--will all be on hand. Noticeably absent from the lineup is the nation's largest carrier, Verizon Wireless. Mesirow noted last year's show featured Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg, and said the company's absence this year isn't intentional.

Check out our CTIA Wireless 2010 preview package:

As always the FierceWireless, FierceMobileContent and FierceBroadbandWireless editorial team will be in Las Vegas next week covering all the news and events from the show. Our team of Mike Dano, Phil Goldstein, Lynnette Luna, Jason Ankeny and Tammy Parker will be out in full force. You can find our coverage in each newsletter, on the Web sites and at our dedicated site www.CTIALive.com. --Sue

P.S. If you are looking for a drill-down on all the big developments in 4G, be sure to register for FierceMarkets' "Path to 4G" conference on Tuesday, March 23, which is co-located with CTIA. I'll be chairing the event, which will feature speakers such as Verizon's Tony Melone, AT&T's Kris Rinne, Clearwire's Mike Sievert and more. Register here.

Submitted on 15 March 2010, 9:58 am by Fierce Wireless

For the past 25 years, the CTIA Wireless show has served as the premier event to experience what's new in this vibrant mobile industry. To say we've come a long way is a major understatement.

Some of the first cell phones were called "bricks" because of their enormous size and weight. Five years after the first cell phone service was available, the average consumer in 1988 used his phone for 122 minutes and paid $98.02 per month. We also had approximately 1.6 million subscribers.

Speed dial to 2010. Cell phones weigh ounces, not pounds. Many offer diverse and personalized capabilities ranging from using GPS to taking pictures to browsing the mobile Internet. The average consumer uses his device for 829 minutes and pays $50.07 per month. We have more than 276 million subscribers, or approximately 89 percent of the total U.S. population.

But beyond the numbers, what's most striking is the change in how people are using their mobile devices. It is no longer "just" to make a phone call. We are seeing an increasing number of people go "wireless-only" and use it as their sole means of telecommunications. There is an unprecedented growth in data usage, whether it's to check emails, access the mobile Web or download the newest app. Wireless allows us to access information anytime and anywhere. It delivers broadband to the person and empowers us to live better and work smarter. Wireless has forever changed how we interact with the world.

In short, the focus of mobile technology has shifted from what it is to what it can do.

We believe 2010 marks the beginning of the "mobile decade," where wireless consumers across the globe have more freedom and choice than ever before.

So what do we have to look forward to in this mobile decade? The sky's the limit. But we're not just talking about ideas and inventions for the future; instead, we're seeing many of these new technologies and devices being implemented today.

One area that I am particularly interested in is how wireless deployment increases other industries' productivities and efficiencies.

For example, while many in the wireless market are bolstering their own environmentally responsible business practices by reducing their waste and emissions or deploying energy-saving IT, we are also providing innovative solutions and applications for other industries. Currently, there are thousands of companies around the nation--and world--that have improved their operations and reduced their environmental burdens by receiving orders and payments or managing and routing their fleets (from buses to garbage trucks to farm equipment) using wireless technology.

Whether it's through smart grid systems that help conserve energy or applications that remotely monitor a patient's health, mobile technology is improving businesses as the workplace evolves beyond the office. Areas such as healthcare, transportation, education and energy are seeing dramatic increases in productivity, efficiency and to their bottomline, thanks to cutting-edge mobile solutions.

These are just a few examples of the wireless innovations that will be on display at the annual CTIA Wireless show. This year, CTIA continues its long-standing tradition of assembling a dynamic group of world leaders and visionaries who will provide insight on upcoming trends and technology and address issues of importance to all segments of the wireless industry. Thought-provoking keynote addresses, educational sessions and special interest seminars will address important policy issues such as net neutrality and spectrum, and highlight the vast and positive benefits wireless is bringing to our personal and professional lives. In addition, CTIA is pleased to introduce "Innovation Hall" where attendees will be able to see the future of mobility with pavilions focused on mHealth, eco-friendly products, and technology to combat distracted driving.

While the current economic situation has brought challenges for many, our show is a great reminder of all that this industry provides. Besides the countless new technologies and devices, we also directly or indirectly employ more than 2.4 million people and pay them more than 50 percent higher than the national average for other production workers. Over the past 10 years, our members have invested more than $200 billion to upgrade their networks and infrastructure (not including the cost of spectrum). The wireless industry's 16 percent economic contributions have grown faster than the rest of the economy at three percent.

Our industry has a tremendously positive impact on our economy, whether it's from its straight-forward investments or by empowering us to live better and work smarter. There's no doubt that the wireless industry, with its relentless competition and awe-inspiring innovation, has a prominent role in our country's continued success.

I look forward to seeing you on the show floor!

Steve Largent is president and CEO of CTIA, the wireless industry's main trade group.

Check out FierceWireless' CTIA Wireless 2010 preview package:

Submitted on 15 March 2010, 3:06 pm by Wireless Week

ParkerVision Inc. said Monday that its fourth-quarter loss narrowed as the developer of radio frequency technology reported more than $60 million in service revenue and a drop in operating expenses.For the quarter ended Dec. 31, ParkerVision's loss totaled $4.9 million, or 13 cents per share,...

Submitted on 15 March 2010, 1:13 pm by Wireless Week

Simply put, the increase in smartphone usage and the subsequent explosion of data traffic on 3G networks has caused an immediate need for carriers to offload the data traffic from the 3G network, so that both the voice and data services perform optimally. And due to the built-in Wi-Fi...