Cross-Propagation: The March Shows

There is no better way to get the ball rolling than to attend each other’s shows.

There are two major wireless conferences in March. The first is the IWCE show in Las Vegas for the public safety sector, and the second is CTIA Wireless for the commercial sector, also in Las Vegas. Attendee demographics at these two shows are usually very different, but I am recommending that those in the public safety sector who will be interacting with the commercial sector attend CTIA Wireless 2010 and likewise, I recommend that those in the commercial sector who want to work with the public safety community attend IWCE 2010.

The theory behind granting the first block of public safety broadband spectrum was twofold. First, this spectrum grant was designed to help public safety with its interoperability issues. Second, it was put into play to provide cost savings by making commercial technologies available to the public safety community at greatly reduced costs. Meeting these goals will require the “interoperability” of the public safety and commercial sectors.

Designing a new nationwide broadband network or a series of regional networks that will be tied together is outside the public safety community’s experience, and some public safety network requirements are not yet understood by commercial wireless.

Public safety’s current radio systems are based on high-power radio sites and high-power handheld and mobile units, and do not involve cell site hand-off. While some public safety systems are quite complex in nature, they are far different from typical cell systems with lower-power equipment and mobile devices, and the design criteria is vastly different.

There is no better way to get the ball rolling than to attend each other’s shows.

IWCE starts on Wednesday March 10 and runs until Friday March 12. However, there are two pre-show days, Monday March 8 and Tuesday March 9, made up of educational sessions, which the IWCE calls the College of Technology. Many of these sessions are about topics that won’t be of interest to most commercial vendors, but on Tuesday I am conducting an afternoon session called “4G 101,” and there is an Interoperability 101 session, one on mesh networks, a basic IP networking seminar, radio over IP, and even Land Mobile 101, which would be a great session for anyone in the commercial sector to attend.

The main show features exhibits from the two-way radio vendors as well as some commercial operators and equipment vendors. AT&T and Verizon are both on a number of panels and sessions discussing the convergence of two-way radio (land mobile radio or LMR) and commercial networks, and many of those spearheading the public safety effort to deploy LTE on 700 MHz will be there. I am also on several other panels during the week and I am a member of the Private Wireless Forum sig, which will be hosting a cocktail reception nearby on Thursday night that is usually attended by a number of key people within the two-way radio and public safety community. This show is a great place to meet these people, get to know them, and let them get to you know you.

Meanwhile, CTIA Wireless 2010, March 23 through March 25, is a great venue for the public safety community to learn more about the world of commercial wireless and to talk directly to network operators, device vendors, and software developers. There are a number of pre-show educational courses the day before the show (Tuesday March 22) including our day-long Andrew Seybold Wireless University in its 15^th year. During the show itself, there are many sessions that could provide a great foundation for learning more about commercial wireless. If you decide to go to CTIA Wireless 2010, contact me about attending our invitation-only 20^th Annual Wireless Dinner at CTIA on Wednesday night. This is the longest running event for top executives in the wireless space and it is usually filled to capacity (300).

A number of issues will be affecting both the LMR and commercial wireless markets in coming years and cross attendance at these two shows will prove to be beneficial to both groups. There is a steep learning curve ahead for those involved in public safety communications and for those within the commercial wireless field who want to work with public safety. What better way to begin building your knowledge about another side of wireless than to attend events that are designed primarily for the other marketplace.

Take a look at the two websites, make your reservations now, and see with your own eyes how different public safety and commercial wireless are. Equally important, learn how helpful they can be to each other. I hope to see you at both shows this year.

Andrew M. Seybold