LAS VEGAS – The growing importance of wireless in the general telecom space was evident during this morning’s keynote session at the NXTcomm08 trade show here, as AT&T Inc. chief Randall Stephenson referred to the recently introduced Apple Inc. 3G iPhone numerous times in discussing the dramatically changing telecom environment.
Stephenson noted that the 3G iPhone – targeted at both consumers and enterprise users – is at the forefront of the evolving telecommunications space, which is anchored and propelled by consumers’ desire for continuous connectivity.
“We want everything sold at Wal-Mart or Best Buy to connect to our network,” Stephenson said, adding that more than 1 billion devices are attached to the company’s litany of networks in one form or another.
Perhaps noticeable by its absence was mention by Stephenson of network technologies like IMS; such unified communication initiatives have been a hallmark of past NXTcomm events.
Indeed, during a panel discussion this morning, executives from top carriers acknowledged some frustration in the slow rollout of IMS technology. AT&T VP for shared services Chris Rice, Qwest Communications International Inc. CTO Pieter Poll and Verizon Communications Inc. senior VP of technology and network planning Mark Wegleitner noted that the technology has become more about the journey than the destination.
‘Slooooow CDMA network’
Sol Trujillo, CEO of Australian telecom operator Telstra, used his keynote to highlight his company’s expanding reliance on wireless communications, and quickly rattled off the data speeds of Telstra’s HSPA-based network – speeds that Trujillo said were comparable to what the company offers on the wireline side.
Trujillo also took a dig at the company’s recently shuttered CDMA-based network, saying consumers were not being served by the “slooooow CDMA network.”
