CTIA made a bet on one giant show in Vegas, and despite some challenges Super Mobility Week delivered some key insights for the industry.
Three strikes and you’re in
You could say that Super Mobility Week had three strikes against it last week. On day one, the show had to compete with the Competitive Carriers Association’s fall show, which took place just a few miles away. On day two, Apple stole the show with its new product announcements. And throughout the show, many registrants were MIA as they slipped over to the nearby Cosmopolitan Hotel to attend the Deutsche Bank Tech Conference.
Nonetheless, Super Mobility Week delivered meaningful insights and important news for those who were able to pay attention. Carriers reacted to Apple’s news with new pricing moves, one of which was announced at Super Mobility Week. The tower industry took action to help the families of fallen climbers. Vendors at the show reported that their carrier customers are asking for “converged solutions,” and convergence can mean many things. Services offered over wireless networks are converging with those offered over fixed networks, and carriers are hearing their customers ask for converged wireless solutions that integrate 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi.
“We’re seeing that same convergence that we see in our business … we’re seeing it here at the show as well,” said Robert Barnhill, CEO of Tessco Technologies. “The convergence of wireless and the Internet is creating all these new opportunities … all the way from cellular signal enhancement to the remote monitoring control, better known as M2M or the Internet of Things.”
The connected car is the IoT application that has perhaps gotten the most attention this year, and connected car discussions and solutions were very much in evidence at Super Mobility Week. AT&T’s Ralph de la Vega and Glenn Lurie hosted a connected car panel that included top executives from Ericsson, GM, Tesla and Voicebox. And on the exhibit floor, vendors were demonstrating new ways to monitor and monetize the connected car.
4G World
4G World was part of Super Mobility Week this year, with two key themes top of mind. One was customer experience management: finding ways to monetize the investment in 4G through new services, and at the same time enhance network performance. Operators are watching their current business models disintegrate and are eager to find new revenue models, and vendors are ready with solutions. Ericsson and SAP had announced a major enterprise mobile security solution at the show, offering operators a new way to address a market estimated to swell to $2.1 billion by 2016.
Standardization of strategy was the other key show theme for 4G World. The group says that carriers, device makers, regulators and OTT service providers need to agree on a strategy to keep pace with the demand for mobile broadband.
Tower and Small Cell Summit
Infrastructure service providers and equipment vendors gathered in this area of the show floor. Many were showcasing structures and solutions that help operators camouflage outdoor small cells. 3M, CommScope and Ericsson were among the vendors showcasing “stealth” solutions.
On the indoor small cell front, Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia all announced new products at Super Mobility Week. All three of their small cell solutions integrate 3G, LTE and Wi-Fi. As Ericsson CMO Arun Bhikshesvaran told us, “You know you’re doing the right thing when we see that others are doing it too.”
Wi-Fi makes waves
It’s a good thing that CTIA no longer emphasizes the name Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association. Wi-Fi was a big part of many conversations in Las Vegas last week, even before Apple pushed unlicensed spectrum into the spotlight. Apple’s new iPhones will support voice calls over Wi-Fi, and on the heels of Apple’s announcement, T-Mobile US announced that all its new smartphones will support this feature.
Before T-Mobile’s announcement, Wi-Fi service providers were telling us that the carriers have been slow and defensive when it comes to Wi-Fi offload strategies. Cable companies, on the other hand, are moving aggressively into Wi-Fi, and some are wondering if 2015 will see a wireless service offering from a cable operator.
Net Neutrality
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s comments on net neutrality have been endlessly analyzed in the days since Super Mobility Week. Some heard his remarks as a thinly veiled threat to apply net neutrality rules to wireless carriers, and others found the chairman overly concerned about throttling.
On at least one point, Wheeler tried hard to be crystal clear. “Our greatest asset is that which we do not see — spectrum,” he said. “The government has heard your cry for more spectrum.” Wheeler went on to encourage all the carriers in his audience to “show up” for the 600 MHz incentive auction.
